A professional electrician must have a wire stripping tool in his arsenal, which is necessary for stripping wires when connecting sockets, switches, cutting wiring, etc. This device will also be useful home handyman who started renovations in an apartment or house.

Let's figure out what tools exist for removing sheathing from wires, what are the specifics of their use, and outline what you should pay attention to when purchasing such devices.

To connect one socket or switch in an apartment, it is not necessary to buy professional equipment. It will be possible to strip a piece of wire as usual kitchen knife. However, if there is a large-scale renovation with a complete update of the electrical wiring system, then without specialized devices not enough.

The number of contacts that must be cleaned when repairing a house with an area of ​​100 square meters. m can reach thousands. Carrying out such work without specialized devices is an unreasonable waste of time and effort.

In addition, stripping insulation without professional wire stripping tools is fraught with negative consequences:

• there is a high risk of cable damage, which reduces the safety of electrical wiring;
• cutting the conductor leads to a decrease in the cross-section of the wire, resulting in a break or burning at the junction;
• if cut carelessly, the damaged wire may break when bent.

In high frequency systems with alternating current the situation is complicated by the appearance of the skin effect - the current is distributed unevenly, but mainly in the surface layer of the conductor. In such wires, any minor defect conductors can damage equipment.

You can carefully scrape off the insulation with a knife, but the work will take a lot of time. And if you need to prepare a lot of cables, then mistakes are inevitable - do it quickly a large number of high-precision cuts will not work

When we're talking about about significant amounts of work, it is better not to take risks and use special devices. Damage to the conductor can cause a fire, cause equipment failure, or cause electric shock.

Types of electrical installation devices

The variety of instruments can be classified according to the following criteria:

• volumes of work performed;
• process automation.

The insulating shell can be removed in two ways: thermal and mechanical.

The first option is only valid for thin, low-power conductors used in communication devices, audio equipment and electronics operating at a voltage of about 5 volts.

Alternatives: side cutters and pliers

By using some tools for purposes other than their intended purpose, it is quite possible to remove the insulating wrapping. Popular alternatives to professional tools: side cutters and pliers.

The cutting edges should be directed in the opposite direction to the movement of the tool. The sheath is carefully removed with a tube without damaging the conductor

Pliers with precision holes are suitable for processing wires. various diameters. A universal tool is in demand when installing wiring.

These pliers allow you to:

• grab and bend wire;
• cut medium hard wire;
• carry out crimping of contact sleeves;
• remove insulation.

The number of holes determines the functionality of the tool; usually pliers are designed for processing wires of 3-6 standard sizes.

You must work with pliers carefully. If you do not calculate the clamping force, you can easily damage the core.

Choosing a stripping method for different wires

The complexity of removing insulation is largely determined by the type of wire. When choosing a tool, you should consider the cable features:

1. Coaxial wire. When removing double insulation, work is carried out in two stages. The top layer can be removed thermally, and the lower one - using a stripper. The cores of such a cable are very fragile and thin, so they are easily damaged.
2. Cable with fluoroplastic coating. Heat-resistant insulation that can only be removed mechanically. An electrician's knife or stripper will do.
3. Enameled wire. If the cross-section is less than 0.2 sq. mm, then you need to resort to the thermochemical method using a soldering iron and vinyl chloride tape. The wire is placed on the tape and passed along the cable with a soldering iron - the released chlorine promotes the “removal” of the enamel sheath from the wire.

When choosing a tool, you need to take into account the diameter of the wire the device is designed for, as well as the material used to make the handle.

If necessary processing electrical cables, it is necessary to select strippers with a handle made of dielectric material.

The coating protects against voltages up to 1000 W.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

A variety of tools for stripping wires and cables, comparison of strippers:

The choice of a tool should be based on the upcoming conditions of its use and the need for additional functionality. The main thing is that the device ensures compliance with two main requirements: it removes insulation without damaging the conductors and meets the declared dielectric characteristics.

If there is any doubt about the second, then all work is carried out exclusively with the voltage removed.

What tools do you use to strip wires? Please share your own experience with our site visitors. Leave your comments in the block below. There you can ask questions about the topic of the article.

In the process of installing wires, one of the most critical stages of work is removing the insulation. Doesn't matter aluminum wire, copper, covered with enamel or plastic insulation, in each individual case it is necessary to follow the technology when stripping it. If you ignore recommendations and advice on how to strip the wire, then specifications manufactured electrical system will be low. Let's look at several techniques for stripping insulation from a variety of coated wires.

