This request for information will probably need to be answered by
someone over on the Eastern side if the Atlantic. I have seen references
to "fusewire" in descriptions of model projects and the other day a kit
build article in SAMI showed a packet of it.
This is something I'm not familiar with. Obviously, it is annealed
copper wire of varying sizes to accommodate different levels of current.
Replaceable fuse links in Industrial and power distribution are becoming
things of the past here in the USA, and I suspect that this fusewire is
not available here. Does anybody know otherwise??
This seems to be used for stuff like brakelines and internal tubing and
wiring details and being soft copper would be nice to work with. Is this
a situation like the fabled "Future" where one side of the Atlantic has
access and the other doesn't?
Bill Shuey
AMPSOne - 25 Jun 2004 22:07 GMT
Bill,
It's not copper but seems to have a bit of lead or tin in it, as it is greyish
silver and thin (about 0.010-0.015") but stil holds bends and kinks. I use it
for odd applications on armored vehicles.
Someone like Ace Hardware may carry it. Can't recall where I picked up a spool
of it.
Cookie Sewell
Milton Bell - 26 Jun 2004 00:48 GMT
> This request for information will probably need to be answered by
> someone over on the Eastern side if the Atlantic. I have seen references
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Bill Shuey
I wonder if anyone has tried "bead" wire that is sold at arts/crafts shops
for stringing beads. The wire is soft, some shiny, and seems to come in
various gauges. I haven't seen "fuse-wire" in years. I do use some of the
small diameters of solder and "non-lead" wire from fly-fishing shops.
MB
Greg Heilers - 26 Jun 2004 01:34 GMT
> This request for information will probably need to be answered by
> someone over on the Eastern side if the Atlantic. I have seen references
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Bill Shuey
How thick, or thin, do you want? For something on the "thin" side,
a nice wire to work with.....is Christmas Tree Ornament Hooks!!
It is fairly soft, but does hold its shape pretty well.

Signature
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Greg Heilers
Registered Linux user #328317 - SlackWare 9.1
Mike Keown - 26 Jun 2004 02:11 GMT
> > This request for information will probably need to be answered by
> > someone over on the Eastern side if the Atlantic. I have seen references
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> a nice wire to work with.....is Christmas Tree Ornament Hooks!!
> It is fairly soft, but does hold its shape pretty well.
I use Michael's Art stuff wire( they got a whole wall of
it) at least here in Delaware, for all kinds of special looking effects.
Some of it even carries electricty!!
Be Care Full :))
Mike IPMS
Rob Grinberg - 26 Jun 2004 06:15 GMT
Bill,
We can get it here, on the good side of the Pacific. :) Let me know if you
want any - it's fairly cheap. Every house used to have a card or two of
fuse wire hanging around in the kitchen drawer - good for when the lights
went out on Sunday evening. That said, it is becoming uncommon. All new
installations here now have to have an Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker and
quick-trip circuit breakers on the separate elecrtrical circuits. A lot of
the older houses are updated when they're rewired, too. We usually have
8amp and 16amp available on our cards - can't tell you the dia offhand, but
if you want to know I'll put the vernier on it (as long as you can work in
metric!).
RobG
> This request for information will probably need to be answered by
> someone over on the Eastern side if the Atlantic. I have seen references
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Bill Shuey
William H. Shuey - 28 Jun 2004 02:11 GMT
> Bill,
> We can get it here, on the good side of the Pacific. :) Let me know if you
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> installations here now have to have an Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker and
> quick-trip circuit breakers on the separate elecrtrical circuits.
Yeah! Here it was plug in fuses-they look like the base of a lamp bulb
and came in various amp ratings. Now it's breaker panels and fuses are
only used in industrial equipment. I haven't seen a fuse with
replaceable elements in years. It's called progress.
Bill Shuey
Mark Schynert - 28 Jun 2004 07:09 GMT
> > Bill,
> > We can get it here, on the good side of the Pacific. :) Let me know if you
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> Bill Shuey
My house was new-built with circuit breakers, and when the installers
aded air conditioning 18 months ago, they added another circuit to the
board, but they also added a 15 amp plug-in fuse for the furnace power
in the furnace enclosure--I guess it's a case of belt-and-suspenders, or
maybe the command circuit takes a higher amperage and they're using the
fuse to guarantee a stepped-down limit. Either way, the really
persnickety code officer passed it (and I'm glad he was the picky sort,
given that I don't want an electrical fire).
