Hi Sean, Sorry that wasnt clear. What I meant was the copper wire as in "magnet wire" which has this red-brown coating over the copper. It has the colour of varnish. But I think it is tougher than varnish. I am not sure what exactly it is. Previously, had to scratch the insulation with a blade to remove it. Keeping the wire in a pool of DCM, the coating just cracks open and is easily removable. Havent tried THF yet. Will give it a try sometime later. Cheers, Manu On Sat, Dec 9, 2017 at 6:57 AM, Sean Breheny wrote: > Manu, > > When you say "insulation" here, are you referring to enamelled wire or > regular wire that you can strip mechanically? Most regular wire uses PVC > insulation and I don't think that is dissolved by DCM (dichloromethane) > although it might be softened a bit which could make it easier to remove. > > PVC is really difficult to dissolve. MEK will do it but what works best i= s > tetrahydrofuran (THF) or a mixture of MEK and THF (which is what they use > in the PVC cement) > > Sean > > > On Fri, Dec 8, 2017 at 3:29 PM, Manu Abraham wro= te: > >> Dichloromethane ? or Methylene Chloride. Seems to strip even >> insulation off insulated copper wire. >> Use it in a well ventilated area, breathing in the vapour, not a good >> idea at all. Try to have the least possible on the skin. Some amounts >> dont cause a problem, but prolonged exposure is not a good idea. >> Boiling point is so low, evaporates and vanishes very fast! >> >> Cheers, >> >> Manu >> >> >> On Thu, Dec 7, 2017 at 10:11 PM, Bob Blick wrote: >> > I'm trying to use Kapton tape as a transistor insulator. Normally I'd >> use it as-is with some heatsink grease. But this time I want to first st= rip >> off the adhesive for better thermal transmission. >> > >> > My favorite strong solvent is acetone, and it works so-so on 3M 5419 >> tape, but the roll I have is a little narrow. The wide stuff I have is s= ome >> generic Chinese tape and its adhesive does not want to come off. I've al= so >> tried lacquer thinner, brake fluid and "white gas"(camping fuel). The >> camping fuel comes closest to working but not really. >> > >> > I'm trying to avoid using gasoline, but it's probably what I'll try ne= xt. >> > >> > Any ideas? >> > >> > Thanks, >> > >> > Bob >> > -- >> > http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive >> > View/change your membership options at >> > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist >> >> -- >> http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive >> View/change your membership options at >> http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist >> > -- > http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .