NOS Western Electric wire used for power cables??

Well now that we've got that debate behind us, and a lot faster than the previous Simply-q versus Herman masterpiece match-up, I'll be happy to share a cat photo of my own:

clio

Beautiful!

And the cat's not bad either. ;)

Nah, she's beautiful too. Three of my four cats are gray tabbies or tabby mix.

Here's my boy Taz (named the photo tenpin because that's what he looked like--he's since lost most of his beer gut).

Taz

So at the risk of going too far off topic, what are those speakers? DIY? And is that a DDS ENG-90 Pro waveguide on top?

Oops. Nevermind. Just noticed you have your system listed. :)

Actually I live with 4 cats and 2 dogs...all rescues.

E-mail me and I'll be happy to share photos with you.

As for the "short debate" I believe we were talking apples and oranges and that is why we disagreed to some extent.

There is no comparison between the way 50 year old NOS wire(meaning NEW old stock as in "like new" vs. "not used")and 50 year old wire in an older home or vintage gear will react.

There is also QUITE a difference in potential dangers in worn house wiring, worn wiring in vintage gear, and power cords or extension cords (being new, NOS, or whatever).

Old house wiring and vintage gear wiring are hidden and often surrounded by flammable materials such as dust. They are also stationary and usually don't become dangerous unless they are moved.

Unless you re-wire an old house or vintage gear even the most brittle of insulation is still quite effective. It's when we bend and move wires that the brittle insulation becomes a short or spark gap situation.

OK...rodents have been known to chew on things and move things around but rodents are my cat's responsibility.

Extension cords and power cords are usually moved around and flexed. The act of doing this will usually move/crack the fatigued insulation and cause a short that would trip a breaker rather than heat the wire to the point of combustion.

Do a search on electrical fires and you will see that it is RARELY a cord that catches fire but a wall outlet that is filled with decades of dust that shorts out, heats up, and bursts into flame.

Once again, these things have nothing to do with products I sell or NOS wire in general. They have to do with worn out insulation or using a wire or connector beyond its rating.

I can show you wire that's less than 5 years old and UL listed that has cracked and potentially dangerous insulation as well as 50 year old wire that has been inside of a component and is in near new condition.

I think we all got a bit off track with this thread.

Is NOS wire good?

Some is and some isn't depending on the wire and the end use.

Is NOS wire safe?

Once again, it depends on the condition of the specific wire and the end use.

Is UL listing important?

Mostly to insurance companies.

UL standards do not mean a product is safe but only that it meets certain criteria that would make it suitable for use in SPECIFIC situations.

New and modern UL listed wires and connectors are every bit as potentially hazardous as NOS or vintage wires if they are not used as they are intended.

Going back to my original point in my first posting: if you don't know what you are doing you shouldn't mess with electrical components or devices.

This means new, NOS, UL listed, blessed by the Dhali Lama, or approve by Ms. Cleo the psychic.

Fuzzbutt17

Actually I live with 4 cats and 2 dogs...all rescues.

Coolness!

One of mine I got from my neice's friend whose cat had kittens. One I got from a rescue shelter. And the other two I adopted as stray/abandoned. Looks like I may be taking on another when my loser neighbor across the street gets booted out of their house. I'm already buying food for it.

One dog. Also a stray/abandoned.

As for the "short debate" I believe we were talking apples and oranges and that is why we disagreed to some extent.

Well, you weren't getting what I was referring to by "higher resistance" that much is certain.

There is no comparison between the way 50 year old NOS wire(meaning NEW old stock as in "like new" vs. "not used")and 50 year old wire in an older home or vintage gear will react.

Nothing I had said regarding shorts had anything specifically to do with your wire, NOS wire, or any other wire in particular. It only related generally to how shorts can occur and cause sufficient heating to potentially cause a fire.

I'd only cautioned previously against using the cloth insulated Western Electric wire for power cords. Your wire's not cloth insulated. It's rubber insulated. While it may have a cloth covering, I consider the primary insulation to be rubber. The wire I was talking about uses cotton as the wire's primary insulation.