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From: Phil Hobbs <pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net>
Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design
Subject: Re: solderig enamelled wire, problems.
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2025 12:44:18 -0000 (UTC)
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Liz Tuddenham <liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid> wrote:
> <albert@spenarnc.xs4all.nl> wrote:
> 
>> I remember soldering coil/transformer wire was simple in the 70's.
>> The trick was putting the wire an aspirin tablet and 0.1 mm was no
>> sweat.
>> 
>> Now for the 1v-5v step up converter I followed the advice, and remove
>> the winding of a 5x5 mm ferrite coil and replaced it with a bifilar
>> wire with the same number of turns. This was surprisingly easy.
>> .35 mm wire with 2*.25 wire. (The wire was stolen from a broken
>> ventilator.)
>> 
>> Now I get stuck. I can't solder the wire! The aspirine trick doesn't
>> work. Burning the insulation turn it into a black coating that
>> is equally tenacious. Making the copper redhot to burn the coal,
>> only make the copper to melt.
>> 
>> Groetjes Albert
> 
> 
> Put some methylated spirits or ethanol in a small open metal container
> such as the lid of a bottle .  Set fire to it and hold the end of the
> wire in the flame until it is red hot.  Plunge it downwards into the
> liquid and slide it out sideways so it doesn't get heated a second time.
> 
> There will be a chemical reaction between the oxide on the red hot
> copper and the ethanol, which removes the oxide and leaves the wire
> bright and clean.
> 
> Have a piece of metal ready to put over the container to extinguish the
> flame and plan in advance how you will deal with the rapidly-spreading
> fire if you upset the container.  Put the bottle of ethanol some
> distance away.
> 
> 

Fun. I’ll try it outdoors sometime, but not at my bench!

A less exciting approach is a bottle of GC Strip-X. I don’t know if it’s
still available—I don’t recommend using that as a search term. :(

The right answer is probably a solder pot. 

Cheers 

Phil Hobbs 

-- 
Dr Philip C D Hobbs  Principal Consultant  ElectroOptical Innovations LLC /
Hobbs ElectroOptics  Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics