[GreenKeys] Cloth-covered wire

[John Nagle]

> On May 1, 2009, at 10:58 AM, Roy Morgan wrote:
> 
>> > This wire price situation may be a case of "whatever  the market will
>> > bear". ...                                           ... I do not
>> > expect that a normal teletype loop circuit or telephone connection
>> > would need anything but normal wire.  I do understand why someone
>> > would want to have and use wire of the right covering and colors as
>> > the original.
> 
> And that may well be the issue.  Classic cloth-covered wire is getting
> progressively harder and harder to find.  So is gutta-percha insulated
> wire.  Nowdays, it's all various flavors of vinyl.
> 
> If you're trying to do a museum-quality recreation of an antique, you
> want authentic wire, not modern polychrome plastic insulation.

    If you want cloth-covered wire for appearance purposes, wire with
cloth wrap over vinyl insulation is made for auto restoration purposes.
See:

http://www.magnetoparts.com/wire.htm

Original Teletype wiring has Deltabeston insulation, which is cotton
or silk braid over felted asbestos.  General Electric's 1925 catalog
says that Deltabeston insulated wire will not become brittle with
age and will not be damaged by heat. 70 year old Deltabeston wire
seems to be holding up quite well.  But it's not something you'd
want to install today.  Nor is it a good idea to cut or strip the
stuff without proper asbestos-disposal precautions.

				John Nagle