Have a bunch of wire on spools and can't remember if its 18, 20 or 22.Any easy way to know what kind of wire you have without taking it to the store and comparing?I thought of using my wirestrippers, but because of the "stripping" setup, I might be off by a couple.Thanks!--Mark
M.C. Fujiwara
My YouTube Channel (How-to's, Layout progress videos)
Silicon Valley Free-moN
Do you have a micrometer or caliper?
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/HBASE/tables/wirega.html
I don't think my tape measure goes that small
I need to go to radio shack anyway. I'll just take the wire & compare.
What? You don't have a micrometer? What the heck kind of modeller are you?
Anyway, assuming that you are talking solid wire, you can compare the wire diameter to drills. The #24 wire diameter is close to a #76 drill; the #22 wire is close to a #72 drill; the #20 wire is close to a #67 drill; and the #18 wire is close to a #60.
(Oh, and I don't use the micrometer for any fancy scratchbuilding. I use it to figure out the drill diameters after I dump the case on the workbench and have to figure out what goes where)
In many cases it's printed on the insulation. Check that first (for 20 or 22 you might need a magnifier to read it)
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
By gosh, it is printed on the insulation!And, my goodness, that "22" is hard to read, especially on the green wire!Practically blew my eye out (how's that for getting down to the wire!)Thanks!--Mark