Phillip I use copper wire that I buy from McMaster-Carr for wrapping. It is .028 guage.
Mike
I think you mean 28 AWG, not .028 (way too thick). 28 AWG is .0126 (bare). That would be OK for leadouts.
For lines I use 30 or 32 gauge magnet wire (insulated). I have it for other reasons, but it works very well, is flexible enough to avoid the stress concentration issue, and with the insulation, you can wrap it and then dip it in acetone, and while this will not take off the insulation, but soften it just enough to make it stick together.
Even though it appears we will be getting rid of the psuedo-required-construcion part of the line requirements, the wrapping method shown in the AMA rule book is pretty much bulletproof and I follow it more-or-less to the letter.
BTW, on the topic of crimped tubes, I have never used the AMA method precisely. In fact I expect it was put in there just to allow pre-made lines from Pylon and others. I did not loop the second pass of the "free" end of the line through inside, I always looped it around the outside, because that's what my dad told me to do. That always seemed a lot safer and I have seen *many* factory crimps made like the AMA rulebook method fail by having the free end pull out. Loop it around the outside, and it has a loop that pulls tighter if the crimp slips.
I never had a problem with the crimps failing or pulling apart on my own line terminations. I did have repeated issues with the wire fraying right at the end of the crimp tube, usually at the eyelet side, and have never had that happen with wrapped lines.
Brett