Rack & Wire Questions

[ron83]

Hello all,

Just starting out and ordering the LCD kit from Caswell but want to get my rack and wire before it show up and had a couple questions.

I am going to start out with a aluminum top bar with aluminum wire I already have. ( soft aluminum radio shack ground wire and some Al welding rods from a friend).

It says if you want to re-use the wire you have to clean the wires off after anodizing a part since the wire will anodize too and you will not get a good connection.

So do I have to clean/strip the anodizing off all the wire or just where it will contact the next piece I want to anodize for the electrical connection.


Thanks
Ron

[Z]

Strip the part of the wire that has been anodizing, not just the point of contact.
Do you know what kinda of Aluminum the wire and bar is?

[radmaximus]

Hey ron, I just use aluminum mig welder wire for most of the small stuff I been doing. Bought a small spool of it at the local Farm and Fleet for under $20 bucks, enough on there to last a long time. And I just throw it away afterwards instead of stripping it because it gets so brittle it isn't usable again anyway.

Rad

[acidrain]

Like Ron, I always just threw it away after use. After you have a couple of connection failures with the aluminum wire, you'll want to go with titanium. It's not that expensive, and will actually save you money (and grief) considering it's completely re-usable.

[destroyer125]

I Use aluminum wire for odd parts, just throw it away. I have a tub outside the shop with old wire, recycle it just as you would with aluminum cans.

[ron83]

Sorry for not getting back to everyone, but used to forums emailing me when someone replies. Just found it under "User CP" so that should not be a problem anymore.

Z:
Thanks, as for wire it is radio shack part # 15-035 i have but isn't on their website and don't know type. Just aluminum ground wire. and the bars are some misc raw pieces I picked up at a local recyclers for scrap pricing.

Radmaximus:
I will be getting some of that too. do you know what size you need to carry the current/amps/voltage of the LCD system? (.035, .050, etc.)

Acidrain:
I am sure titanium will be in my future, but no good local source for it unless I buy alot. so will use the aluminum to practice and see how it goes.

Destroyer125:
I too will probably just throw it away ( oops, mean recycle it)


By The Way:

Does it matter what kind of Aluminum you use for hanging, Plates, Bar, Etc. Should you try to match your Plates to type of aluminum you plan on anodizing. I am going to be starting off mainly with 6061 if it matters since that is what the welder/machinist shop I am working with uses most.

Thanks all
Ron8

[acidrain]

It doesn't matter what alloy the hanging wire is. I used to use that same ground wire from RS exclusively. Unfortunately (at least in my area), they quit carrying it. If you find a store with a bunch, you should buy it all. The thing is, smaller al wire will not hold on tightly, and if you try to twist in, it will break. You'll find loss of connection is the #1 cause of ano failure. I like to thread the end of the ground wire, and actually screw it into a threaded hole for best connection (but be careful not to break it off).

Ti rod can be purchaced from welding shops (I buy 40ea 1/16in x 3ft type I-II for $80) or I get 1/8in on line at http://www.onlinemetals.com/ for a little over $3 per foot.

[radmaximus]

I'm using .035, don't have any problems with connections so far.

Rad