The following item of interest to the Gyro model builder was submitted by fellow GyroNut Phil Harris of Tillsonburg,  Ontario,  Canada...    It is certainly deemed worthy of publishing because it covers an area that many of us find very difficult,  if not virtually impossible...  soldering music wire!

Soldering Music Wire

Have difficulty soldering music wire?    You are not alone!    We all know that it is not difficult to solder  copper  wire, so why not plate the music wire with copper?
Try it.....   You will need the following:

Copper wire  (normal Romex house wire with the insulation stripped away)

Copper Sulphate crystals (I got mine from a drug store, but I am told it is used as an additive for swimming pools)

A DC power source  ( I use a 3-6v,1amp toy train transformer,  but even D cells can be used,  the current drain is around 250ma)  DO NOT USE YOUR STARTER BATTERY!

Mix about one teaspoon of the Copper Sulphate with a cup of water,   the ratio is not critical.  I use a small jar (like a baby food jar) to contain the solution.

Take a length of the copper wire and form it so that it fits inside the jar.   (Typically I curve mine around the bottom of the jar)   Attach the copper wire to the POSITIVE terminal of the power supply.

With the music wire attached to the NEGATIVE terminal,  hold the music wire in the solution about half an inch away from the immersed copper wire.       In about 1 min. you will have a nice film of copper on the music wire.

To plate a length of wire in the middle,  you will have to use your imagination to build a dam of modelling clay around the wire,  but you guys are smart so I'm sure you can figure that out….!!

A word of caution:   Copper Sulphate is normally quite safe to work with,   but do take normal precautions to keep it away from food,  kids,   pets,   etc.     Keep it out of your eyes.

Make sure that your power source has some sort of limit on the current that it can pass,  if the two pieces of wire touch and you are using a high current source like a starter battery,  you will have a rather dangerous mess on your hands  (and probably your feet,   the walls and anything else around.)



Check out another method
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rev...9-09-00... jb