Stripping wires


C

cfinchum

Member
What do you guys do to strip small wires. Been converting a athearn blue box to dcc and been trying to prep the wires of a digitrax harness. Tried using a small wire stripper from the shack but still have trouble trying to strip the ends.:mad: Also tried using a x-acto knife and was wondering if there is a better way. Asking what do you guys who do this a lot what is your technique. I seem to still cut thru the wires. Did manage to get it converted. What do you guys do to prep small wires. As always,thanks. CF:D
 
With a bit of practise any old pair of wire cutters will do! The trick is to squeeze the wire only to the point that you are making an indentation in the plastic casing, then twist the cable around a bit and keep doing it until you've got a ring going around the cable where the plastic has been cut into. Then you gently clamp the wire cutters into the ring you have made and gently pull them towards the end you are trying to strip. If you've done it right the plastic casing will come off with just a little force and you'll have your bare wire.
 
Mine is Klein Tools, part number 11057, as it goes from 20 gauge to 32 gauge (most of the wire I use is 30 or 32 gauge). Use it only on stranded wire.

I have to offer caution on using an alternative method of wire snips or exactos. Many times you will cut the first few filaments of the stranded wire, and you will neither have the full diameter of the wire making contact, but also you may not have cut all the way through the other wire filaments and they will weaken and break over time. The benefits of stranded wire over solid wire is that the electricity rides on the outside surface of the wire. More surface area = more electricity can move through the wire. If you reduce the surface area, you are lessening your connectivity.
 
The radio shack wire cutters I pick up are for very fine wire, so it must be operator error. I know a lot you guys do this all the time, I welcome any tips. Thanks CF.
 
If you have a set of front teeth this is what I use... yeah i know sticking that kind of stuff in ur mouth is bad practice... but the man asked so no lectures :p
 
I agree. Teeth work the best for me. Anything else and I just keep ending up with shorter and shorter wires!:D
 
On some of decoder wires, I just start tinning the end if the wire. The soldering iron heat causes the wire insulation to shrink away from the wire end. This leaves a perfect length stripped and tinned wire end without any doubt as to if the fine stands have been nicked.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top