Features of the structure of wires

There are two types of wires:

1. Single-core.
2. Stranded.

By single-core is meant a wire in which the cross-section is formed by one core or wire. As for stranded wires, the cross-section of such a wire is formed by several thin wires, which in some cases are intertwined with each other. To make the stranded wire resilient and elastic, a thread that resembles nylon is added to the structure. Taking into account these features, the technology for removing insulation in each individual case may differ.

Stripping with a knife

When removing insulation with a knife, you cannot cut the wires in a circle with the blade in a perpendicular position - a notch may form on the copper core. As a result, with a slight bend, the wire will easily and quickly break in this very place, especially if you decided to strip a wire 0.6–0.8 mm thick. After a few bends, the wire breaks completely. When stripping a wire with a knife, the blade should be almost in the same plane with the axis of the wire. The insulation is pre-cut along the core. The insulation cut lengthwise is taken to the side and simply cut off.

It is important to be careful with this type of stripping, as you can easily injure your hands.

Using side cutters

Tools such as side cutters are often used incorrectly. The tool is picked up as needed, and no attention is paid to the direction of the cutting edges. If you use side cutters incorrectly, you will have to put in a lot of effort. In addition, in this case there is a high risk of breaking off the wire along with the insulation.

It is important that the cutting edges are directed in the direction opposite to the movement of the tool. With this option, the blade will cut into the insulation even with little force. As a result, the insulation is removed with a tube from the surface of the core without damaging it.

Reflow method

If you have a soldering iron, you can quickly remove the insulation thermal method. To do this, heat the soldering iron tip and run it lightly over the plastic insulation. Once heated, the plastic will melt and come off. This method does not disrupt the conductor in any way. If you need to strip a large number of wires with such a winding, it is recommended to use special device. For example, a special wood burning tool, which was previously known as a “Pattern,” would be suitable.

The reflow method is most effective if your wiring is old. After a long period of use, the plastic winding on the wire becomes hard and brittle. Moreover, if from distribution box the wire sticks out two or three centimeters, neither wire cutters nor a knife can handle it. And if you use a lighter or reach in with a soldering iron, you can strip the wire.

What if the wire is enameled?

If the conductor has a thickness of 0.2 mm, then the best option would be a mechanical method of removing the insulation. To do this, use a knife or sandpaper to scrape off the insulation.

• To process cables with thin insulation, you can use fine sandpaper. Bend it in half with the sandpaper inward. Then insert the cable into the bent sheet of sandpaper and, lightly pressing your fingers, pull the wire. This procedure should be continued until the enamel is cleaned.
• If a knife is used, it is necessary to place part of the cable on a solid base. Then you need to turn it in a circle until the enamel is scraped off the surface of the conductor.

If the conductor is even thinner and has a diameter of less than 0.2 millimeters, then the mechanical method will not be effective. This is due to the fact that the enamel will not be removed as a result, and the wire itself may break. In this case, you can master the thermochemical method using a soldering iron and vinyl chloride insulation. First, heat up the soldering iron, then place vinyl chloride on the table, and then move the soldering iron along the wire on top. Under influence high temperature Chlorine is produced, which will clean the wire from the enamel.

In most cases, such wires are used in radio communications, and it is this wire that is wound on inductive coils. It also has a name - Litz wire. In appearance, it is distinguished by the presence of a large number of thin wires, which are twisted into one conductor and covered with enamel.

No less interesting is another option for removing enameled insulation from a wire. You will need to buy aspirin tablets. A wire is laid on them and a heated soldering iron tip is passed along it in the same way. As a result, the wire is exposed and, on top of everything else, tinned.

Removing fluoroplastic insulation

By fluoroplastic is meant a polymer that is produced chemical method. He has a number positive characteristics, for example, does not get wet from water and is highly resistant to organic matter. Its technical characteristics allow it to withstand temperatures up to 300° C! As insulation it is ideal option, but the main disadvantage is the high price. In this regard, I use it on special occasions. In everyday life it is used by many radio amateurs, since after soldering it has aesthetically pleasing, takes up little space and does not melt.

The material itself has the shape of a thin narrow ribbon. It, in turn, is tightly wound on a twisted stranded wire. It is only possible to clean such insulation with a knife. The fluoroplastic is scraped off to the desired length. As soon as the wire is exposed, the insulation is removed to desired length, and the remaining fluoroplastic is cut off.

