Where can i buy fuse wire in the UK ?

[john1]

Hi,

Where can i buy fuse wire ?
The lower current stuff, i can find plenty of the household 5, 20 & 30 Amp
stuff, but i cant find any 1 Amp or 250mA stuff anywhere.

John

 

[ericgibbs]

hi John

Look here: **broken link removed**

Eric

EDIT:
**broken link removed**
**broken link removed**

 

[picasm]

I don't know if/where you could buy fuse wire for those low currents. I think most likely it has been superceeded by micro axial fuses.

eg:
**broken link removed**
https://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/results.jsp?N=411+1001446&Ntk=gensearch_001&Ntt=axial+fuse&Ntx=

Although the above suppliers have either minimum order values or too expensive postage for just buying a few cheap fuses. Perhaps you could search smaller suppliers or even ebay.

 

[john1]

Hi,

Ive been digging out some of my thin coil winding wire and testing to
find what kind of currents will blow the thinner ones.

I have found that my 48swg will blow at just under an amp, about 900mA.
I do not want to use my enamelled coil winding wire for this, i would
much rather use the proper tinned copper wire as fuse wire.

I am still searching here and there on the internet to source some low
current fuse wire, but unsuccessfully so far.

If anyone has any suggestions where i might get some low current fuse
wire, i would be most interested.

John

 

[Sceadwian]

What's the fuse for? If it's not a major saftey feature just a protection feature for the circuit you might be better off using an active circuit with a sense resistor to shut the power off if it goes above a certain level, even a simple active circuit can switch a load off significantly faster than a fuse ever could, and the exact trip point is precisely settable, even within a few ma's

 

[ericgibbs]

john,
I have been looking for low current fuse wire sources, without any success.

I thought the wire table links I posted would give you ideas for DIY fuse wire.

You can, if you are careful, cold draw say 3Amp fuse wire down to 1Amp, that is stretch it, it can become a little brittle.
If thats a problem you could anneal it with a heat source.

Why do you need so much low rated fuse wire [just nosey!]

 

[john1]

Hi Sceadwian,
Hi ericgibbs,

Thank you both for your efforts.
Low current glass fuses are still available, they get that wire somewhere.

They are for sub sections of a home made alarm wiring system, and i
want them to be fuse wire, not glass fuses or micro-axial types.

As i only want short lengths, i am considering dismantling low current
glass fuses to get the fuse wire, but i am not sure if the wire will be
long enough for my assemblies.

Eric,
i did not even consider modifying existing fuse wire.
This is definately a possibility, maybe by running repeatedly round a
small diameter pulley, or maybe between rollers, but i dont think just
stretching it would be quite the answer, but i will give it a try.

I will also carry on searching on the web,
i find it very hard to believe that there is no low current fuse wire
to be found on the internet.

Almost impossible to believe.

Regards, John

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I will also carry on searching on the web,
i find it very hard to believe that there is no low current fuse wire
to be found on the internet.

Almost impossible to believe.

Not really, you're looking for something with no market, you only want it because you're doing something exceedingly 'strange'

 

[mvs sarma]

Afterall it is a thermal fusing issue. i suggest,John may study use of 44 / 42 SWG wire in small lengths as a fusing element and perhaps it will serve him equally well

 

[john1]

Hi mvs sarma,
Yes, i have been trying my very thin coil winding wire, i have found
that my 48swg blows at just under an amp, about 900mA.
And yes, if i cannot find anything else then i will have to use that.

Hi Nigel,
Well low current fuse wire may have quite a small market, but those
glass fuse replacements get the wire from somewhere. Unless they are
just using up old stock in which case replacement wire would slowly
become more attractive.
My choice to use fuse wire against other methods might seem strange
but to find no mention of something on the internet is even more strange.
I seem to remember often un-soldering the ends of glass fuses, and
replacing the fuse wire inside them, sometimes getting my fingers too
hot in the process. I think i had several choices of current under an
amp. The wire was wound on a card i think, with three or four choices
on it.

I will continue trying various combinations of wording, maybe i will
get lucky and find a source of fuse wire to suit me.
If i do find somewhere to get it, i will pass it on here as others may
want to use low current fuse wire sometimes.

Cheers, John

 

[Sceadwian]

You've said your reasons for chosing to use fuse wire might sound strange and that other users may have the same desire, yet not offered any justification for the statements. At those low currents a voltage comparator using a sense resistor at the set point will have a significantly better responce time, and be resetable.

 

[mvs sarma]

Hi mvs sarma,
Yes, i have been trying my very thin coil winding wire, i have found
that my 48swg blows at just under an amp, about 900mA.
And yes, if i cannot find anything else then i will have to use that.

Hi Nigel,
Well low current fuse wire may have quite a small market, .....................
Cheers, John

Hi John,
if the 48SWG or other wire may not really work effectively at low ( mAs) level unless it is isolated from the atmosphere and sealed in a vaccuum preferably. Atleast, it must be encased in a very small closed container- i remember fuses of 1/4 watt resistor size.

please try out like this with 48 SWG wire and test few

all the best

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

The wire was wound on a card i think, with three or four choices
on it.

That sounds like normal fuse wire?, as used in household fuse boxes?, but all more than an amp (3, 15 and 30 on a card I jusr checked). It's certainly possible that smaller values used to be available - but I would imagine you're probably looking pre-60's? - the 'modern' card I just looked at says '5 pence' on it

But really, like everyone else, I can't conceive what you're trying to do, or why?. Mostly, if you're struggling finding something obscure, it's because you're going about it the wrong way in the first place!.

 

[Hero999]

Fuse wire is totally obsolete - no one uses it today.

Use a cartridge fuse!