cyclops2

Use motor winding wire. From burned out motors. Or go to a commerical electric motor repair shop. Ask for 20'. Great people.
They will know what size you need if you bring a wiring paper with just the currents of each bulb on it. Show how many are in each string.

Rich

patmat

You'll need to scrape the enamel off its ends before soldering... I also like to strip wires out of old telephone and network cables- regular plastic insulation, and color coded too! Sometimes it's solid core, sometimes more flexible multistrand.

cyclops2

Good one Pat.
I have also used a piece of old thermostat cable. I like the solid wire much better because if you cut it to length, strip the ends, tin them & lastly roll them around under a piece of smooth wood they become perfectly staight. Ready to follow pipes & walls. SMALL drops of CA does a great job of holding it in place.

Rich

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

This is a good tip if you are trying to save a few pennies. I found it economical enough to buy 26ga spools of color coded flexible wire at the electronics store.

mfr02

For low current applications in places where plastic insulated wire either won't fit or would be unsightly, the enamel insulated wire from dead relays, transformers & motors is good. There was, and probably still is, Verowire, used on prototyping boards. This had enamel insulation, but had the gimmick that the enamel was also a flux, so it didn't need scraping back to metal before soldering.

patmat

One more: The wire used in cheap earphones (ear buds) has 2 conductors in a single "wire". Takes some care to separate them.

Umi_Ryuzuki

Radio shack still sells two wires that work for lighting

The delicate magnet wire, for motor windings. Carefully scrape the coating off, and solder your connection.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2036277

And the 30 guage wrapping wire in three colors $3.99 for 50 feet.
http://www.radioshack.com/search/ind...ng%20wire&sr=1

[8D]

mike walker

I just did somthing that worked very well for me I have alot of lights on a large paddle wheeler.I used copper tape like you use for stained glass from hobby lobby.I ran a pos. and a neg. strip bus bar the length of the boat and short wires to the led.