Stripping Wire Effectively

Fred W · Jan 30, 2013

Frugal Freddie's tip for stripping large gauge wires:

Use a single edge razor blade or sharp utility knife.

Bend the insulated wire/cable at the point you want to strip it and gently push the tool's sharp edge into the insulation.

Do not "saw" the blade as you risk cutting the conductors.

The insulation will part very easily, popping apart under the bending strain, without cutting any of the copper strands inside.

Turn the wire, re-bend and repeat cut until the insulation is fully circumcised.

Pull the severed insulation end off with fingers, pliers, forceps, whathaveyou.

This technique also works very well for the outer jacket of larger multi-wire or shielded cables too.

For smaller gauge wires it's easier to just use one of the stripper tools shown above.

Falko · Jan 30, 2013

I usually tin then solder the connections anyway. Tinning will get the solder back down to the wires so if you lose one or two that will help.

gixxerjasen · Jan 30, 2013

ridernotbiker said:
Sometimes my eyes see what my mind wants to see...
"Stripping Wife Effectively"...

then I read SacramentoMike's post, "Get a new stripper. With multiple gauge holes. And try to restrain your posting finger a little."

...and again my mind wanders.

And with your avatar...mmmm....Career Opportunities....yum.

Fred W said:
Frugal Freddie's tip for stripping large gauge wires:
Use a single edge razor blade or sharp utility knife.

Bend the insulated wire/cable at the point you want to strip it and gently push the tool's sharp edge into the insulation.

Do not "saw" the blade as you risk cutting the conductors.

The insulation will part very easily, popping apart under the bending strain, without cutting any of the copper strands inside.

Turn the wire, re-bend and repeat cut until the insulation is fully circumcised.

Pull the severed insulation end off with fingers, pliers, forceps, whathaveyou.

This technique also works very well for the outer jacket of larger multi-wire or shielded cables too.

For smaller gauge wires it's easier to just use one of the stripper tools shown above.

This has worked for me. Well, except I apparently cannot cut a straight line but I'm really good at cutting spirals!

ionbeam · Jan 30, 2013

In electronic manufacturing we typically use IPC standard 610 to determine quality. IPC says that wire conditions include wire strands scraped, nicked or severed and goes further to specify the allowable wire strand condition for the two lower quality levels. The following is true for Class 1 & 2; Class 3 has less damage allowable.

Number of strands Max. allowable

in the wire damaged strands

2-6 0

7-15 1

16-25 3

26-40 4

41-60 5

61-120 6

121- up 6%

Surprisingly, if wires are to be tinned they allow FEWER strands to be damaged.

But, we are not commercial manufacturers so let your conscious be your guide, the table is just to give you some idea what professionals use as a guide.

Bokerfork · Jan 30, 2013

Wire strippers? With different gauge holes?

Forget that. Buy a pair of electricians snips.(They look similar to the scissors you used in preschool. Ring the insulation with them, then move a millimeter or two toward the end of the wire. Grip the insulation with the snips and laterally pull. Easy Peasy. Plus, the snips come in handy for about a hundred other uses, unlike the multi gauge wire strippers.

With practice, you'll wonder how you lived without them.

Mark

gixxerjasen · Jan 30, 2013

Bokerfork said:
Wire strippers? With different gauge holes?
Forget that. Buy a pair of electricians snips.(They look similar to the scissors you used in preschool. Ring the insulation with them, then move a millimeter or two toward the end of the wire. Grip the insulation with the snips and laterally pull. Easy Peasy. Plus, the snips come in handy for about a hundred other uses, unlike the multi gauge wire strippers.

With practice, you'll wonder how you lived without them.

Mark

I actually have a set of those as well at work. This is definitely a skill to use them effectively though. My coworker who showed me how to use them at my last job made custom length Cat5/6 cables for entire datacenters with them and was an artist to watch at work with those scissors. Me, I can mangle a cable like no other. Also, those scissors are amazingly powerful for such little things, I'm pretty sure they are fully capable of easily removing a finger.