Mark Schynert
Ron - 28 Jun 2004 09:12 GMT
> My house was new-built with circuit breakers, and when the installers
> aded air conditioning 18 months ago, they added another circuit to the
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> persnickety code officer passed it (and I'm glad he was the picky sort,
> given that I don't want an electrical fire).
Cartridge type fuses are code required for most HVAC stuff. Check your
AC/heatpump cutoff box, chances are there are two fuses in it (one for
each leg of the 220/240 VAC circuit). IIRC the fuses near or in the
"appliance" has something to do with the motor start loads......it's
been 27 years since I knew that stuff.
WmB - 28 Jun 2004 03:49 GMT
> Bill,
> We can get it here, on the good side of the Pacific. :)
Quit picking on the Eskimos. ;-)
WmB
To reply, get the HECK out of there
HELLinhock@earthlink.net
Dennis Loep - 28 Jun 2004 19:58 GMT
Hi all,
I don't think we hav the fuse wire here in The Netherlands, but I've been
using the copper wire from electric motors for quite a while now and it is
very bendable, you don't really have to anneal it.
As you probably know different motors provide different diameters of wire.
Try dismantling/breaking open old disc drives / floppy drives.
just a thought
Dennis Loep
The Glueing Dutchman
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new
discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny ...'"
Isaac Asimov
Keeper - 29 Jun 2004 05:24 GMT
>Try dismantling/breaking open old disc drives / floppy drives.
>
>just a thought
>
>Dennis Loep
>The Glueing Dutchman
Excellent idea! Whenever something around here breaks I take it apart and
scavenge any usefull bits.
hth
The Keeper (of too much crap)
Kevin(Bluey) - 30 Jun 2004 09:21 GMT
I used to work in an industrial maintenace shop where we did all sorts of
electrical wiring and repairs ,I collected lots of copper wire of all
diamemters and stripped off the insulation.
some of the computer cable wires ahve strands so fine thewy can be used for
aerial wires on aircraft models .
Talk to your friendly nieghbour hood electrician and scrounge his off cuts .
Old computer monitors are a good source for really fine copper wire , just
find the little relays and break them open and get the spools out of them ,
best thing is the wire comes on its own roll too .
I also use electronics solder it comes in a variety of diameters ,but try to
get the stuff with out the resin or acid flux .
Fuse wire I buy from Tandy here in Australia .Its a tinned copper wire .
Bluey
> >Try dismantling/breaking open old disc drives / floppy drives.
> >
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> The Keeper (of too much crap)
David Pennington - 26 Jun 2004 09:23 GMT
> This request for information will probably need to be answered by
>someone over on the Eastern side if the Atlantic. I have seen references
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Bill Shuey
In fact, Future is available over here but under different names in
different countries (thanks to FSM for a Klear article on that point)
so maybe like a lot of things, the name is just different from that
which we use over this side of the Atlantic?
GO SMALLTALK
David Pennington - david@totallyobjects.com
http://www.totallyobjects.com - THE Smalltalk resource
William H. Shuey - 26 Jun 2004 17:03 GMT
> > This request for information will probably need to be answered by
> >someone over on the Eastern side if the Atlantic. I have seen references
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>
> David Pennington - david@totallyobjects.com
Dave:
I don't think the European fusewire is available over here. I suspect
the American electrical codes decided that replaceable fuse links are
not "Idiot Proof" enough for the Insurance Company lawyers and we got
away from them long ago. As a retired electrical engineer I have some
experience in that arena. :-(
As for Future, I understand one of the mail order hobby shops (Meteor
Productions?) is now re-packaging it as a hobby product and making it
available by mail order. The "Klear" and "Klar" products may not be
quite the same thing. I understand there are some pretty stiff
environmental regulations on chemical imports in parts of Europe that
may impact Future, either through the packaging or the chemical content.
Bill Shuey
Lafimprov - 26 Jun 2004 17:23 GMT
Beading wire works fine for the uses attributed to fuse wire. It bends easily,
and doesn't seem to corrode or oxidize. Comes in a variety of thicknesses. I
bought a coil at Woolworth's for a about a buck 15 years ago, and it's still
going strong. You can also find coils of brass wire in the bead department. For
thicker wire, you can get straight lengths of floral wire in any store that
carries floral arranging supplies, which include craft stores and (in the US)
Walmart. Several thicknesses are available. Very handy if you need straight
metal rod, as straightening wire that was packaged as a coil can be awkward. It
is usually finished in a green enamel, making a primer coat unnecessary.
GPO