Insulation made of fabric or rubber can be cleaned using any of the above methods. The main thing is to prevent cuts in the main core!

All of the above methods are manual. They require more time and attention, not to mention experience, when it comes to stranded wires with a small section. If you work in this field and regularly need to strip wires of insulation, then it is best to partially automate this process. For this purpose, pliers were specially developed or they are also called strippers.

With the help of a stripper, the insulation is removed with one click of the palm. Let's look at how to strip wires using a stripper model WS-04.

Technical characteristics of stripper WS-04:

• You can remove insulation and cut wires Ø0.5–2.7 mm with a cross-section from 0.2 to 6.0 mm 2 without preliminary adjustment.
• When setting a microscopic screw, you can remove the insulation from a thin wire measuring from 0.25 to 0.5 mm.
• The stripper allows you to crimp connectors on wires without insulation, insulated or automotive wires under a double clamp of 0.8-2.7 mm.

In appearance, the stripper resembles pliers, at the end of which there is a cam lever. The upper cams are movable, and the lower ones are stationary. The left pair is used to clamp the wire, and the right pair is used to remove and trim the insulation. When the handles are first brought together, the left cam clamps the wire, and the right one cuts its sharp edge into the insulation. As the levers are constantly brought together, the insulation is gradually removed from the wire. The process of stripping a wire with a stripper takes a few seconds.

The process of sequential operation of the stripper model WS-04 with single-core, stranded and two-core wire:

1. The wire is wound between cutting knives, which are located on inside pens. Then they should be brought together. The result is a cut of the end of the wire without deformation. For comparison, when cutting with wire cutters, the end is always flattened and slightly pointed.
2. On next stage one end of the wire is inserted between the movable and fixed jaws. After squeezing the handles, the insulation is removed. When working this way, no notches are observed on the conductor.
3. To adjust the exact length of the insulation to be removed, you can use the blue movable stop.
4. On a two-core wire, the insulation is removed with a stripper in two passes.
5. On the first pass, the vinyl chloride tube is removed.
6. At the second stage, the insulation is simultaneously removed from two wires.

The operating time can take no more than 5 seconds!

Among other things, the stripper can also be used to strip the insulation of a telephone cable before pressing it into an RJ-11 connector. If a screw connection is used, then with just one movement the insulation is removed from the wires.

The stripper can also be used to remove shielded wires. First of all, it should be noted that this is quite difficult task, it becomes especially complicated if the conductor is thin. So, the first step is to remove the insulation from the shielding braid. To expose the central wire, the braid is unraveled using a needle or spike. All that remains is to make one movement with the stripper and the wire is freed from insulation. Cleaning shielded wire by hand is a labor-intensive job, especially if you only have a knife on hand. It is very easy to damage the wire with a knife!

So, as you can see, the stripper is quite universal tool, which strips various wires of insulation.

Coaxial cable

Strip the insulation on coaxial cable You can do it yourself. Although the equipment for this purpose is inexpensive and available, we will tell you how to get the job done with wire cutters and a knife. As a rule, such a cable is used to connect satellite TV and for standard F connectors.

Step-by-step instructions on how to strip a coaxial wire:

1. The cable should be taken in the direction away from your body.
2. Take a utility knife and firmly press the cable at a right angle from the end of the cable at a distance of 2.5 cm. Do not press with the end of the blade, otherwise it will break off and may bounce into your eyes.
3. At this stage, it is necessary to cut through the outer sheath, braid, foil layer and dielectric foam. In most cases it has White color. It is these layers that surround the vein. You will feel some resistance as you push the blade into the cable. As soon as the blade reaches half of the wire, you need to put less pressure on it. It is extremely important not to damage the central core!
4. Next you should walk around the cable. When doing this, be careful not to leave nicks on the core.
5. Now pull and twist the cut edge of the insulation. With these steps you can remove the cut end of the insulation.
6. If there are wires sticking out from under the cable sheath, cut them off with wire cutters so that they do not extend beyond the edge of the sheath. It is important to examine the wire for nicks. If there are any, then the above procedure will have to be repeated.
7. Dielectric foam may partially remain on the main core. You can simply remove it with your fingernail.
8. To connect the cable to connector F, first remove a small part of the top sheath.
9. To do this, measure eight millimeters from the previous cut location. Make a cut on the top shell. As in the previous case, the cut is made perpendicular to the wire. Be careful not to snag the braid. In some modifications of the F connector, there is no need to remove the braid, but in others, on the contrary, it must be removed.
10. If you are not sure whether braid is needed in your case, then leave it temporarily. This braid is located around the dielectric foam. Its wiring is less than a human hair thick, so all work must be done carefully. Just now you need to make a cut with the tip of the blade along the entire wire.
11. Remove eight millimeters of the cable sheath so that the dielectric foam wrapped in the winding remains on the core.
12. The braid is wrapped over the outer shell. So, the dielectric is exposed. At this stage, pay attention to the requirement of the F-connector: which end of the wire should be in your case.
13. All possible wiring must be absent between the braid and the central conductor. This will be clearly visible against the background of a white dielectric.
14. An F connector is placed at the end of the cable.
15. The dielectric should be at the bottom of the connector after it is seated on it. It is unacceptable for it to peek out or not reach the bottom of the connector.

