Etching for probe wire tip is described particularly well suited to microelectronic device test. In one example, wires of a probe head are covered with an encapsulation material, the wires being attached to a test probe head substrate, each of the wires having two ends, the first end being attached to the substrate and the second end being opposite the substrate, each wire having an outer coating around a core. The wires are etched to remove the outer coating at the second end of the wires. The encapsulation material is then removed.