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Bobbin widing

Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2021 4:36 pm
by pbrommer
Is there someone who could wind a bobbin for me to replace the internals of a pickup? I'll 3d print the shape and send it to you. I tried to move the guts over but lost the ends and made it go kaput. It's a single coil in a slightly smaller than P90 (basically a bread warmer guts).

I'll show the end results when I get it finished. Please PM me a respectable cost with shipping both ways. You guys are awesome.

Patrick

PS Been lurking as life has been busy.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2021 8:12 pm
by Buddha Pickups
What's the bobbin look like?
My winder requires there to be a small hole in the middle (like a strat pickup) or a hole slightly off center will work too (like a humbucker bobbin)

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2021 8:20 pm
by andrewsrea
Hey, Pat! I have a winder that would do any bobbin, but I do not have a 3d printer. I would need the actual bobbins.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 10:02 am
by mozz
3d printing a bobbin would be pretty rough on the edges, you need it smooth. If you have the original, just strip the wire and get it rewound. I have a few winders here too if you need it rewound. Located in PA.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 2:56 pm
by pbrommer
I'll print the bobbin and have it ready to send out. It's a copy of a Rick toaster pickup internals. I have the 6 holes for the 6 alnico magnets and everything else. Just need the bobbin wound. Basically a bigger strat single coil. Or think of a p90 reduced by 10% or so.

I screwed up trying to move the internals and then messed up the plastic bobbin. I learned that Wolf guitars "toasters" are interesting single coils.

Ugh my phone pictures are too large to attach. I might print 3 just for fun. Everyone winds! :)

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2021 12:37 pm
by andrewsrea
pbrommer wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 2:56 pm I'll print the bobbin and have it ready to send out. It's a copy of a Rick toaster pickup internals. I have the 6 holes for the 6 alnico magnets and everything else. Just need the bobbin wound. Basically a bigger strat single coil. Or think of a p90 reduced by 10% or so.

I screwed up trying to move the internals and then messed up the plastic bobbin. I learned that Wolf guitars "toasters" are interesting single coils.

Ugh my phone pictures are too large to attach. I might print 3 just for fun. Everyone winds! :)
BTW: you have the best of the AGF pickup makers ringing in here. Tim & Mozz are excellent at their craft!

How do you plan on magnetizing the rod magnets?

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2021 1:05 pm
by pbrommer
Don't sell yourself short, I have a pair of your firebird pickups ready to go into a project.
How do you plan on magnetizing the rod magnets?
I found a seller of 1/4" diameter alnico 5 road magnets. Just have to cut them in half, as they are too long.

Maybe I need to document this, but I pale in comparison to those builders and players on this board.

Patrick

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2021 3:41 pm
by mozz
If you find a way to cut magnets, lets us know. It's basically impossible to do.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2021 3:50 pm
by mickey
mozz wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 3:41 pm If you find a way to cut magnets, lets us know. It's basically impossible to do.
This is not meant as a wiseassed question, but if you can't cut them, how do they manufacture them???

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2021 4:05 pm
by Buddha Pickups
pbrommer wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 1:05 pm Don't sell yourself short, I have a pair of your firebird pickups ready to go into a project.
How do you plan on magnetizing the rod magnets?
I found a seller of 1/4" diameter alnico 5 road magnets. Just have to cut them in half, as they are too long.

Maybe I need to document this, but I pale in comparison to those builders and players on this board.

Patrick
I think tone-kraft has .250" mags in various heights.
I know mojotone has them as well but I believe they only sell .600" long.

If you have the space, it might be easier to let any extra magnet hang out under the pickup.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2021 6:51 pm
by mozz
mickey wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 3:50 pm
mozz wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 3:41 pm If you find a way to cut magnets, lets us know. It's basically impossible to do.
This is not meant as a wiseassed question, but if you can't cut them, how do they manufacture them???

I know. My remark was not meant as a wiseassed answer either. As i understand, they are forged or molded with the molten mixture? I guess if you have diamond cutting blades it is possible. I'm cheap and can only afford Chinese diamond cutting blades which are made from something other than diamonds. Maybe they make a very long magnet rod and cut it to pieces, then remelt all the dust or chips and reuse it? I don't really know.
I'm 99% sure you just can't take a dremel or a grinding wheel and make then shorter. I guess cutting a bevel is possible as i just remembered i bought some beveled ones.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2021 10:49 pm
by Buddha Pickups
mozz wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 6:51 pm
mickey wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 3:50 pm
mozz wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 3:41 pm If you find a way to cut magnets, lets us know. It's basically impossible to do.
This is not meant as a wiseassed question, but if you can't cut them, how do they manufacture them???

I know. My remark was not meant as a wiseassed answer either. As i understand, they are forged or molded with the molten mixture? I guess if you have diamond cutting blades it is possible. I'm cheap and can only afford Chinese diamond cutting blades which are made from something other than diamonds. Maybe they make a very long magnet rod and cut it to pieces, then remelt all the dust or chips and reuse it? I don't really know.
I'm 99% sure you just can't take a dremel or a grinding wheel and make then shorter. I guess cutting a bevel is possible as i just remembered i bought some beveled ones.
Yes, I believe they cast. Poured from a molten state into a sand mold.

