Selecting [Wire] Strippers

It's one of those begrudging, adult expenses: a late day of work spent running and terminating electrical wires, and you really want a cold beer to relax and perhaps a little entertainment. So you drive over to the industrial district and park around back so no one sees your car. No, it may not be everyone's taste, and your wife may get a little mad that you were out spending money again, but gosh darn it; you just want to spend money on strippers. Heck, you want to go stripper crazy!

And so like most Wednesday evening trips to the hardware store, you walk out of there feeling ashamed you bought half an aisle's worth of products while feeling dejected and much poorer. You'll be spending the rest of the night thinking about how great it is to remove sheathing, and wondering how you're ever going to explain that lingering WD-40 smell. That's right, no matter how you slice it…

Well, at least you have the comfort of knowing exactly which wire strippers you needed for the job thanks to the reference of IHS GlobalSpec's cable and wire stripper selection guide.

Strippers have jaws with at least one void between opposing blades. Manual strippers with one cutting notch rely on the operator to accurately slice the insulation, and then rotate the tool to complete the cut. Strippers with several cavities will accommodate several wire gauges, and complete a full incision upon compression. The insulation can be removed easily and the conductor can now serve as an electrical workpoint. Some dies are meant for general purpose, and are capable of stripping several gauges or wire types. Some individuals may elect to strip wires with nonspecific tools such as pen knives, pliers, razors, or pencil sharpeners. While these tools are effective, probable wire damage and longer operation intervals result in reduced productivity and quality, and will be insufficient when stripping large quantities.

An alternative to shearing cable insulation is chemical stripping. Stripping pots are heated, solvent-induced methods of removing the insulation from wires. They are capable of removing polyvinyl, polyurethane, nylon, polyimide, and polyamine insulations from copper and aluminum wire. Stripped wires are rinsed in water and metal cleaners after this procedure.

Cable and wire strippers come in a variety of designs to support the diversity of their usefulness. Handheld designs are most convenient and inexpensive, but benchtop varieties are manufactured to assist in high-volume stripping applications. Articulation of the stripper ranges between manual, electrical, and pneumatic power sources.

There are several variations of cutting methods for blade-bearing stripping tools. The most common method of wire stripping is a clamping die that separates a segment of insulation. Stripping wheels rely on high-speed wire or fiberglass wheels to abrade the wire insulation, and are durable enough for heavy-gauge wire; these are exclusive to benchtop designs. Finally, designs that utilize a rotary blade to strip ends are available. Neither abrasive wheels nor rotary blades require exchange for different wire sizes-wire guidance and cutting depth is adjustable.

As with any expense, you need to be advised of a few things; but as they say, "This show ain't free." Since we're such good guys over here at IHS GlobalSpec we're not going to charge you anything and we don't need tips, but you do need to take a moment to go over to the wire strippers selection guide. While over there make sure you brush up on your standards as well as stripping precautions. Afterall, there is nothing worse than a purchase you regret.

(Image credits: Dukooth; Visual Photos; Irwin; Eraser; Carpenter Mfg.)