Was looking for any input on the "Thinwire" version. Can it be cut to desired length and general ease of use
comments . Thanks Unclepeterr
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Was looking for any input on the "Thinwire" version. Can it be cut to desired length and general ease of use
comments . Thanks Unclepeterr
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I don't see why not but looking at their website it says that the Glowire thin is extremely delicate. The reviews indicate that most users like it but are careful not to break it.
http://www.glowire.com/products/Thin-Glowire.html
Sean
Electroluminescent wire is what you're talking about, and it's not that easy to use. It also drives TMCC/Legacy signals crazy, I tried to use it on my Phantom locomotive, but it killed the TMCC signals.
EL Wire requires a high voltage inverter to drive it and light the wire, and to "cut it to length", requires careful work and fine soldering for the ends. Before you jump into this project, you may want to read this:
The Full "How To" Manual for EL (Electroluminescent) Wire
It can be used, but I wouldn't describe it as "easy to use".
This would be used to create miniature neon signs on buildings or florescent lights for structures.
Gunrunnerjohn , Thanks for the very through explanation. What do you recommend to get the stuff to adhere to say plexiglas?
I presume you could simply glue it with any popular glue to the plexiglass, I haven't actually tried it. Remember, the bend radius isn't all that sharp, so making miniature neon signs may be a stretch for this material. Here's one of many comments on bending it, I found this description to be fairly aggressive, I didn't feel I could get this tight a bend without damaging the wire. Also, the larger the diameter wire you use, the larger the minimum bend radius you can achieve. Writing on a neon sign at 1:48 scale isn't really practical, though you could have a couple of circles of lighted EL wire around the sign.
EL wire has a flexible copper core but like all metals will break due to over-bending or fatigue. The core wire has two smaller 'corona' wires wrapped around it which can be the first to break if bent too many times in the same spot so caution is urged. When bending the wire do not bend it at right angles, keep corners and edges rounded. When shaping corners never bend it tighter than the diameter of a dime. Do not bend and re-bend the wire, as that is sure to cause trouble. Please be careful when working with the EL wire as broken wires cannot be replaced.
Gunrunnerjohn, You mentioned soldering but I forgot to ask any tips on cutting it? Does it splice like regular insulated wire with all of those layers? Any different steps to take? Thanks again Unclepeterr
The wires are very delicate, I suggest you read the link I provided, it describes the soldering procedure.
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