Electricity not conducted by copper wire

My guess is the "EN" of the code means "Enamelled" - I.e., it's coated with enamel.

That kind of wire is meant for winding transformers, inductors, and electromagnets etc. The enamel coating insulates the wire and stops a coil turning into a single lump of copper.

You need to remove the enamel from the ends of the wire, either with a small craft knife, or burn it away using a hot soldering iron and solder.


I used to remove enamel off copper wire (small: #34 guage) in a production environment by dipping in a Kester solder pot. The molten solder burned off enamel and tinned the wire for transformer leads very nicely.


As a fun fact, my grandfather used to remove the insulation of these wires using a very special technique. He'd get a a pill of aspirin or penicillin (don't remember which) and glue it to a piece of wood. He would then take his soldering iron and while heating the pill, the wire would be drawn through the molten medicament.

This horrendous hot chemical compound was apparently aggressive enough to disintegrate the coating entirely. The only downside was that it produced an enormous reek. The intensity of this smell isn't comparable to anything I've ever sensed.