Under no circumstances should the tip come into contact with the F-connector.

The F connector is now ready for use.

Knives for stripping cable insulation

Separately, it is worth mentioning special knives that are directly used to strip insulation from cables. For example, the most popular is a knife with a hook. During operation, it is much more convenient than a stationery one. Moreover, thanks to the thick blade, you can work with more confidence and courage. It will be difficult for them to cut the wire insulation, but cutting the cable lengthwise is what you need. This hook sticks well into the cable sheath, so it won’t jump out of it. However, such a tool does not have all the advantages, since it cannot provide good cable stripping.

Another special knife is known.

It is very simple in operation. To start thumb pull out the special bracket. It is under this that you will thread the wire. At this point, a small knife appears from the handle, rotating around its axis. After laying the cable, the bracket presses it to this knife. Make two or three turns around the wire until you get a cut. Now, without removing the wire, pull the tool firmly towards the end. The knife will turn and cut along the shell. In the end, all you have to do is remove the cut part and continue working.

The only drawback of this device is that it is necessary to adjust the wheel directly to the depth of a particular type of wire. You can use a piece of wire to set it up.

Also, such a knife does not cope very well with removing insulation. This is due to the fact that the device can flatten a thick cable if handled carelessly.

So, we looked at the most common methods for stripping insulation from a wire. Perhaps one of the methods described above will be useful in your case. Successful work to you!

Hello everyone! Today will be short review for the tool I wanted, a cable stripper. At work, situations often arise when you can’t properly clean the cable with an ordinary knife, or it will be traumatic for your hands (I’ve cut my fingers more than once when my hands are covered in oil and dirt), and since I work in production, every second of downtime counts, so the work must be done as quickly as possible and not always with high quality (damaged cables are replaced every week in the maintenance department). Of the many devices, I chose this particular tool because I thought it was more convenient for me. More details about everything under the cut.

Specifications

Length: 170 mm
Maximum blade length: 7mm
Handle material: Plastic
Blade material: Bearing steel
Stripping cable diameter: Ø 8 – 28 mm

Appearance

The knife is supplied in blister packaging. front side the name of the tool is written in large font, on the back there are instructions for use and all available types of tools from of this manufacturer. There is no name of the manufacturer on the packaging, apparently they are made for third-party companies that make their own packaging and put their nameplate on the knife.

All types of instruments

The tool itself has a corrugated plastic body, with a recess for a sticker of some company. On top there is a spring-loaded bracket with an additional knife blade on it, with two cutting sides. The knife is equipped with a protective cap to avoid accidents.






One side is a regular knife with a double-sided straight sharpening, for stripping wires or cutting off excess insulation.


The other side is made in the form of a hook, has inside cutting edge. Designed for stripping cable insulation.


Knife blade thickness.


By comparison, the thickness of the blade of a regular construction knife.




To perform the main function, i.e. stripping the insulation from the cable, a blade is installed in the handle of the knife, which rotates around its axis, depending on the actions performed. The bracket is very strongly spring-loaded, has a protrusion for pulling it back with your thumb, but does not have any notches (with dirty, oily hands, it will be difficult to pull it back). There are notches inside the bracket to protect the cable from slipping during cutting.




The blade is adjustable using metal wheel, which is located at the bottom of the knife. Adjustment is necessary to adjust the cutting depth, since each cable has its own insulation thickness. The main thing to remember in this matter is that it is better to undercut than to overcut.




