what grade are transfromer copper wire windings?

[Lucky Jack]

I bought about 20 lbs of wire at an estate sale. It is not on a transformer or motor winding but it looks like the same stuff and it's wound on small home made reels. I believe the previous owner was into stereo electronics and was winding his own inductors/coils, probably for passive crossovers. Anyway I was thinking that it has only a very thin coating of insulating coating on the wire so it probably would sell the same as bright shiny stripped wire but I'm new to the scrapping business. What is your experience with this kind of scrap wire?

 

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[kb4iqm]

It's often called magnet wire, and besides the enamel or formvar insulation, the wire itself was alloyed with iron to improve its magnetic qualities for inductor or transformer applications. The percentage of iron in the alloy varied by manufacturer and manufacture date.

Most wire used for audio applications is preferred to be pure copper or at least purer than magnet wire. For high end RF applications, silver plated solid copper is preferred.

Bob

 

[theirratonalist]

the wire itself was alloyed with iron to improve its magnetic qualities for inductor or transformer applications.

That doesn't make any sense. Source?

 

[kb4iqm]

the wire itself was alloyed with iron to improve its magnetic qualities for inductor or transformer applications.

That doesn't make any sense. Source?

Wire manufacturers specifications, try researching them. I have decades of experience spent in research and development of products and technologies for Uncle Sam, mainly military applications. There are reasons for Mil-Spec on wire and other materials used in the production of military hardware. Most of my research was centered around VLF electromagnetics, and RF applications over a broad spectrum, so composition and layout of the conductors used were of extreme importance.

Bob