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From: gsteckel@vergil.East.Sun.COM (Geoff Steckel - Sun BOS Hardware CONTRACTOR)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Help me equip myself for wire-wrap!
Summary: for self-stripping bits, use the special wire
Message-ID: <4627@eastapps.East.Sun.COM>
Date: 4 Mar 91 20:49:28 GMT
References: <erk.1356@americ.UUCP> <1991Feb26.235009.1389@cbnewsj.att.com> <5825@optilink.UUCP> <1991Feb28.233858.2360@cbnewsj.att.com> <88547@sgi.sgi.com>
Sender: news@East.Sun.COM
Reply-To: gsteckel@east.sun.com (Geoff Steckel - Sun BOS Hardware CONTRACTOR)
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Organization: Omnivore Technology, Newton, Mass. (617)969-3448
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In article <88547@sgi.sgi.com> rpw3@sgi.com (Rob Warnock) writes:
>In article <1991Feb28.233858.2360@cbnewsj.att.com> asd@cbnewsj.att.com
>(Adam S. Denton) writes:
>| ...So it's time I equipped myself for wire-wrapping...
>
>Yes, there is a distinction. There is a great difference in quality between
>*any* of the "cheap" tools and just about any of the expensive ones, but not
>so much difference among the expensive ones. I happen to be happy with both
>Gardner-Denver (the orignal Wire-Wrap trademark holder) and OK Machine Tools.

I prefer Gardner-Denver.  The OK units need Tender Loving Care or they
spit at you (more exactly, twist your wire into globs and scream loudly
from mismated gears).

>Absolutely the best thing to have for volume (or many years) work is a
>line-powered (i.e., no batteries) wrap gun, with a cut+strip+wrap bit/sleeve.

The self-cutting and self-stripping bits are wonderful - BUT!!!!
All the cut/strip/wrap bits I've used have ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED the use
of special wire.  If you use the standard Kynar insulation wire wrap wire
you will destroy your $200 bit!!

The special wire is made with insulation which
  1) slips off the wire easily
  2) cuts cleanly
If the insulation fails to do either of these the cutting edges in the
bit are bent, and they are impossible to fix.

The right wire costs about the same as regular wire wrap wire.
Use the kind recommended by the bit manufacturer.

I would never use a slit-n-wrap for anything other than a paperweight.
Battery or hand powered wire wrap guns are useful for doing a repair
or other small number of wires.
	geoff steckel (gwes@wjh12.harvard.EDU)
			(...!husc6!wjh12!omnivore!gws)
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Sun Microsystems, despite the From: line.
This posting is entirely the author's responsibility.