Strippers!!!

M

Matt Vivlamore

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Jan 11, 2011
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Re: Stippers!!!

Matt Vivlamore said:
I'm speaking about the wire kind... I've been using wire cutters to strip the sheathing; it does the job, but its not ideal.

I would like to improve on my stripper abilities with a "self adjusting" pair of pliers. I see that Irwin has a set: http://www.irwin.com/tools/pliers-adjustable-wrenches/self-adjusting-wire-stripper anyone ever use these?

Cables:
XLR
NL4
SO 12/3
Click to expand...

You might want to fix the thread title. You left the "r" out of stripper.
 
Re: Stippers!!!

Tim McCulloch said:
You might want to fix the thread title. You left the "r" out of stripper.
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I think that was intentional:

Stipper

a verb to mean the act of throwing glitter while receiting the alphabet

I like to stipp every now and then.
Dang it, I've run out of glitter to Stipp with.
I AM A STIPPER

Maybe Matt is telling us something?
 
Re: Stippers!!!

I use http://www.amazon.com/Paladin-1113-Stripax-Stripper-Cutter/dp/B0006BHCFO/ and http://www.amazon.com/Paladin-Tools-1115P-Mini-Stripax/dp/B0000WUHM4/

They're not cheap, but they're awesome. The adjustable depth is especially great for crimp connections because it gives you consistency on every strip. I use the little ones for the little wires in mic cable, and the big ones for power cable or non-rubber jacketed mic cable.

I've never found a great solution for stripping a rubber or rubber-like jacket other than a razor knife.
 
Re: Strippers!!!

Some may disagree with me, but I prefer to use this style:

691-g.01_s500_p1._V0553db4e_.jpg

I have become very used to feeling for when the insulation is cut through and the jaws are touching the metal wire. The key is to not just squeeze and hope the wire doesn't get cut through or knicked; there's a little give through the insulation, then you're through. A little twist/rotate and off it comes.

I've done everything from PowerCons to TA4F connections/MX412 internal wiring with these suckers. I like how there are few moving parts, nothing to have on hand for replacements, and only a couple of different sizes depending on max./min. wire gauge.
 
Re: Strippers!!!

Jordan Wolf said:
Some may disagree with me, but I prefer to use this style:

View attachment 10306

I have become very used to feeling for when the insulation is cut through and the jaws are touching the metal wire. The key is to not just squeeze and hope the wire doesn't get cut through or knicked; there's a little give through the insulation, then you're through. A little twist/rotate and off it comes.
Click to expand...

I prefer these too.
 
Re: Strippers!!!

Jordan Wolf said:
Some may disagree with me, but I prefer to use this style:

View attachment 10306

I have become very used to feeling for when the insulation is cut through and the jaws are touching the metal wire. The key is to not just squeeze and hope the wire doesn't get cut through or knicked; there's a little give through the insulation, then you're through. A little twist/rotate and off it comes.

I've done everything from PowerCons to TA4F connections/MX412 internal wiring with these suckers. I like how there are few moving parts, nothing to have on hand for replacements, and only a couple of different sizes depending on max./min. wire gauge.
Click to expand...

Hated those-bought a pair when I was in school 35 years ago. That was the only time I used them.

I have Klein strippers for everything from 8ga on down to 32ga. These are the ones for the smaller wire:

http://www.kleintools.com/catalog/k...wire-strippercutter-solid-and-stranded-wire-0

I also like the "speed strippers" that Ideal, Klein, etc. make for repetitive work at the bench. Shy of hot blade stripper, they're pretty good.


Best regards,

John

John
 
Re: Strippers!!!

I had a great pair of linesman pliers that had a notch burnt into the cutters. It was perfect from stripping 12 guage romax.

Of course, that was after reaming out the assistant the boss had hired about

1. Borrowing my tools without telling me

2. Cutting installed lines without checking to see if they were hot.

The same guy had a lazy eye but refused to use a level. He was just as worthless framing, doing trim, or even mudding drywall.

The last straw for me was while I was working on an addition (with my framing hammer) the boss decided this brick and morter retaining wall absolutely had to come down that day and old one eye decided my finish hammer was the tool to use to do that. The one I could drive a finish nail flush without denting the wood prior to him getting his hands on it.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD
 
Re: Strippers!!!

John Halliburton said:
Hated those-bought a pair when I was in school 35 years ago. That was the only time I used them.

I have Klein strippers for everything from 8ga on down to 32ga. These are the ones for the smaller wire:

http://www.kleintools.com/catalog/k...wire-strippercutter-solid-and-stranded-wire-0

I also like the "speed strippers" that Ideal, Klein, etc. make for repetitive work at the bench. Shy of hot blade stripper, they're pretty good.


Best regards,

John

John
Click to expand...

+1 on this. The adjustable v-notch strippers work OK, but aren't that good. Something about a combination of uncomfortable handles and mediocre performance. They are only slightly better than a sharp pair of sidecutters (or linemans pliers) in my experience (although they do OK on the outer jacket of multiconductor cable), and are equally prone to nicking the wire. The "family of holes" strippers that John linked to are a good compromise between function and cost, and are more reliable (but slower) than the "automatic strippers" in my experience. For bench work, nothing beats a hot blade stripper, though.
 
Re: Strippers!!!

I actually did some mil-spec soldering work back in the 60s and I had a nice bench thermal wire stripper. Two glowing red hot wires that would grip the wire and melt through the insulation so you could easily remove it. All of the cheap mechanical wire strippers are not allowed for very serious work because they can nick solid wire making it more likely to fail at that nick, or remove outer strands from stranded wire reducing the current carrying capability.

These self adjusting strippers are pretty easy to work with (not mil spec AFAIK) but it's always possible to mess up.

200-003.jpg


JR

PS: For years I have stripped onesy twosey wires with my teeth and probably ingested way too much lead over the decades... Um that explains a lot. :-)
 
Re: Strippers!!!

John Roberts said:
I actually did some mil-spec soldering work back in the 60s...
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Air Force instructors claimed we had to meet NASA standards on all of our solder work. Having worked high-tech avionics I thought I was already pretty good with the iron, but this intermediate class was NOT easy. Everything was viewed under a microscope and had to be absolutely perfect. Brutal standards!
 
Re: Strippers!!!

Tom Roche said:
Air Force instructors claimed we had to meet NASA standards on all of our solder work. Having worked high-tech avionics I thought I was already pretty good with the iron, but this intermediate class was NOT easy. Everything was viewed under a microscope and had to be absolutely perfect. Brutal standards!
Click to expand...

Yup the 60s were a long time ago and you know what they say about remembering the 60s. :-)

I was working on a DC to DC switching supply for DSRV (deep submergence rescue vehicle), a special navy rescue vessel designed to extract people from submarines on the bottom.

The Mil spec-200s (?) was serious about little details like 135' wire wrap around connections, etc. Requiring a strong mechanical connection before the solder. It's all good physics, solder is fluid so without mechanical strength the solder joint can fail over time. yadda yadda.

I had some serious ennui when decades later Peavey made all the supervisor and upper management take a basic soldering class. :-( I can relate to the chief executive's anger when an electronics company's supervisor level employees do not even know what a good solder joint looks like, but me?? Been there, done that...

JR

PS I think that is the first time I ever got to use that word...:-)
 
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