How to dismantle old electrical wiring? Pin extractor. Removing Pins from connectors Firing and melting

In the process of installing wires, one of the most critical stages of work is removing the insulation. Doesn't matter aluminum wire, copper, covered with enamel or plastic insulation, in each individual case it is necessary to follow the technology when stripping it. If you ignore recommendations and advice on how to strip the wire, then specifications manufactured electrical system will be low. Let's consider several methods for removing insulation from the most different wires coated.

Features of the structure of wires

There are two types of wires:

Single-core.
Stranded.

By single-core is meant a wire in which the cross-section is formed by one core or wire. As for stranded wires, the cross-section of such a wire is formed by several thin wires, which in some cases are intertwined with each other. To make the stranded wire resilient and elastic, a thread that resembles nylon is added to the structure. Taking into account these features, the technology for removing insulation in each individual case may differ.

Stripping with a knife

When removing insulation with a knife, you cannot cut the wires in a circle with the blade in a perpendicular position - a notch may form on the copper core. As a result, with a slight bend, the wire will easily and quickly break in this very place, especially if you decided to strip a wire 0.6–0.8 mm thick. After a few bends, the wire breaks completely. When stripping a wire with a knife, the blade should be almost in the same plane with the axis of the wire. The insulation is pre-cut along the core. The insulation cut lengthwise is taken to the side and simply cut off.

It is important to be careful with this type of stripping, as you can easily injure your hands.

Using side cutters

Tools such as side cutters are often used incorrectly. The tool is picked up as needed, and no attention is paid to the direction of the cutting edges. At misuse side cutters will have to make a lot of effort. In addition, in this case there is a high risk of breaking off the wire along with the insulation.

It is important that cutting edges were directed in the direction opposite to the movement of the tool. With this option, the blade will cut into the insulation even with little force. As a result, the insulation is removed with a tube from the surface of the core without damaging it.

Reflow method

If you have a soldering iron, you can quickly remove the insulation using the thermal method. To do this, heat the soldering iron tip and run it lightly over the plastic insulation. Once heated, the plastic will melt and come off. This method does not disrupt the conductor in any way. If you need to strip a large number of wires with such a winding, it is recommended to use special device. For example, a special wood burning tool, which was previously known as a “Pattern,” would be suitable.

The reflow method is most effective if your wiring is old. After a long period of use, the plastic winding on the wire becomes hard and brittle. Moreover, if from distribution box the wire sticks out two or three centimeters, neither wire cutters nor a knife can handle it. And if you use a lighter or reach in with a soldering iron, you can strip the wire.

What if the wire is enameled?

If the conductor has a thickness of 0.2 mm, then the best option will mechanical method removal of insulation. To do this, use a knife or sandpaper to scrape off the insulation.

To process cables with thin insulation, you can use sandpaper small section. Bend it in half with the sandpaper inward. Then insert the cable into the bent sheet of sandpaper and, lightly pressing your fingers, pull the wire. This procedure should be continued until the enamel is cleaned.
If a knife is used, it is necessary to place part of the cable on a solid base. Then you need to turn it in a circle until the enamel is scraped off the surface of the conductor.

If the conductor is even thinner and has a diameter of less than 0.2 millimeters, then the mechanical method will not be effective. This is due to the fact that the enamel will not be removed as a result, and the wire itself may break. In this case, you can master the thermochemical method using a soldering iron and vinyl chloride insulation. First, heat up the soldering iron, then place vinyl chloride on the table, and then move the soldering iron along the wire on top. Under the influence of high temperature, chlorine is produced, which will clean the wire from the enamel.

In most cases, such wires are used in radio communications, and it is this wire that is wound on inductive coils. It also has a name - Litz wire. In appearance, it is distinguished by the presence of a large number of thin wires, which are twisted into one conductor and covered with enamel.

No less interesting is another option for removing enameled insulation from a wire. You will need to buy aspirin tablets. A wire is laid on them and a heated soldering iron tip is passed along it in the same way. As a result, the wire is exposed and, on top of everything else, tinned.

Removing fluoroplastic insulation

By fluoroplastic is meant a polymer that is produced chemical method. He has a number positive characteristics, for example, does not get wet from water and is highly resistant to organic matter. Its technical characteristics allow it to withstand temperatures up to 300° C! As insulation it is ideal option, but the main disadvantage is the high price. In this regard, I use it on special occasions. In everyday life it is used by many radio amateurs, since after soldering it has aesthetically pleasing, takes up little space and does not melt.

