Butyl Flex Conductors?

[dizz]

Wiring up a hob in 4mm butyl, and exposed the conductors.

They don't appear to be copper - is that normal for this type of flex, as I have never used it before.

Untitled

• dizz
• 8 Jul 2012
• 1

 

[JohnD]

I think you might find they are tin-plated copper. Very flexible strands, and easy to solder (unless they have aged)

but looking again at your photo, might it just be that copper has oxidised? it looks dark, not bright.

 

[RF Lighting]

Yes it's perfectly normal.

Each strand is tin plated copper just like old cable used to be back in the day.

Not really sure why it's done though. Maybe to stop oxidisation of the copper?

<edit> pah! too slow

 

[JohnD]

[bore] Years ago, I read in the technology of soldering, by the bloke that started multicore, that old tinned copper wire is difficult to solder, because the surface slowly cold-alloys, and is in some way I no longer remember, fully satisfied so that it will no longer form a surface alloy with the solder. [/bore]

 

[Taylortwocities]

 

[Monkeh]

Yes it's perfectly normal.

Each strand is tin plated copper just like old cable used to be back in the day.

Not really sure why it's done though. Maybe to stop oxidisation of the copper?

<edit> pah! too slow

Yes, it's to protect against oxidation. There's no such thing as untinned copper wire in automotive use, for example.

As for soldering, it doesn't really make much difference. Tinned copper wire still needs tinning for soldering, which still requires bringing the temperature up just as high so the flux can remove any oxidation or other residues, and solder can flow. So it really doesn't make any difference, except it takes a lot longer for exposed tinned wire to oxidise noticably.