The blade is larger.






The knife feels pretty good in the hand, but I wouldn't mind having rubberized parts.


There are some plastic molding defects on the sides. But for a tool that will soon end up in a dirty and dusty workshop, this is not a problem.


Now let's take it apart and see what's inside.
We tighten the four screws around the perimeter of the case and halve it.




What immediately catches your eye is the spare knife, which is not mentioned anywhere.


There is a huge spring to hold the bracket.


The mechanism for lifting the blade is also a little regrettable. Plastic carving, well, Christmas tree sticks. And only after disassembling the knife, I found out the reason for the tight movement of the adjustment wheel. The blade of the knife was not fully inserted, not in the center. In some places you can see traces of grease.

Working with the tool

The first half of the work will be carried out at home.
I take the only cable I found on the farm.


I try to clamp it with a clamp, but nothing really works, because the cable is 6 mm in diameter, and the tool only works with cables from 8 mm in diameter. Therefore, we can safely say that this is not a tool for the home.


But, the cable can be stripped using an additional knife located on the bracket. Use a hook to cut the insulation without damaging the cores.




Using the flat part, cut off excess insulation or the wire itself. Then clean the ends for further work.






I’ll step back a little from the tool itself and tell you what you can use in everyday life.
Here is a mini tool consisting of a clothespin and a sharpener blade. In order not to clutter up the main topic, everything is under a spoiler.

Stripping with a clothespin

Part two, work.
At work, the main difficulty arises with damage to the cables in the track chain. Either cable due aggressive environment cracks and shorts, or the suspension comes out of the guides, falls, breaks and the cart gets the cables under the wheels. The track usually breaks down in places where oil, dirt and water accumulate, so cleaning and connecting the cables turns into a show.




The photo is far from the same best quality, but what are there.
For experiment, we take a cable with rubber insulation, approximately 4x10 by eye, diameter 20mm. We clamp the clamp and adjust the blade.


Now we move the tool to the distance we need for stripping and make circular movements, the more movements, the better the cut.




Then we stop and cut along the cable; it takes a lot of effort to cut such insulation. At this moment, the knife blade will automatically turn in the desired direction.


We tear off the insulation and then strip the ends of the wires.


Also, if the cores inside the cable are damaged, or the insulation is damaged, it is possible to cut out part of the insulation on any part of the cable and re-energize and insulate the damaged area.


When there is not enough turning radius to cut the cable, a knife with a hook comes to the rescue.


During work shift, the tool helped me out several times. It is very convenient to clean a cable with double insulation and a screen, it cuts everything off completely.

Bottom line

I understand that not everyone will take anything from home to work, because the employer must give necessary tools. But for me the main thing is convenience in the process of work, because I won’t waste my precious nerves working with a clumsy tool.
Regarding this knife, I can say that the idea is great, but the implementation was a little let down. Too much plastic where there shouldn't be. In the future, you can replace the plastic thread of the adjustment wheel by installing a nut and come up with something with a conical part where the knife blade rotates, because when stripping the cable, pressure appears on the edges of the cone.
There are no complaints about the blades and knives; the material is quite durable. It fulfills its role, cuts the insulation and conductors into an easy one. You can only find fault with the quality of sharpening, but this is not a katana)
There are plans to find a replacement for the Soviet megohmmeter and the falling apart indicator screwdrivers.
Thank you for reading)

The product was provided for writing a review by the store. The review was published in accordance with clause 18 of the Site Rules.

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A good electrician has a wide variety of tools in his arsenal. After all high-quality installation Wiring often depends not only on knowledge and skills, but also on the availability of certain devices, as well as skills on how to handle them.

Even such a seemingly simple question as how to strip a wire of insulation requires a certain set of tools. An experienced electrician will have a tool for high-quality stripping of wires of any type and cross-section.

The importance of proper stripping

For quality and reliability electrical connection It is important not only to perform twisting or soldering correctly. It is equally important to carefully remove the insulation from the core. If you are in a hurry or use the tool incorrectly, you can easily damage (cut) the conductor itself. This leads to a reduction in the cross-section of the wire and faster failure of the connection: breakage or burning.
As a rule, wires and cables used in everyday life have a single-core or multi-core structure. Depending on this, they can be used various instruments and methods for freeing the core from insulation. Let's consider the most commonly used of them, which are used by home and professional electricians to remove insulation.

