wire: to strip or not to strip.

Sorry for reviving an older thread, but I might have something useful for beginners...

The large heavy duty scissors (the big silver ones) can strip about 30 feet per minute of a single strand of solid core wire (that means first removing the outer-most insulation to isolate the single strands) if you loosen the screw that holds the two parts together, and cut into the insulation at an angle that is similar to sharpening a stick. Just don't cut so deep that you are cutting into the actual wire.



The other blade of the scissors will act as a guide to keep the wire level as it runs past it slightly ahead of the cutting blade (The scissor blades will be spread open about an inch apart. That's why you need to loosen the screw... so the wire can fit through the scissors while the blades are so close together).

It may take a few tries to get it started, but once it does you will be able to strip a line down the insulation as fast as you can pull the wire through the scissors. You may have to get the cut started again every so often.

After you have cut the insulation along the wire, the insulation will pull off effortlessly.

I just finished successfully doing this to average house wire from the house I am cleaning out to demolish. One type was in round black outer insulation and had three solid core wires, with cardboard type filling, strangely enough (seems flammable). The other was white "flat" cord with two solid core wires. Sorry, I am not familiar with official wire classifications.