Stripping 20awg Teflon wire, Suggestions Please

[mcshaner2k]

Decided to try using Teflon wire for my next build. I read about it being a b$&@! to strip but man this stuff really sucks to work with. I'm using a quality pair of side cutter style strippers which have worked great on my first few builds.
I went to Home Depot and bought a pair of Klein automatic strippers but they just slip on the Teflon casing.

I'm wondering if anyone can suggest a tool or a method for stripping this wire.
I do like the way it looks and heat resistence factor.

Any help would be appreciated.

[cbass]

Never had problems striping Teflon with my kliens . I don't use teflon aynymore though .

[Garthhog]

This.

http://www.grainger.com/product/WESTWAR ... ?$smthumb$

[Ken Moon]

The Imperial (used to be called Milbar) strippers are much better than the Kleins, Ideals, etc, IMO.

The Imperial strippers are superior if you look under a microscope after stripping. They won't nick the wire, which is the leading cause of wire breakage (and hard to spot because the nick will be right at the edge of the insulator, or even hidden under the insulator when the cut piece is pulled off, stretching the remaining insulator slightly).

Mcmaster-Carr sells the Imperial IE-180 under p/n 7294K59 for 30 to 22 ga, and the IE-177 as p/n 7294K57 for 20 to 10 ga. (The catalog page says they're for solid wire, but they work great on stranded too.)

http://www.hvacbrain.com/Imperial-Strid ... ie-177.htm
http://www.hvacbrain.com/Imperial-Strid ... ie-180.htm
http://www.hvacbrain.com/Imperial-Strid ... ie-178.htm


They also sell strippers without the cutting section:

http://www.hvacbrain.com/Imperial-Strid ... ie-160.htm

They may look the same as the others at first glance, but they are more accurate - just a single cut slices through the insulator all the way around, then you can pull it off with your fingers. I've found that the very best cuts are using the holes closer to the hinge.

I've found that teflon wire comes in a lot of flavors - some have super-thin insulation, some strip more easily than others, and some solder better than others. I've found some where it's next to impossible to remove the cut piece of insulator. So It's worth it to get get a few pairs.

I have 2 pairs for 20 ga wire, and keep them together with the wire that they each cut the cleanest.

[Phil_S]

Getting the right strippers is the best solution. I believe this has been covered before and they are pricey compared to ordinary strippers. I don't recall the particulars. [Edit: I see Ken posted good info just a minute ago on appropriate strippers that don't cost an arm and a leg! Get it here cheap: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ELECTRIC-WIRE-S ... 1a03c69a3e ]

It is possible to use ordinary strippers if you have good technique, which requires a bit of practice. The strippers must be sharp. Dull ones won't work. As I'm sure you know, the idea is the remove the insulation without nicking the wire, which can be challenging.

I use an ordinary stripper. Mine is a $10 Craftsman, which I'm fairly certain is made by one of the major brands. Your Klein should be at least equivalent and probably better quality.

The biggest problem I have is holding the Teflon as it likes to slip through the fingers. One problem we face in amp building is that we need fairly short pieces of wire, making it even harder to get a good grip. To get a good grip, I grab the wire with a pair of smooth jaw needlenose pliers right against the stripper and then I carefully pull. Pull as straight as you can to avoid nicking the strands of wire. It usually works well. The insulation will show a compression mark that tends to be permanent or exhibits a very slow recovery.

[mcshaner2k]

Thanks everyone for the responses!

It's certainly challenging not nicking the wire while struggling to strip it. I learned this the hard way on my first build, having several wires break after completing the amp. I ended up re wiring the whole amp.
What I've been doing with the Teflon is using flat needle nose pliers to grip the wire while pulling on it with the cutters. I feel like I'm muscling it too much and it doesn't seem like a good practice. I can also see where the cutters are scoring the wire.

I like the idea of automatic strippers and wouldn't mind spending a few bucks for something that'll make this process easier. I just don't want to start buying tools that don't work.

The above stippers look promising.

[mcshaner2k]

This is what I've been using

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000302W ... e+stripper

[Ken Moon]

Don't ever pull the strippers across the wire - just hold them perpendicular to the wire and make a single cut. If you use well-matched strippers for the wire, you should be able to just pull the cut piece off with your fingers.

A couple of tips:

When you pull the cut piece off, grip the piece with your fingers so that the nails of your first finger and thumb are right on the cut. Your fingernails will help pull the cut piece off if the cut isn't completely through the insulation.

Another trick is to slightly bend the wire in all directions before pulling the cut piece off, to see if it is cut all the way around. If it's not, you can just barely touch the uncut bit with a straight razor blade, and if you're careful, the cut will open up like magic and you won't nick the wire. Do this using magnifying glasses or under a magnifying lamp/lens. This takes steady hands and a light touch, but is pretty easy once you do it a few times.

[mcshaner2k]

Thanks for the tips Ken!

It's obvious now I was improperly stripping the wire. I'm going to order the imperial strippers and try your method. Thanks again for your help!

[sluckey]

I've been using those red handle Kleins on Teflon for over 30 years. No problems if they are sharp. I replace them whenever they get dull, rusty, or just don't strip cleanly. Probably replaced about 10 strippers over the years. I give the old strippers to my electrician brother because they still strip plastic just fine.

Not all PTFE insulated wires are equal quality. I've run across some that just refuse to strip cleanly without using a trick or two. But mostly I just strip with the Kleins and no fingernail tricks or razor blades.

[mcshaner2k]

I will say that the wire I'm using seems to be slightly undersized for 20ga. It's seems to be in between 20 and 22. It's possible my strippers aren't completely cutting through the outer casing adding to the difficulty. I also noticed that the green color wire I have is much harder to strip than the other colors.

I'll double check all this tonight and make sure my cutters aren't dull.

[Garthhog]

This too, although the Westwards are cheaper: http://www.grainger.com/product/KNIPEX- ... ?$smthumb$

This style of wire stripper require NO muscle. I stopped using standard strippers except for when a short wire is in a hard to reach place. Teflon is NO problem at all.

[tictac]

I you're using solid copper teflon wire it's easy to strip without wire strippers and without nicking the wire....

Just squeeze the end of the wire with the flat part of your needle nose.

The teflon insulation will split and you can pull the insulation back to where you want it and trim.

TT

[cbass]

I always chek for nics with the wire im using. I got a new stripper a while back and i really like it ill have to look at the brand when i go down to th lab.

[sluckey]

Another factor with stripping Teflon wire is the number of strands. 19 strands more closely resemble a solid round conductor and usually strip cleaner than 7 strands. 7 strands is used a lot in the aircraft industry because of weight, but it really needs thermal strippers for a nice clean strip every time.