Professional tool

Used by professional electricians special device, called stripper (KSI). Such a tool can be of three types:

1. Manual;
2. Semi-automatic;
3. Auto.

Let's look at their device in more detail.

The manual device is perhaps the most common version of the stripper. Several positive factors play a role here:

• Light weight;
• Compact size;
• Some additional functions, which makes this tool more versatile.

This stripper has several (usually up to seven) fixed gaps, which allow you to quickly strip wires with a cross-section from 0.25 to 2.5 mm. Among the additional features, the most useful are the cable cutters and the lug crimping function.

One of the types of manual stripper allows you to remove insulation from wires with a cross-section from 0.6 mm to 2.6 mm

Semi-automatic CSI

This tool also has a certain number of holes into which the wire must be inserted to strip the insulation from it. After this, just squeeze the handles: the jaws will close and hold the wire, and the knife will cut the insulation. As a result, the stripper will open, removing the insulation.

The advantage of such a tool is its simplicity of design and ease of use. The disadvantages include some cumbersomeness and impracticality: no additional functions are provided. That is why such a device did not receive wide application even among professionals.

Semi-automatic wire stripping pliers KBT WS-03A

KSI-automatic

Deservedly popular among electricians who have to perform a large number of tasks every day various connections, use automatic strippers. This tool is extremely easy to use: just insert the wire into the work area and squeeze the handles. The device will carefully remove the braid from the wire, automatically determining the cross-section of the wire.

Without adjustment, such a tool works with wire with a cross-section from 0.2 to 6 mm 2. It is worth noting that modern strippers have an adjusting screw that allows you to configure the device to work with wire of a smaller diameter.

KBT WS-03A clamps automatically determine the wire cross-section

In addition, the popular stripper model WS-04 has many additional functions:

• Combs on the inside of the handles allow crimping of cores in round terminals;
• Cable knives are installed next to the combs, allowing you to quickly cut the ends of the wire;
• If necessary, you can set the limiter for removing insulation, for example, 2 cm.

Multifunctional automatic stripper designed for stripping both single and double insulation. But it is worth noting that one layer of braid is removed in one operation. That is, to remove double insulation, it is necessary to perform two manipulations.

Available means

But not everyone needs to strip dozens of wires every day. In addition, high quality professional tool costs a lot of money. Therefore, in everyday life, when it is necessary to clean several ends, it is quite possible to make do with improvised means and tools that any owner has.

Stripping with a knife

The most popular tool for one-time cleaning of insulation is a regular knife. But its use is fraught with damage to the cable core. Therefore, you need to hold the knife not straight, but at an acute angle to the wire and “shape off” the insulating layer. When using a knife, you need to be careful as it can easily cut you. A stationery knife is also often used, but it is even more inconvenient to work with, and it breaks easily if the braid is very hard.

A hook-shaped knife is often used to cut cables. This knife has a wider blade and is designed to cut insulation along the cable.

Hook-shaped knife for stripping KNIPPEX KN-1220165SB is used for longitudinal cutting of insulation

The knife is also available in the form of a special clamp. The wire is inserted under the clamping bar where the blade is installed. Pressing the bar with your thumb, the knife is drawn along the braid, cutting it, after which the insulation is easily removed. Such a knife costs about 200 rubles and is a fairly universal tool.

This type of knife is often used to strip insulation from UTP cables. Also on this device there is a device for clamping a UTP cable into sockets and cross-panels

It is very convenient to use wire cutters, which are also called side cutters. In order to quickly strip the wire of insulation, the wire cutters must be held correctly in your hand. It is better to take the wire cutters with the reverse side: so that the cutting edges are directed against the direction. This will allow the blades to easily cut into the braid without damaging the integrity of the core. This method is easy to implement, and every owner has wire cutters. Therefore, this method of stripping wires has found wide application.

Side cutters are an essential tool for any electrician.

Reflow method

The insulation melting method is most suitable for cleaning old wiring. The fact is that over time the winding loses its elasticity, becomes rigid and at the same time fragile. If you use mechanical tool, for example, wire cutters or a stripper, the braid can crack anywhere.

In this case, you can use a soldering iron or a wood burning device. Using a heated soldering iron, the braid is melted in a circle, after which it is easily removed with wire cutters or pliers.

The advantages of this method include the ability to strip insulation from very thin wires without the risk of damaging them. Of the minuses, we note the presence of acrid smoke during melting and, of course, electricity is required.