The material itself has the shape of a thin narrow ribbon. It, in turn, is tightly wound on a twisted stranded wire. It is only possible to clean such insulation with a knife. The fluoroplastic is scraped off to the desired length. As soon as the wire is exposed, the insulation is pulled back to the required length, and the remaining fluoroplastic is cut off.

Insulation made of fabric or rubber can be cleaned using any of the above methods. The main thing is to prevent cuts in the main core!

All of the above methods are manual. They require more time and attention, not to mention experience when we're talking about O stranded wires with a small section. If you work in this field and regularly need to strip wires of insulation, then it is best to partially automate this process. For this purpose, pliers were specially developed or they are also called strippers.

With the help of a stripper, the insulation is removed with one click of the palm. Let's look at how to strip wires using a stripper model WS-04.

Technical characteristics of stripper WS-04:

You can remove insulation and cut wires Ø0.5–2.7 mm with a cross-section from 0.2 to 6.0 mm 2 without preliminary adjustment.
When setting a microscopic screw, you can remove the insulation from a thin wire measuring from 0.25 to 0.5 mm.
The stripper allows you to crimp connectors on wires without insulation, insulated or automotive wires under a double clamp of 0.8-2.7 mm.

In appearance, the stripper resembles pliers, at the end of which there is a cam lever. The upper cams are movable, and the lower ones are stationary. The left pair is used to clamp the wire, and the right pair is used to remove and trim the insulation. When the handles are first brought together, the left cam clamps the wire, and the right one cuts its sharp edge into the insulation. As the levers are constantly brought together, the insulation is gradually removed from the wire. The process of stripping a wire with a stripper takes a few seconds.

The process of sequential operation of the stripper model WS-04 with single-core, stranded and two-core wire:

The wire is wound between the cutting knives, which are located on inside pens. Then they should be brought together. The result is a cut of the end of the wire without deformation. For comparison, when cutting with wire cutters, the end is always flattened and slightly pointed.
At the next stage, one end of the wire is inserted between the movable and fixed jaws. After squeezing the handles, the insulation is removed. When working this way, no notches are observed on the conductor.
To adjust the exact length of the insulation to be removed, you can use the blue movable stop.
On a two-core wire, the insulation is removed with a stripper in two passes.
On the first pass, the vinyl chloride tube is removed.
At the second stage, the insulation is simultaneously removed from two wires.

The operating time can take no more than 5 seconds!

Among other things, the stripper can also be used to strip the insulation of a telephone cable before pressing it into an RJ-11 connector. If a screw connection is used, then with just one movement the insulation is removed from the wires.

The stripper can also be used to remove shielded wires. First of all, it should be noted that this is quite difficult task, it becomes especially complicated if the conductor is thin. So, the first step is to remove the insulation from the shielding braid. To expose the central wire, the braid is unraveled using a needle or spike. All that remains is to make one movement with the stripper and the wire is freed from insulation. Cleaning shielded wire by hand is a labor-intensive job, especially if you only have a knife on hand. It is very easy to damage the wire with a knife!

So, as you can see, the stripper is quite universal tool, which strips various wires of insulation.

Coaxial cable

You can strip the insulation on a coaxial cable yourself. Although the equipment for this purpose is inexpensive and available, we will tell you how to get the job done with wire cutters and a knife. As a rule, such a cable is used to connect satellite TV and for standard F connectors.

Step-by-step instructions on how to strip a coaxial wire:

The cable should be taken in the direction away from your body.
Take a utility knife and firmly press the cable at a right angle from the end of the cable at a distance of 2.5 cm. Do not press with the end of the blade, otherwise it will break off and may bounce into your eyes.
At this stage, it is necessary to cut through the outer sheath, braid, foil layer and dielectric foam. In most cases it is white. It is these layers that surround the vein. You will feel some resistance as you push the blade into the cable. As soon as the blade reaches half of the wire, you need to put less pressure on it. It is extremely important not to damage the central core!
Next you should walk around the cable. When doing this, be careful not to leave nicks on the core.
Now pull and twist the cut edge of the insulation. With these steps you can remove the cut end of the insulation.
If there are wires sticking out from under the cable sheath, cut them off with wire cutters so that they do not extend beyond the edge of the sheath. It is important to examine the wire for nicks. If there are any, then the above procedure will have to be repeated.
Dielectric foam may partially remain on the main core. You can simply remove it with your fingernail.
To connect the cable to connector F, first remove a small part of the top sheath.
To do this, measure eight millimeters from the previous cut location. Make a cut on the top shell. As in the previous case, the cut is made perpendicular to the wire. Be careful not to snag the braid. In some modifications of the F connector, there is no need to remove the braid, but in others, on the contrary, it must be removed.
If you are not sure whether braid is needed in your case, then leave it temporarily. This braid is located around the dielectric foam. Its wiring is less than a human hair thick, so all work must be done carefully. Just now you need to make a cut with the tip of the blade along the entire wire.
Remove eight millimeters of the cable sheath so that the dielectric foam wrapped in the winding remains on the core.
The braid is wrapped over the outer shell. So, the dielectric is exposed. At this stage, pay attention to the requirement of the F-connector: which end of the wire should be in your case.
All possible wiring must be absent between the braid and the central conductor. This will be clearly visible against the background of a white dielectric.
An F connector is placed at the end of the cable.
The dielectric should be at the bottom of the connector after it is seated on it. It is unacceptable for it to peek out or not reach the bottom of the connector.

