I’ve often seen people use what looks like tiny micro wire to make engines look more realistic. What is that product? Where can I find it?
thanks!
have you got any old tv’s , heaters , any old appliance , strip it down . mile’s of wire in it .
I’ve sort of tried that - I read somewhere that if you cut open headphone wires there are microwires inside.
Maybe I just had the wrong ones because while there was wire - they were still too large for 1:24 scale builds, and similar size to what I had been able to find in a hardware.
yes - quite thin but I’m seeing guys use really really thin wires and I can’t for the life of me figure out where they are getting them!
See if you can find motor winding wire or magnet coil wire.
https://www.ebay.com/i/371713060055?chn=ps
A quarter mile for $ 6, it’ll last a few models. Always handy to have around.
If your looking for coated wire try the landline telephone cord. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Wideskall-25-Feet-RJ-11-Modular-Connector-4-Conductor-Phone-Cable-Telephone-Cord-White/911000655
You get several different colurs and at 25 feet for each wire should have plenty.
Apple charging cords have some of the finest wire in them that I’ve come across. The Apple ear buds do as well. The stuff is finer than the hair on my head.
But yes, old appliances and electronics are a great source for various gauges of wire.
Fly fishing wire comes in several micro gauges and fly fishing shops also carry lead wire in several micro guages.
Oh I love that idea! Thank you. Will definitely try that.
Indeed, this is how I get much of my wire. Used to be you could get this stuff at a Radio Shack, or several mail order houses that catered to hams and other electronics hobbyists. However, hobby electronics is a dying hobby, so those sources are disapearing. Jameco is one mail order source. As far as local sources, I have found some pretty fine wire at Hobby Lobby or Michaels in the beading sections. Many folks make bead-strung jewelry.
Also, figure out or measure the size (prototype) you need, then figure out what the size is at the scale you are building. Then look up wire gauge size you need on google. Most wire products refer to their size in AWG (wire gauge).
Next time you are near a Home Depot or similar take a look at their stranded wire display that they sell by the foot. Depending on the wire size and use the strand size will vary all the way from ‘speaker’ wire to stranded 14, 12, 10,…
I agree with GlennH. Home Depot has a wealth of wires of different sizes. You can also try Hobby Lobby for wire that is uninsulated. Following is a photo of my 1/12 scale Lotus 49. I used wires of all different colors and sizes. The bands that organize the wires are loops of insulation that I cut from larger wires. The actual car used rubber loops for the same purpose.
another good one , is thin solder , very good for hose’s , exhaust pipe’s etc. it’s soft but stay’s where you want it to go .
Success (though expensive success!)
i live in Asia where this stuff is hard to find, the fishing option was awesome. I’ve bought 3M sinking fly fishing wire in red, black, clear and yellow… thanks for this awesome hack.
If you can.Get with a local car modeler about the types of wiring that’s out there on the web.