Electronics > Projects, Designs, and Technical Stuff
Wire strippers
<< < (3/12) > >>
nanofrog:

--- Quote from: npelov on March 24, 2014, 09:06:02 pm ---I tried to get one of these locally but they were pretty bad. there was gap between the ... 2 cutting edge just enough to pass small wire. So I didn't also bother ordering from ebay - didn't want to get 6 of them before realize they are all bad.
I had one of these (a cheaper one) and in order to work you need to put longer part of the cable inside. If you put shorter - it doesn't hold it well. And it's not a big deal - you cut it after you strip it, but why 2 actions instead of one.

The only good solution I could think of was the one I bought from DX (I mean this type of strippers), but I couldn't find one that can strip really thin wires.

The "Ideal Stripmaster" (looked it up) looks nice, but do you really need something to pull the insulation. You could just pull the cable. If you choose the correct size, most of the insulation is cut and you won't need too much force.

@robrenz I plan to have 1-2 of them. I love my proxxon. But in this case I was just frustrated that the strippers I got didn't work with small wires that I rushed into making one. Of course I knew at the time of ordering - it's on the photo, but it takes ages for these things to ship and I forgot. I thought I will have nice strippers.

I'll probably buy cheap flat cutters and make better ones. One disadvantage is that I cant' see where to put the cable on the flat side - the hole is too small to see and sometimes (not very often) I put it in a way the cable is damaged. So the next ones I'll grind on both sides, just to have guides.

Of course if I find good pair of these for smaller  cables, for reasonable price I would buy it. Cables always cause me troubles. I can't find thin colored cables sold by meter. I'm using alarm installation cable - strip it and take the wires out of it. I found some on farnell.com, but they only sell 100 meters. I found some on the internet, but they cost about $0.50 to $1.00 per meter. That's a robbery. I don't mind paying a lot, but the thing I'm buying must be worth.

--- End quote ---
Never been a fan of the first type (PITA to set properly IME). The one you tried may not have been rated to as small a wire as you were using (do check the specs, as there's no true one-size-fits-all).

Second type work well, if manufactured correctly (Pressmaster, Knipex, Wiedmuller, Rennsteig, Wekzug, ...). The cheap ones, not so much. Lots of mixed reviews to what I would assume is highly variable QC.

Third type work, but I've had nicked wire too often for my taste, even when there wasn't a mistake on my end (put the wire in the correct sized nest).

As per wire, look for remnants of large spools.


--- Quote from: georges80 on March 24, 2014, 09:12:15 pm ---Yep, specifically so the slot it sized correctly and to prevent nicking. Last thing I need when 4wding out into the middle of nowhere is an electrical issue that *I* created :)

I prefer to save the other stripper for teflon duties - I never trade out the cartridge from it. So, makes it easy, one tool for teflon insulation, the other tool for everything else.
--- End quote ---
Simple enough.  :)

And given the costs of both strippers, quite reasonable for separate tools IMHO.  ;D


--- Quote from: Neverther on March 24, 2014, 09:13:03 pm ---Nanofrog:
I've stripped wires from center for stealing signal/power. It does it easily just by pushing the insulator a bit.
It is fast when you get hold of it.
I borrowed mine once and my friend tried pulling the wire out without releasing the grip at all.
Then he released all the way and flattened the strands...

Releasing the grip a little frees the wire but keeps the cutting jaws shut and the ends pulled apart.
--- End quote ---
Never used one of that type for stripping in the middle of a wire. Seen a Tor used for this though, and they work (cut a ring, spiral, then cut another ring, and peel the spiral off).



As per the Ideal type, I was taught by an avionics tech to not squeeze all the way; just enough to separate it from the rest of the insulation, then pull it off gently by hand (don't want the stripped insulation to fly off, as the wire can get nicked that way). That lesson is still stuck in my head all these years later.
FrankBuss:

--- Quote from: nanofrog on March 24, 2014, 07:39:18 pm ---Nice. :)

I use a Pressmaster Embla.