I've cut bar magnets a few times but never a rod magnet. I suppose you could put one in a drill chuck and just let it spin and grind away at it with a stone or concrete but not sure how well that would work and how long it would take.
I do a bevel on my own rod magnets occasionally with a grinding wheel but it would certainly take a long time to grind away a certain amount of length from them.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2021 4:56 pm
by pbrommer
I guess I made this super hard? Well, dang. I guess the cut in half with a thin hacksaw will fail. Dangnabbit - need to do my research. I'm such a dummy sometimes.

I think I have the space, so I might just leave these alone and order 6 more instead. I think (key word THINK) there's space in that body to make it work.

I reworked the bobbin to be a bit smoother when printing. I'm just hoping this will work. I'll get them up and printed soon: work all of a sudden got a bit busier. Oh well.

Patrick

PS Sometimes, I are dumb.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 11:54 am
by andrewsrea
mickey wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 3:50 pm
mozz wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 3:41 pm If you find a way to cut magnets, lets us know. It's basically impossible to do.
This is not meant as a wiseassed question, but if you can't cut them, how do they manufacture them???
The factory cutters look like diamond-encrusted circular saw blades (like a modified tile blade), in a rig that holds the rod and shoots cold water on the blade as it cuts.

@pbrommer : cutting these magnets will expose them to heat and shock, which will likely demagnetize them if they are pre-magnetized. Good news is they can be re-magnetized. i would suggest you plan on the re-magnetizing step.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 1:51 pm
by pbrommer
Not going to cut these magnets! I do have space in the body for them, and the 1" magnets don't protrude as far out as I thought.

Bobbins will be going out this week. You guys are all awesome.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 7:29 pm
by mozz
I personally don't have any 44awg so mine will be wound with 42, 42.5, or 43. 1" seems long for a magnet.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 9:34 pm
by pbrommer
It does, but once it goes in the toaster body housing, they only stand out about .25" from the bottom plate. This is a weird one I need to have fun documenting. :)

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2021 7:04 pm
by mozz
I have some 5/8" A5 magnets that are .250" dia. I would rather wind it with those. With the 1" magnets i have no idea what it's gonna do.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2021 11:13 am
by andrewsrea
@mozz and @Buddha Pickups , do you know if we are winding these to Toaster specs? Pat never answered my PM on what he was looking for.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2021 2:20 pm
by mozz
It's a Ric copy so I would assume toaster specs. There's a whole world of Ric fanatics on these pickups depending on year. Some claim they only used 44awg on everything but some have said and measured otherwise. Magnet length is a whole other subject. The supplied 1" magnets to me won't sound like a toaster if I go with accepted turns, hence why I asked if I could put in shorter mags.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2021 11:00 am
by andrewsrea
mozz wrote: Wed Nov 03, 2021 2:20 pm It's a Ric copy so I would assume toaster specs. There's a whole world of Ric fanatics on these pickups depending on year. Some claim they only used 44awg on everything but some have said and measured otherwise. Magnet length is a whole other subject. The supplied 1" magnets to me won't sound like a toaster if I go with accepted turns, hence why I asked if I could put in shorter mags.
I only received a bobbin - no mags.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2021 11:57 am
by mozz
If you want the 1" mags he gave me I'll mail them out, or if you want some 5/8" A5 I have those too. I'm going to use awg43 because I have no 44. Still waiting for a reply to my message from him. Pretty sure he was busy at work.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2021 5:27 pm
by Buddha Pickups
andrewsrea wrote: Wed Nov 03, 2021 11:13 am @mozz and @Buddha Pickups , do you know if we are winding these to Toaster specs? Pat never answered my PM on what he was looking for.
He requested ~7k so depending on the bobbin size that would be roughly 5500-6000 turns of 44. Not sure yet if I'll stick to 44 or try something thicker to fill up the bobbin more.
I assume maybe we should all try something different so he has some options?

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2021 5:39 pm
by andrewsrea
Buddha Pickups wrote: Thu Nov 04, 2021 5:27 pm
andrewsrea wrote: Wed Nov 03, 2021 11:13 am @mozz and @Buddha Pickups , do you know if we are winding these to Toaster specs? Pat never answered my PM on what he was looking for.
He requested ~7k so depending on the bobbin size that would be roughly 5500-6000 turns of 44. Not sure yet if I'll stick to 44 or try something thicker to fill up the bobbin more.
I assume maybe we should all try something different so he has some options?
@Buddha Pickups & @mozz Thanks!

I was going to use 43ga to achieve 7K, wound clockwise (top of the bobbin facing the spindle plate, with the winder spinning CCW). No wax potting.

I was going to use 42ga, but thought the inductance / resonant frequency would go way high with 1" magnets in such close proximity. I did not choose 44ga, because it is a PITA (Lol) and at 7K might be too dark.

Re: Bobbin widing

Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2021 6:51 pm
by andrewsrea
@Buddha Pickups & @mozz :

Mine came out around 7K @7500 turns, 72 degrees F.

I finished it with my own braided lead: start = hot, finish = ground. The one Patrick provided for me had shorts.
AMI Toaster.jpg