How to strip wires with a lighter

[beeface]

One day I had to strip a lot of wires for phoenix connectors, and this saved me a lot of time

 

[Chrispy]

Uh huh

 

[alex-z]

If that works it means you bought awful wiring, the coating should be far more heat resistant.

Also, a good wire stripper is faster, costs $22, and will last a lifetime.

 

[sam_adams]

Yeah, great. Try not to inhale too deeply of the toxic fumes. Thermal wire stripper.

 

[Andysu]

is this new drug sniffing high , high end wires , i get some wire strippers instead

 

[RickS]

Seems one is far more likely to have a knife or razor knife if no wire stripper is handy.

Along with less toxicity, there is no carbon residue left on the jacket. Gotta love youtube safety disclaimers when the presenter does not follow any.

 

[Martin Takamine]

Maybe if you had to MacGyver your way out of something in a pinch but definitely not J-STD.

 

[levimax]

An equally poor idea I have resorted to on occasion is using a hot soldering iron to strip wires. If the other end of the wire is already attached and space is too tight for any kind of stripper it can work OK but fumes are an issue and you need to clean the iron before soldering anything else.

 

[DonH56]

Heat (flame, soldering iron, whatever) IME tends to embed little pieces (and sometimes wholesale flows) of the insulation (and carbonized results) among and on the wire strands, leading to connectivity troubles now and down the road. I'll stick with my knife or a decent stripping tool.

 

[D2013]

I have a pair of these, they are $$$ but well worth it in my opinion. Their primary benefit is that they can precisely and consistently remove and exact amount of insulation.

Precision Insulation Strippers with adapted blades

Form-fit stripping of difficult-to-remove insulating materials made of PTFE, silicone, Radox®, Kapton® and rubber; multi-layer too, A second pair of blades holds t...

www.knipex.com

 

[pjug]

In college we saved every dollar for beer so we used nail clippers to strip wires.

 

[DonH56]

In college we saved every dollar for beer so we used nail clippers to strip wires.

Teeth are cheaper. Until you break or chip one.

 

[D2013]

IN college we just used the ones in the lab, but that was decades ago. Nowadays time is more important to me than money, and wire stripping can be a giant time suck specially when you need consistency!

 

[DonH56]

IN college we just used the ones in the lab, but that was decades ago. Nowadays time is more important to me than money, and wire stripping can be a giant time suck specially when you need consistency!

Although money can be important too... One of the drawbacks of the simple "slice the insulation with a knife/diagonal wire cutter" approach is that you can slice strand of wire, sometimes to the point that you have to cut the end and start over. Don't ask how I know this...

 

[D2013]

Although money can be important too... One of the drawbacks of the simple "slice the insulation with a knife/diagonal wire cutter" approach is that you can slice strand of wire, sometimes to the point that you have to cut the end and start over. Don't ask how I know this...

I've striped a lot of wires with my Knipex, and the only time I've had that issue, is when I used the wrong notch.

 

[DonH56]

I've striped a lot of wires with my Knipex, and the only time I've had that issue, is when I used the wrong notch.

Exactly why such a tool is invaluable. Guess it was not clear that I was talking about a pocket knife; also a good way to slice skin along with insulation.

 

[D2013]

Guess it was not clear that I was talking about a pocket knife;

It wasn't to me, but that might be because the type of strippers I use are sometimes colloquially referred to as knife strippers.

 

[DonH56]

It wasn't to me, but that might be because the type of strippers I use are sometimes colloquially referred to as knife strippers.

I'm gonna' go with "language barrier", yeah, that's it...

 

[DonH56]

I've done a lot of damage over the years with this type, too easy to slip into the wrong hole or get just a little off and slice into the wire:

These on on my "want" list, cannot believe I have never bought a decent pair of strippers for myself, but until a year ago always had access to them at work:

 

[mhardy6647]

I strip 'em by feel with a pair of diagonal wire cutters, which was the way my father did it and the way he taught me to do it. I am old school.