I have bought some CR Signals colour light N gauge signals for my layout. They arrived today and they look very good but they all have bare wires some with resistors attached and the wires are bare where they enter the brass signal post so what stops them shorting out?
The wire is covered in a varnish or similar.
I e-mailed CR and they told me the same.
You learn something new every day.
Hi
They use enameled copper wire the same type that's used in motors, coils (point motors) Etc. A very old but effective way of insulating wires, and a very thin insulator compared to pvc for instance.
To solder to the wire if it is not already cleaned and tinned you need to scrape away the enamel with a knife or something similar you can tell if it's already clean as the copper looks bright compared to the enameled section.
Tony
I believe the enamel is sometimes supposed to vanish on heating but even with wire that claims this I found it better to scrape the enamel off before soldering. Be aware that these wires can be extremely fragile and will snap off if bent too frequently.
The simplest way of removing the enamel insulation without damaging the wire is to put a small blob of fresh solder on the tip of your soldering iron, then push the end of the wire into the molten blob. After a couple of seconds, you have a clean, tinned wire ready for whatever you have in mind.