Is this wire copper? The add says that it is, but I am not so sure.

I do believe that's actually copper wire.  Being #26 gauge, they don't save much making CCA wire in that size, it's the larger sizes that end up being mostly aluminum if you're not careful shopping.

Thanks John

I bought a box of silicone wire with that brand name on eBay a couple of years ago and it is copper clear through each strand. However you have good cause to be suspicious.  Around the same time I bought several packages of wired Dupont  connectors in which the seller called the wire copper.  Some time after I received it I was gluing small magnets on a locomotive wheel for chuff and puff control of sound and smoke. I dropped one of the small magnets and it stuck to a near by bundle of those Dupont  connectors. So I scrapped the wire with an xacto blade and sure enough the wire was steel with a very thin copper plating.  Buyer beware, even the seller may not be aware of this.       Just looked at photos and noticed from the camera perspective the bundle of Dupont connectors could have been lying flat so I added another photo looking more towards the edge of the bundle.           j

A clean cut horizontal to the length of the wire is usually a pretty good tell. There will be a bright center on the CCA wire. Probably need a magnifier on that gauge. This one might be a better choice.

TUOFENG 24 Gauge Wire-Stranded Wire Kit-24 AWG Flexible Silicone Wire(6 Different Colored 30 Feet spools) 300V Hook up Wire Kit Tinned Copper Wire: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

You could also measure the resistance of 10 feet and compare it to the wire tables.

Well, in looking closer, I do question this wording...

Material : Silicone rubber , Tinning Copper;

What does "tinning copper" mean?  I guess that could be copper coated, it's hard to tell.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Well, in looking closer, I do question this wording...

Material : Silicone rubber , Tinning Copper;

What does "tinning copper" mean?  I guess that could be copper coated, it's hard to tell.

it's chinese for tinned copper. Unlike my CCSteel DuPont connectors where the wire turns silver when you scrape it. The "Tinning Copper" turns copper when you scrape it. All of the silicone superflex wire I have bought from chinese sellers has been tinned copper.      Good chance the writer of the ad does not speak English and used something like Google Translate.                          j

Forgo the 300v insulated wire and get the 600v PTFE/Teflon coated wiring.  Can withstand high heat, insulation won’t shrink from your iron.  I purchase from this company, all sizes all lengths available

Remington Industries

@superwarp1 posted:

Forgo the 300v insulated wire and get the 600v PTFE/Teflon coated wiring.  Can withstand high heat, insulation won’t shrink from your iron.  I purchase from this company, all sizes all lengths available

Remington Industries

Well that's some spendy wire.

Superwarp, you cannot melt the silicone insulation with a soldering iron and it is highly flexible easy to route around tight curves and spaces. Though the PTFE  insulation is much more resistant to heat than vinyl insulation it is no better than silicone however it does one thing better. It is more resistant to abrasion. I have a stock of marine grade PTFE that I use on my boats but after trying the silicone I prefer it for most uses inside model trains especially inside locomotives.          j

@cjack posted:

A clean cut horizontal to the length of the wire is usually a pretty good tell. There will be a bright center on the CCA wire. Probably need a magnifier on that gauge. This one might be a better choice.

TUOFENG 24 Gauge Wire-Stranded Wire Kit-24 AWG Flexible Silicone Wire(6 Different Colored 30 Feet spools) 300V Hook up Wire Kit Tinned Copper Wire: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

You could also measure the resistance of 10 feet and compare it to the wire tables.

Chuck, sure would be hard to cut a diagonal long enough across the end of such fine wires that would clearly reveal the core but you can scrape through the tinning with a couple of swipes of a sharp xacto blade.  I can clearly see it when I do so but making a photo show what I see is another matter.   Both this and the wire RWL links to likely came from the same chinese factory regardless of the name on the box. The ad in your link is just much more professionally presented. They properly use the term Tinned as opposed to Tinning.  People writing / speaking English as a second language often get the suffix of a word wrong.                         j

If you read the reviews on the Amazon site several people challenge the claim that there is any copper in the wire. Would be interesting to know exactly what it is.

My 2 cents - Amazon is rife with fraudulent claims, and counterfeit products. And, if it’s too good to be true, it usually isn’t.

@JohnActon posted:

Superwarp, you cannot melt the silicone insulation with a soldering iron and it is highly flexible easy to route around tight curves and spaces. Though the PTFE  insulation is much more resistant to heat than vinyl insulation it is no better than silicone however it does one thing better. It is more resistant to abrasion. I have a stock of marine grade PTFE that I use on my boats but after trying the silicone I prefer it for most uses inside model trains especially inside locomotives.          j

Chuck, sure would be hard to cut a diagonal long enough across the end of such fine wires that would clearly reveal the core but you can scrape through the tinning with a couple of swipes of a sharp xacto blade.  I can clearly see it when I do so but making a photo show what I see is another matter.   Both this and the wire RWL links to likely came from the same chinese factory regardless of the name on the box. The ad in your link is just much more professionally presented. They properly use the term Tinned as opposed to Tinning.  People writing / speaking English as a second language often get the suffix of a word wrong.                         j

In Aviation we only use PTFE coated wiring.  I won't use anything else, but then again most of it I get for free at work.  I only order the really small stuff for engine work and the like.

@superwarp1 posted:

In Aviation we only use PTFE coated wiring.  I won't use anything else, but then again most of it I get for free at work.  I only order the really small stuff for engine work and the like.

Thankfully the FAA does not regulate what I put in toy trains.          j

From the description, this is not "copper" wire.  It is "coper" wire.

From the Amazon description:
26 AWG Flexible Silicone Wire Electric Wire 26 Gauge Coper Hook Up Wire

I wouldn't touch the stuff. Send it back.

I dont have an exacto knife, but I tried scraping it with a sharp box cutter blade, and saw now copper.

Since I am not doing much soldering I ordered this, from Remington Ind.,  in 100' Rolls, 24 awg, Red, Black, Yellow, Green, for wiring Z-Stuff D-1000's.
Very reasonable on the price, and with free shipping.

https://www.remingtonindustrie...amp;Wire+Size=24+AWG

These rolls will be only for connecting  the actuators to their main terminal block "A", and from switch machine to their main terminal block "B".
I have a huge role of 22 awg telephone cable, with Black, Red Green, White conductors to span the distances between terminal blocks A & B.
I obviously do not need the black wire, so it will be clipped back.