--- End quote ---
This looks similar to the one I use, a Weidmüller stripax:
http://www.amazon.de/Abisolierzange-stripax-0-08-10qmm-Weidmüller/dp/B000T7SGWI
Works very well and fast, much better than the teeth or wire-cutter method, for a wide range of wire diameters.
npelov:
What does 'nicking' mean? Is it scratching the wire or cutting few of the wires of multi-wire cable? I don't see any damage on the cable although I would expect the ones I made to damage the cable once in a while.
I'm not too picky about wire stripping. I just needed something that does it fast and it had to be able to strip 3-4 mm to avoid cutting the excess. And it's only for prototyping. If I had to do tons of production wires then I would probably get something from well known brand. Sometimes it's not worth the money for buying all the best on the market. If I had all the best pliers, cutters, screwdrivers and a lot of other tools ... it would cost me the price of an decent oscilloscope. So I'm not fan of always buying the best out there. Even if you have the money you should think if there is a better way to spend it.

@Neverther I missed this one when I was looking. It has 0.5mm ... but it jumps to 1.2. I would rather have few in between.

But anyway. I never had a pair a good strippers in my hands. If I had one and used it for 10 minutes I might decide to buy it. But for 60+ EUR it has to do the dishes too...
nanofrog:

--- Quote from: npelov on March 24, 2014, 11:56:37 pm ---What does 'nicking' mean? Is it scratching the wire or cutting few of the wires of multi-wire cable?
--- End quote ---
Nicking is when there's a partial cut or scrape on one or more of the copper strands (or solid wire, if it's a single conductor). Essentially, any damage to the copper, but none is fully cut through and missing.

Missing strands are more severe damage, aka cut strands, and either type of damage reduces the current capacity of the wire (reduced cross section at the point where it's damaged, thus increasing resistance).


--- Quote from: npelov on March 24, 2014, 11:56:37 pm ---Sometimes it's not worth the money for buying all the best on the market.
--- End quote ---
True, but for something used as often as strippers, pliers, and cutters, you don't want to scrape the bottom of the barrel either IMHO (more expensive in the long run, and a lot of aggravation tacked on as well due to poor performance). There's very well priced tools out there if you look, even in pricier markets such as Europe. One example in the pliers and cutters category, would be Schmitz (rare instance they are absolute top quality without costing an arm and a leg; much cheaper than Knipex, Erem, Tronex, or Lindstrom for example). ~$16 - 23EUR per pair vs. 2-3x that or more for brands mentioned.

In the case of wire strippers, the Ideal Stripmaster can be had for ~$43USD here while say a top notch pair of Knipex can run ~$150 of similar construction. Quite a difference for example, and both are excellent tools.

Lots of info here that could help you locate such tools. All this said, for rarely used tools, I agree less expensive can make a lot more sense for a hobbyist IMHO.


--- Quote from: npelov on March 24, 2014, 11:56:37 pm ---But for 60+ EUR it has to do the dishes too...

--- End quote ---
Sadly, those haven't been invented yet, let alone would make it at that price point.  :P
Blechi:
Depending on the job i use several different strippers:
Knipex 11 06 160 VDE Abisolierzange (general purpose)
Knipex WZ KN 62 (fine wires, teflon etc., an expensive, but very precise tool. Unlike the cheap ones it doesn't wear out.)
WEICON Abisolierzange No.5 (switching cabinet, wiring in the house)
Weicon Rundkabel-Stripper No. 13
Weicon Kabelmesser Nr. 4-28H (for the bigger ones)

btw what would you guys use to strip 1200(!) ends of enameled wire (0.6mm diameter, the high temperature variety) ?
Navigation
Message Index
Next page
Previous page
There was an error while thanking
Thanking...

Go to full version
Powered by SMFPacks Advanced Attachments Uploader Mod