Call Me Crazy: Cheap Winder Build

SG John said:
This is the winder that Brian May and his dad built while making the Red Special. He said they later improved it by adding a mileometer from a bicycle to count the windings. He still has it today.

View attachment 60154
Click to expand...
That's pretty cool John. I just finished recovering my bv412s, so I'm gonna jump back on the winder either tomorrow or Monday. I need to order a spool of wire from Remington.
 
20210228_182551.jpg

It works! I actually had some of the 2032 batteries here at home. I can monitor the ram on the head unit.

20210228_182645.jpg

Here's a closer shot. I just zip tied the transmitter to the stick and a magnet to the spindle. Normally, that would be zip tied to the left chainstay and the magnet to the crank arm.

Here it is in action. The counter only reads to 199 rpm, but I don't think I could maintain control of the wind pattern much over 100 rpm anyway.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I just ordered 4 oz. of AWG 42 plain enamel wire from Remington Industries. I also got 28 gauge black and white hook up wire. Their prices are really good and they have free shipping. Online ordering is really easy as well. I believe they are in the Chicago area, so my order should get here in just a couple of days.
 
Cadorman said:
I just ordered 4 oz. of AWG 42 plain enamel wire from Remington Industries. I also got 28 gauge black and white hook up wire. Their prices are really good and they have free shipping. Online ordering is really easy as well. I believe they are in the Chicago area, so my order should get here in just a couple of days.
Click to expand...

When you attach the 42-44AWG to the 28AWG, wrap several winds of the thin wire around the large wire then solder...
 
Cadorman said:
I should have some that small. I'll take a look. That's a good idea.
Click to expand...

You gotta lay it where you want it while the wrap is hot. I generally lay a piece of black tape along the windings underneath the 28/42AWG connection, shrink wrap and then hot glue it to the tape for security, placing another strip of black tape over the area before the hot glue cools off.
 
20210306_152907.jpg
Wire arrived in the mail today. I have to say that Remington Ind. is getting it done. Good prices, no minimums and free delivery if you aren't in a rush. I'm not going to attempt anything today. To much caffeine to be messing around with that tiny wire.
 
20210309_102435.jpg
Half wound. It seems like it is going really well so far. I'm taking it slow, running 100 rpm and timing it. Ran for 25 minutes, so I should be around 2550 winds with my initial set up. I'm running it through my fingers for tension and side control. It's easy to keep tabs on tension this way. I will finish it up after a little break and inspection.
 
20210311_123430.jpg
I didn't want to tear apart any of my Gibsons to test the rewound pickup, so I decided to make the Strat a Guinea pig. I have a big sheet of pickguard material left over from my Flying V truss rod project, so I quickly cut out a new single humbucker pickguard and drilled some holes. The body won't accommodate a neck humbucker, hence the single. I added a volume and tone knob from the stock V pickguard and fired it up. It works! And the pickup sounds pretty good in the bridge position. I think I may finally like my Strat! It still sounds like a Strat, but it is way better than it was with single coils. I guess they just aren't my thing.

I think I am going to keep this kind of set up on the Strat. I will attempt to make a really hot humbucker for it and probably get a nice guard from Warmoth.
 
20210330_092721.jpg
Here's first pickup done. I finished it Monday night and installed it yesterday in the blueberry. I like it alot. Ended up at 8.42k ohms. It's just slightly hotter than the 57+ that was in the bridge. It has a little bit more clarity as well.
 
20210331_002348.jpg
I modified the bobbin holder as the original bolts were too big to go through the screw side bobbin. Now I can adjust the position of the bobbin easily as well. I'm loaded up and ready to start winding a neck pickup in the morning.
 
Cadorman said:
View attachment 62534
I modified the bobbin holder as the original bolts were too big to go through the screw side bobbin. Now I can adjust the position of the bobbin easily as well. I'm loaded up and ready to start winding a neck pickup in the morning.
Click to expand...

That's a Lotta work, Man. I tried something similar with an old, hand-crank pencil sharpener modified with a counter, but it took too long and I kept breaking the wire.

Good lesson though, because it proved that there isn't any black magic in pickups...just attention to detail and subtlties.
 
chilipeppermaniac said:
Here is a question for you, Cador.

Does it matter if the wire is wound clockwise or counter clockwise? Clue me in.
Click to expand...
You wind humbucker bobbins counterclockwise. Both of them get wound this way. And then standard procedure is to have the north end of the magnet facing the slug bobbin. I don't have any idea if this really matters, but I don't see any reason to mess with something that works.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top