teflon wire

Express, Liverpool, Rocket, Dirty Little Monster, etc.

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wsaraceni
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teflon wire

Post by wsaraceni »

for those that are using it, how do you like it?

im thinking of ordering some.

what gauge should i go with?
is there any parts of the amp that should be solid and some stranded?

do you also use teflon wire for shielded? i can only seem to find that in stranded.


thanks
bill
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Allynmey
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Re: teflon wire

Post by Allynmey »

Bill, use 20awg solid core for express, komet. I use it for everything! It stays where you bend it and 20awg is fine for the whole amp. It also makes wiring heaters very easy as it fits right through the tube socket lugs!

Allyn
wsaraceni
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Re: teflon wire

Post by wsaraceni »

allyn, you are too helpful. next time you are in NJ let me know. i owe you a drink
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Allynmey
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Re: teflon wire

Post by Allynmey »

funny you should say that! :lol: :lol: 8)
ApexJr.
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Re: teflon wire

Post by ApexJr. »

As for 1 cond shielded solid core, I have never seen any
and would suspect it would be special order..

I have also heard for heaters it best to use 18 Awg wire
Which I have in stock in green only it's stranded:
No 18 Awg solid in stock at this time.

Also have 7 colors of 20 Awg solid PTFE/Teflon also in stock

Steve @ Apex Jr.
www.apexjr.com
Moose
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Re: teflon wire

Post by Moose »

ApexJr. wrote: I have also heard for heaters it best to use 18 Awg wire
Which I have in stock in green only it's stranded:
No 18 Awg solid in stock at this time.

For the power tubes, it might be a good idea to use 18 for some tubes. EL34s pull an amp and a half each, but they're the real powerhogs of the tube world. 6V6 and EL84s only pull half that. 12ax7s pull only 300mA or so, so 20 is more than enough for three preamp tubes. And, luckily, the 9 pin sockets are where the smaller diameter really comes in handy!
dynaman
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Re: teflon wire

Post by dynaman »

20ga is good enough most anything in an amp. Single and multiple conductor wire with teflon insulation can be found on Ebay.
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David Root
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Wire

Post by David Root »

I use nothing but teflon hookup wire, bought from Steve at Apex Jr. and Lord Valve, always good prices, and in my case always silver plated.

For shielded wire I used to use RG174U, until I discovered Belden 8700 (not an RG type), which is single solid copper 28 ga coax that is only 0.054 in. OD, (about the same as 20ga.) compared with RG174U at 0.10 in. Both are rated for only 30V and I have used both in mA-type signal only applications at over 70VAC with no problems, but the Belden is so much easier to use and so much less intrusive, although it can cost a bit more.

Downside, Belden only sells it in 250 foot spools, so Steve, if you have any, let me know, I'm getting low on the surplus I found 3 months ago!

There is a double 24 ga. conductor double teflon insulated single shield coax wire made by Cardas, it's about 0.1" OD, blue, conductors are stranded copper. I use this if I'm going above about 60VAC or so and you can use it on DC too as its insulation is rated for 5000VDC! This is audiophile stuff designed for use inside electrostatic speakers. Two caveats however, 1) it ain't cheap, $3.00 a foot and 2) the conductors have an enamel type insulation on them that requires 800 deg F soldering temperature to get thru. I get it from percyaudio.com, an excellent audiophile mailorder outfit in Calif.
ApexJr.
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Re: teflon wire

Post by ApexJr. »

David....
Sorry no stock on the Beldon 8700, I'll keep my eyes open for it.
Do however have the RG 174/U if you ever need any, along with
quite a few other RG coax cables...

Steve @ Apex Jr.
wsaraceni
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Re: teflon wire

Post by wsaraceni »

steve, got the teflon wire. thanks for the quick shipping!!!
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KGW
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Re: teflon wire

Post by KGW »

I got a bunch of 20AGW solid core from ApexJr.

18AGW would be nice for filaments.

As for shielded wire, I have been rolling my own. I got some coax with alum braid and foil shield (foil shield was suggested by Kevin O'Conner). I used a piece of wire to connect to the shield by bending the end through the foil and braid. Finally, I put heat srink over it to hold it all together.

This way, I can do single or multiconductor.

If someone made this with copper braid and foil (also preferably copper), I would buy some because it would save time. I have not found any bigger than 22AGW.
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wsaraceni
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Re: teflon wire

Post by wsaraceni »

is it normal for the wire to have different thickness coatings on it.

my black teflon is definately thinner than my red teflon. makes it tricky when winding them as the black tends to just wrap around a straight red wire.
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Sonny ReVerb
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Re: teflon wire

Post by Sonny ReVerb »

They're probably two different voltage ratings. When I got some wire from Apex, I got a mix of 600V and 1000V. (Steve asked if that was OK before shipping.) The 600V looks pretty skinny and the teflon is quite thin. The 1000V looks more like regular PVC.
ApexJr.
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Re: teflon wire

Post by ApexJr. »

That is correct..
There are different mil numbers and thickness's I mostly stock
the standard 600V but because the copper and teflon prices
have gone up so much and my color selection changes quite
a bit I have been buying the thick wall EE Version and sometimes
the thin wall too.
For Reference.
M16878/4 standard 600V Type E
M16878/5 Thick wall 1000V Type EE
M16878/6 Thin Wall 150V Type ET
Then there's M22759/11 also 600V and a thinner wall.

Steve @ Apex Jr.
wsaraceni
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Re: teflon wire

Post by wsaraceni »

steve,


do you stock any heavier gauges than 20 in solid core? 20 seems sooo thin.
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