3 ways to strip an electrical conductor

The stripping of conductors to make splices or connections in residential electrical installations can be done with a knife or special stripping pliers.

Conductors are usually stripped at the ends, from which enough insulation is stripped to make the connection. There is no fixed measure of the size of the section to be peeled. For example, for electrical contacts, you need about 1.5 cm; however, it may be necessary for other types of connections to remove up to 5 or even 8 centimeters of the insulation.

When the tip is not peeled, but a place in between, only a section of between 1 and 3 centimeters is removed, which is generally done with the razor.

1. With the curved knife

To peel with the curved knife, first mark the place where you must start and finish removing the insulation.

With the blade inclined, to avoid damaging the metal, the insulator is removed from the marked section.

2. With the universal clamp

The universal clamps are tools used to clamp and cut electrical conductors. Therefore, they are not the best option when it comes to stripping conductors. In fact, it is not advisable to use this tool to strip conductors since there is a very high risk of splitting the copper core and causing false or even electric arcs when the conductor breaks.

However, if we only have this tool to strip a conductor at any given time, there is a method that minimizes the risk of damaging the copper core. It should be noted that this tool and this method should only be used in emergencies since the correct thing to do is to use real wire stripping tools to do this job.

To peel with the universal tweezers, the insulator is first squeezed in order to soften the part that should come out.

Then, the clamp’s blades are put in the place where the insulation should begin to be removed. It is tightened enough to cut the insulation, advancing little by little, without damaging the conductor. This is not about twisting the pliers to cut the insulation, as the pliers are often not sharp enough to do this. Instead, it is better to move forward as if cutting a sheet of paper.

Next, the insulation is pushed out, which, once softened, will come out quickly.

3. With wire strippers

The fastest way to remove the insulation is with wire strippers, either flat or automatic. They are placed at the point to be cut, squeezed, and pulled to remove the insulation.

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