The wire I need only comes bare and I would like to try enameling it myself with polyester-imide or polyester-nylon, so that it comes out like magnet wire. What all would I need?
Enameled wire is copper wire coated with a very thin insulating layer. It is used in applications such as winding electric motor coils, speakers and transformers. It is also used in the construction of electromagnets and inductors. The core material is copper, coated with a thin layer of a polyurethane, polyamide, polyester etc resin - the so-called enamel. For ease of manufacturing inductive components like transformers and inductors, most new enamelled wire has enamel that acts as a flux when burnt during soldering. This means that the electrical connections at the ends can be made without stripping off the insulation first. Older enamelled copper wire is normally not like this, and requires sandpapering or scraping to remove the insulation before soldering.
You can't use bare copper for coil windings. It would be like having a shorted coil. The varnish or enamel gives a coating thick enough to insulate from shorting and thin enough to allow for efficient induction. I don't see how you can make a winding without it touching itself at some point. Most coils overlap.
