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Okay, so I'm about to start some projects and I read somewhere that I should not be using solid hookup wire...is this the general consensus among fx diy-ers? Is stranded wire better for some reason? How much does it matter? Help!

Hmmm. I'm in the same boat as you. I'm just starting. However, I had people tell me that solid was better then stranded. Go figure. Anyone with experience want to help us?

devi ever wrote:Solid holds it's shape, is easier to strip, and imho is less likely to fail over time.

devi-

Now there's an opinion I respect!

And jeez, Devi, you're either up really early or really late.

I do use stranded because I have a lot of it laying around, but do agree it can be harder to shape and work with.

MM

Hope you feel better Devi.

The solid wire I use does seem to get weak from the heat of the soldering iron...if I don't wait long enough before I touch them they can break kind of easy on me. on the other hand, the braided shit is alot harder for me to get solder to actually stick to. now, if they made solid wire that was made of silver, that would be all I would ever use. seems like I only find braided wire that is silver.

darryl2113 wrote:The solid wire I use does seem to get weak from the heat of the soldering iron...if I don't wait long enough before I touch them they can break kind of easy on me. on the other hand, the braided shit is alot harder for me to get solder to actually stick to. now, if they made solid wire that was made of silver, that would be all I would ever use. seems like I only find braided wire that is silver.

Mark Lajoy used to make solid pure silver 22 and 20 gage wire.

I think the process was expensive, and he stopped making it.

Haven't talked to him in years so don't know if he would make it again.

I think Belden makes silver plated solid, although it may be a special order.

The stranded silver I got wasn't a standard stocked item at my local dealer.

MM