How do i properly strip decoder wires. I've been using a combination of my teeth and an xacto knife.
Squidbait said:You want a wire stripper like this one or this one. They work pretty well, and don't stretch the wire. Or you can get a scissors type stripper too, but they're not as cool.
grewsome said:Yummy, buy a wire stripper at Radio Shack. Just make sure you hold the wire right behind where you are going to strip it, so it doesn't pull the wire from the decoder, or stretch and break the wire.
Loren
Jim Krause said:If you don't mind spending the extra money, go to a website that sells tools for aircraft mechanics and electronics techs. Buy one of the types of strippers that actually holds the wire and strips it at the same time. Here is one that I looked up. Eclipse 200-003JPG. Type wire strippers into your browser. Saves on the orthodontics work and eliminates the wire insulation between your teeth.
ezdays said:We had every one of these types of strippers in our business, but the ones that we used the most were the yellow-handled Miller 101. We could strip the insulation off of a single-strand #35 wire, or multi-strand #12 gauge just by moving the stop nut on this tool.
ezdays said:There are so many good tools out there that one can use, I fail to see why anyone would not want to use one. I have seen techs in the field use everything from the "teeth" method described here, to scissors, knives, and side-cutters. Some even filed notches in their cutters to grab the wire without cutting through. I guess it was more efficient that way. This is one time that using the right tool for the right job will pay you back big time, and you'll wind up with a better looking job to boot...
MasonJar said:Well.... sure, Don...
You could do it the right way, with the right tool...
I bet you probably even read the instructions...!
sign1 sign1
Andrew