It is highly not recommended to use teeth to remove insulation. This not only damages tooth enamel, but can also cause injury from static electricity accumulated during the wiring process. It is not lethal, but very unpleasant.

How to strip some types of wire

Sometimes there is a need to connect not an ordinary soft-braided wire, but a conductive core with a specific coating. Removing such isolation requires innovative approaches. Let's look at some options.

Enameled wire

To strip such insulation, two methods are used:

1. Mechanical method. For this method it is best to use fine sandpaper. A piece of paper is folded in half, then the wire is inserted inside the sheet. Lightly squeezing the sandpaper with your fingers, pull the wire past the free end. Such manipulations should be continued until the enamel is completely erased. This method is suitable for enameled wire with a cross-section of more than 0.2 mm 2;
2. The thermochemical method is often used by radio amateurs to clean enamel from wires with a cross-section of less than 0.2 mm 2. Its essence lies in the use of a soldering iron and vinyl chloride material (ordinary insulating tape with such a coating will do). A piece of tape is placed on flat surface, a piece of wire is laid on top. Use a heated soldering iron to slowly move it along the wire. The chlorine released in this process perfectly removes the enamel coating from the wire.

PTFE coated wire

Fluoroplastic – polymer material, For protective coating wires are produced in the form of a narrow tape, which is tightly wound around a conductive core. This insulation has high heat resistance (up to 300° C), does not allow moisture to pass through and is suitable for use in various difficult operating conditions.

This braid can only be removed mechanically. To do this, on one side along the wire, the insulation is carefully scraped off with a knife so as not to damage the core. Once the wire is exposed, the insulation is pulled aside and cut to the desired length.

Method one. With a knife: step back from the edge of the wire to the length required to expose it, cut the insulation with a circular motion of the knife, and then pull it off the wire.

In this case, the wire itself is usually damaged. If it is multi-stranded, then some of the veins are cut with a knife. This may not be so scary, although the cross-section of the wire will thereby be reduced, which means the quality of the contact will become worse. If the wire is single-core, then you may not even notice its damage with a knife. A circular groove that is barely visible and perceptible to the touch will remain. It will not be visible, since its position coincides with the edge of the cut insulation. And this is even worse - just bend such a wire a couple of times and it will break off exactly along this groove. Especially it concerns aluminum wires. But copper ones, which have high viscosity, also break at this point, although perhaps not immediately.

Method two. With a planing motion of the knife, remove the strip of insulation from the point where the exposure begins to the end of the wire. Then tear off or cut off the striped tail of the insulation.

In this case, the wire conductor can also be damaged. Moreover, in the place where the knife first cuts into the insulation. A force is applied that can damage the conductor - put a groove on it (single-core wire) or cut off several wires (multi-core). The results are the same as in the first method.

Method three. Use sharp pliers or side cutters to pierce the insulation at the point where the wire begins to be removed, and then use pliers to scrape it off the wire.

The disadvantages are the same, plus the risk of even cutting the wire by slightly overpowering the wire cutters. If you haven’t had a bite, the metal of the wire is easily damaged, which worsens the contact or ultimately breaks off the wire exactly at the place where the removal of insulation began.

Method four. Consists of thermal damage - with a soldering iron, match, lighter - to the integrity of the insulation, after which it is removed or cut off.

Disadvantages - the insulation now produced is fireproof, but fusible and in the event of a fire (difficult, yes) it is pretty smelly. Poisonous black smoke is released, which is not comme il faut to inhale. And a layer of this same insulation may stick to the conductor that you wanted to “clean,” which still needs to be scraped off later. There is still the risk of damaging the metal wire. Drops of insulator will also be applied to the soldering iron tip, which will then be scraped and burned and scraped again.

Job in professional ways and tools consists of techniques similar to those listed, but, if possible, overcoming these shortcomings.

Professional cutting of cables and wires

The easiest way was to slightly improve the stripping knife so that it would not damage the metal conductors when stripping the wires.

Chopping knives for electricians

Unlike wrong ways, when the insulation is cut from the place where the exposed part of the wire ends, the knife is now asked to cut in reverse side. Removing the insulation from the wires is done from the end of the wire - simply run a knife along the wire as long as necessary. This knife is made with a special blade shape and special sharpening to reduce the likelihood of damage to the cable conductor.

