A wire stripper can be described as a small, hand held device that is used to strip the insulation from electric wires otherwise known as the plastic coating leaving the wire core intact and undamaged. These plastic coatings at the end portions of wires need to be stripped off the wire so that the bare ends can contact with terminals or other wires. A wire stripper is a tool that resembles a pair of pliers in appearance.
Wire strippers are primarily made out of steel and feature serrated teeth for optimal wire stripping. The handles can be straight or curved and are usually cased in a rubber coating to allow a secure grip.
There are two kinds of wire strippers: the first is a simple manual wire stripper which is a pair of opposing blades much like scissors or wire cutters. The second type of wire stripper is the automatic kind.
Manual Wire Stripper
The simple wire stripper has an addition of a center notch to it that makes it easier to cut the insulation without cutting the wire. This type of wire stripper is used by rotating it around the insulation while applying pressure in order to make a cut around the insulation. Because the insulation is not bonded to the wire, it can be easily pulled off the end. This is the most versatile type of wire stripper.
There’s another kind of manual wire stripper. It can be said to look almost the same to the previous type of design except that this one has several notches of varying size. This allows the user to make the notch size to the wire size, eliminating the need for twisting. Once the device is clamped on, the remainder of the wire can simply be pulled out, leaving the insulation behind.
Automatic Wire Stripper
The automatic wire stripper on the other hand when engaged simultaneously grips the wire from one side and cuts and removes the insulation from the other. To use it, simply place the wire in the jaws and squeeze the handle. Although this device allows even a beginner to strip most wires very quickly, it has some drawbacks. An automatic wire stripper only works in a certain size range. A wire that is too small may be broken by the pulling force while a wire that is too large will not fit in the jaws. An automatic wire stripper can strip 10, 12 and 14 gauge wires.
Features of a Wire Stripper
A wire stripper is sometimes mistaken with a cable ripper which is used to rip away the outer casing binding all the wires together. But these two tools are different.
The wire stripper has holes sized to the gauge of the wire. Since holes are smaller than the diameter of the plastic coating, the cutting edge on the inner part of the holes will slice away the coating. It also has holes that accommodate a mid-range of wire gauges. Wire too thick or too thin cannot be cut with the wire stripper. Wire strippers also come equipped with a wire cutter.
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