[Milsurplus] What is push-back wire???

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

Jerry,

Pushback wire was made during the period up until nearly the end of WW-II 
when typical hookup wire had rubber insulation which was covered with a cloth 
braided outer jacket.  The outer jacket was stuck to the rubber insulation 
well enough so as to not usually move around independently of the rubber 
when the wire was flexed.

Pushback wire only had the cloth braid.  No rubber under it.  It's been a 
long time since I last saw any but the jacket may have been imprenated with a 
binder that tended to make it hold its shape when flexed.  But if you cut 
off a length, you could grab the insulation at the cut end between thumb and 
forefinger and push it back up the wire far enough to make a connection 
without using a wire stripper.  It did not look especially neat at the 
connection ends as it looked like it had an aneurysm.  And it did not strip well, 
either.  I can't recall for certain, but I don't think I ever saw it on 
anything but solid wire.  At least the last I recall having in the late 60's more 
or less was solid.

It was basically a good idea that looked like sloppy workmanship if you 
used it.  If you were using a short enough piece, you could carefully slide the 
entire braid off one end, cut off the braid, and slide it halfway back.  
Which looked OK but defeated the labor saving purpose.

In a message dated 5/27/2010 10:31:52 PM Central Daylight Time, 
nr5ajerry at gmail.com writes: 
> CQ Anthology page 41 2nd paragraph, 2nd sentence,:Then take a piece of
> push-back wire about 5"long and wrap it..........so what is push-back
> wire???
> 
> -- 
> Jerry - NR5A - South Dakota
> 

Robert Downs - Houston
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