Another idea is that there is a special heel on the tip of the knife, which, in order to cut the insulation longitudinally, must be placed directly on the core before removing the insulation from the wire, and it will slide along it, cutting the insulation, but without damaging the metal. However, how long will this heel last?

When cutting, such knives must be guided exactly along the wire. There are designs with a special “holder” for the cable. The insulation is cut in them by a special small blade produced to a short length.

There is such a tool for cutting - a knife with many additional holes different diameters, which are definitely suitable for stripping wires this way or that way.

However, there are tools that can be used to remove insulation precisely, and even to a given length of wire.

Stripper - pliers for removing insulation

IN English language the word strip means something like “to sand”, “to remove upper layer", "peel off", "peel off". The British came up with a separate tool with this name: stripper, “stripper”.

This is a completely professional tool that guarantees industrial quality work and is available in the arsenal of tools of any cable technician.

Cutting a cable with a stripper is done in much the same way as we would do it with wire cutters or side cutters. Only in these pliers all the cutting parameters are precisely set: the diameter of the hole, the thickness of the insulation or the diameter of the metal core of the wire. The tool has a blade for cutting the insulation, it can be equipped with devices for grasping the wire teeth on one side (from the side of the wire coil) and for grasping the insulation from the end; there may be a measured interval for which the wire is exposed. There may be a spring-lever mechanism for sharply tearing off the insulation measured and cut on the wire.

There are very simple ones, and there are also multi-purpose complex ones.

The simplest stripper for removing insulation from wires (pliers or pliers for cleaning cables) has one screw, with which you can set the thickness of the wire, then squeeze and tear off the insulation.

The screw rests on the lower jaw and allows the jaws to converge strictly at a certain distance. First, the wire is lightly clamped using a screw in the rhombic hole at the ends of the two jaws, then you can slightly increase the pressure, this will tear the insulation. Then a sharp jerk - and the insulation is removed from the wire.

These tools, as you can see, have good insulated handles. Manufacturers claim safe work with them in networks up to 1000 V. Does this mean that you can work with wires without turning off the current? However, such devices with high-voltage live wires clearly look risky. You pull the wire, the insulation breaks, and then what? The wire must be held somehow; such pliers do not provide any means for this.

But there are pliers that fix the wire - the place where the insulation is removed - entirely.

You need to tuck the wire into a hole of a given size and rest it against a plate, the position of which is adjustable. After squeezing the handles of the pliers, the insulation will be cut through and removed. Moreover, the wire is held in a fixed position.

There are a lot of strippers. And manufacturers are continuously adding more and more tools for electricians, more functional and completely automatic tools. With which you can evenly cut off a wire, remove any insulation, even the kind that you remove with a knife - you will suffer. Everything is configured automatically. The insulation is removed in a second, after which you can put a contact tip on the wire and in the next second securely crimp it completely in accordance with all electrical standards.

The insulation is removed with micro-adjustment. That is, you can insert a multi-wire cable in which there are several insulated wires - pliers will remove the top sheath. After this, straighten all the cable wires and give them to the stripper. The stripper will remove the isolation from everyone at once. Very accurate and without damaging the conductor cores.

Directly below the axis of the pliers we see a cutter that cuts very evenly and flatly.

Then there are crimps for the sleeves. Sleeves are crimped different forms, with insulating cap, ferrule for automotive wiring and others.

Special purpose insulation stripping devices and pliers

In a related area for electrical engineering - communications - special cable stripping pliers are used, supplemented with a standard termination device cable ends.

Everything is determined by the type of cable and its size.

To cut off the shell of a coaxial or twisted pair cable, use this simple stripper.

Pliers for stripping and terminating the end of a twisted pair cable have sufficient devices for this purpose. To use them, you don’t need to regulate anything, everything is already defined standard sizes cable and connector. There is no need to strip the insulation, you just need to cut off the shell. There is no doubt about how to use these tongs - the device speaks for itself.

After removing the insulation from the cable, the pairs are disassembled, laid out and evenly cut with one of the cleaning knives. After this, the RJ-45 TP (twisted pare wire) wires are carefully tucked into the connector according to the wiring diagram.

There is only one operation left to complete: the connector is tucked into the socket - if narrower, then for a telephone, wider - for a cable local networks. The handles are squeezed, the device applies powerful pressure, the connector contact blades punch holes in the wire insulation, the cable is fixed in the connector with a special strip and... done. So many actions in one movement.