Oil City Pickups Burns rewind part 1 ... the dreaded air coil!

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OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9986
edited May 2019 in Made in the UK tFB Trader


Here we have a lovely old (and sadly very dead) Burns Rez-O-Matik pickup from the 60s/70s ... our job is to breathe new life into it.



cover off and you can see why the Rez-O-Matik and several other Burns pickups are so different to practically everything else: firstly there is the split and opposed ceramic magnet array in the middle ... and around it ... the coil. Yep no bobbin. The coil was wound on a sort of 'basket' wire former ... potted, tape wrapped then pushed over the magnet. It's a total nightmare for a rewinder ... but we will get there.



Above: you can see the rock hard and very dead air coil out of it's slot. 
Below: Out with the pencil and paper to design a former for the coil ... I specialise in fast 'back of a fag packet' style drawings!



Now to think of how to build it ... over a mug of 'builder's tea ... I do my best thinking with a cuppa ...



The 'Fag packet' stage doesn't last long ... I whistle out a 2D drawing program and get stuck in. On screen is the central 'core' of the former .. the little 'bumps' will stop the wound coil sticking on the core ... and provide a gap for me to pass tape through. 



Below: the basic components ... to be laser cut from acrylic then bolted together.



Then as if by magic ... it's made ... well the magic took quite a while ... as did the design!






Above: nearly ready to wind ... note the layer of tape on the core ... sticky side outwards ... this will stop wire sticking in the former joins ... and start the wrapping process for me.

More soon :-)






Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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Comments

  • normula1normula1 Frets: 639
    Wow
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9986
    tFB Trader
    normula1 said:
    Wow
    :-) 
    There's more to being a pickup winder than chocolate hobnobs you know! 
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • rsvmarkrsvmark Frets: 1374
    I bloody love these threads! Looking forward to the next instalment. Almost as good as GoT, but without dragons.
    An official Foo liked guitarist since 2024
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  • DanielsguitarsDanielsguitars Frets: 3261
    tFB Trader
    That's fantastic work, love the laser design stuff
    www.danielsguitars.co.uk
    (formerly customkits)
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9986
    tFB Trader
    That's fantastic work, love the laser design stuff
    The laser is indispensable ... the Swiss Army knife for a pickup maker. 
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • impmannimpmann Frets: 12649
    Popcorn bought, ready for part 2.

    Thanks for sharing 
    Never Ever Bloody Anything Ever.

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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26753
    You were getting a wow already, but it switched to a wis as soon as you noted you need tea to be able to think about hard questions! :)
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9986
    tFB Trader
    You were getting a wow already, but it switched to a wis as soon as you noted you need tea to be able to think about hard questions! :)

    A 'Brew' is a tool for engineers just like a screwdriver or soldering iron ... it allows you to sit back, look at the problem, and not make rash, material wasting decisions :-) my dad ... the finest engineer I've ever encountered ... taught me that.
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26753
    You were getting a wow already, but it switched to a wis as soon as you noted you need tea to be able to think about hard questions! :)

    A 'Brew' is a tool for engineers just like a screwdriver or soldering iron ... it allows you to sit back, look at the problem, and not make rash, material wasting decisions :-) my dad ... the finest engineer I've ever encountered ... taught me that.
    I definitely agree. Works for financial analysis as well. It's as much about the act of making the tea/coffee as it is the drinking; just something to let the subconscious do its thing properly before you jump in and do something fast, but wrong.
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • ennspekennspek Frets: 1626
    You are an artist sir. 
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9986
    tFB Trader
    ennspek said:
    You are an artist sir. 
    Thank you :-)
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • I'm using Trisonics with the same construction - this is really interesting, is there part 2 to this (...or did you dig a small hole fill it with petrol and burn the lot :-)  ) 
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9986
    tFB Trader
    I'm using Trisonics with the same construction - this is really interesting, is there part 2 to this (...or did you dig a small hole fill it with petrol and burn the lot :-)  ) 
    I can't believe I forgot to put the concluding piece up ... will try and rectify that tomorrow :-)

    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • robertyroberty Frets: 10893
    Didn't catch this the first time, amazing work and fascinating to see
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9986
    tFB Trader
    I'm using Trisonics with the same construction - this is really interesting, is there part 2 to this (...or did you dig a small hole fill it with petrol and burn the lot :-)  ) 
    I can't believe I forgot to put the concluding piece up ... will try and rectify that tomorrow :-)

    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • ThorpyFXThorpyFX Frets: 6090
    tFB Trader
    I'm using Trisonics with the same construction - this is really interesting, is there part 2 to this (...or did you dig a small hole fill it with petrol and burn the lot :-)  ) 
    I can't believe I forgot to put the concluding piece up ... will try and rectify that tomorrow :-)

    hurry up. I'm waiting 
    Adrian Thorpe MBE | Owner of ThorpyFx Ltd | Email: thorpy@thorpyfx.com | Twitter: @ThorpyFx | Facebook: ThorpyFx Ltd | Website: www.thorpyfx.com
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  • Adam_MDAdam_MD Frets: 3420
    ThorpyFX said:
    I'm using Trisonics with the same construction - this is really interesting, is there part 2 to this (...or did you dig a small hole fill it with petrol and burn the lot :-)  ) 
    I can't believe I forgot to put the concluding piece up ... will try and rectify that tomorrow :-)

    hurry up. I'm waiting 
    Me too
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9986
    edited September 2019 tFB Trader


    And the winding has begun. Initially I was confused as the customer told me the neck pickup was about 14k ... yet this bridge one contained far too little wire of the wrong gauge to ever be close to 14k. All was explained when the customer told me that the neck pickup ... identical in looks to this one ... is internally a stacked humbucker! It must rank as amongst the first stacked humbuckers made ... and almost certainly the only air-coil one! This pickup is of course a single coil so wound to about half the neck one.



    With the coil wound and the lead wires attached, the fiddly job of passing short lengths of tape around the coil to keep it together begins. Tweezers, patience, good eyesight and lots of tea required!

    It's potted ... and then the winding jig is stripped off like this ... of course the jig can be used over and over.



    and the coil fully taped



    And ready to rock again! 


    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • Wow, that's a lot of effort. So glad we gave guys like you around with the skills and tenacity to repair stuff
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9986
    tFB Trader
    normula1 said:
    Wow, that's a lot of effort. So glad we gave guys like you around with the skills and tenacity to repair stuff
    I do it because it fascinates me as much to do it as it does for some to read about it :-)
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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