Under no circumstances should the tip come into contact with the F-connector.

The F connector is now ready for use.

Knives for stripping cable insulation

Separately, it is worth mentioning special knives that are directly used to strip insulation from cables. For example, the most popular is a knife with a hook. During operation, it is much more convenient than a stationery one. Moreover, thanks to the thick blade, you can work with more confidence and courage. It will be difficult for them to cut the wire insulation, but cutting the cable lengthwise is what you need. This hook sticks well into the cable sheath, so it won’t jump out of it. However, such a tool does not have all the advantages, since it cannot provide good cable stripping.

Another special knife is known.

It is very simple in operation. To begin with, pull with your thumb special bracket. It is under this that you will thread the wire. At this point, a small knife appears from the handle, rotating around its axis. After laying the cable, the bracket presses it to this knife. Make two or three turns around the wire until you get a cut. Now, without removing the wire, pull the tool firmly towards the end. The knife will turn and cut along the shell. In the end, all you have to do is remove the cut part and continue working.

The only drawback of this device is that it is necessary to adjust the wheel directly to the depth of a particular type of wire. You can use a piece of wire to set it up.

Also, such a knife does not cope very well with removing insulation. This is due to the fact that the device can flatten a thick cable if handled carelessly.

So, we looked at the most common methods for stripping insulation from a wire. Perhaps one of the methods described above will be useful in your case. Successful work to you!

When you lay electrical wiring, one of the most basic and critical steps is stripping the insulation from the wires. And it will not matter at all what kind of material you process - copper, with plastic or coated with enamel, because... in each of these cases, compliance with stripping technology is required. If you ignore tips and recommendations on how to strip insulation from a wire, then in the end the technical performance of the entire electrical system will not be high. In this article we will look at several ways to remove various types of materials, as well as devices for this work.

Wire structure

All wiring can be divided into two types:

1. Single-core;

2. Stranded.

Single-core - this means that its cross-section is formed by one core or wire. Stranded ones are those in which the cross-section is formed by the presence of several thin ones that are intertwined with each other. For firmness and elasticity, they have a thread reminiscent of nylon woven into them. If you take this feature into account, the removal technology may vary for each individual case.

How to remove insulation with a knife

Let's see how to quickly remove insulation using a knife. If you decide to use this method, then under no circumstances should you trim in a circle in a perpendicular position, because By doing this you can cause notching of the copper wires. As a result, even with a slight bend, the wires can quickly and easily break exactly at the point of the cut. This is especially undesirable when working with a cross section of 0.6-0.8 mm. So, bending several times, it will break completely. When you remove it with a knife, the blade must be kept almost in the same plane with the plane and axis. First of all, you need to cut along the veins, and after that it, already cut along, is moved away from the veins and cut off.

However, we draw your attention to the fact that if you decide to remove the insulation in this way, then be careful, because... You can easily cut your hands.

Application of side cutters

Most novice electricians, when they decide to work with side cutters, do not use them correctly. So, most often, this tool for removing insulation from wires is picked up at random and no attention is paid to the position of the cutting edges. But, by the way, if you took the side cutters incorrectly, then you will have to apply more force. In addition, there is a high risk of breaking or taking a bite.

The technology for working with side cutters is as follows: The cutting edges are directed in the opposite direction to the movement of the tool. This is because with this arrangement the blade will cut even with minimal effort. As a result, you get the sheath removed by the tube and an undamaged wire.

Remove insulation by melting

If you need to remove insulating material and you have a soldering iron on hand, you can use thermal method. To do this, simply heat up the soldering iron and run the tip along the plastic insulation. Naturally, after heating you can easily remove the melted shell from copper wire or anyone else. Using this method will not compromise its integrity in any way. But if you need to strip a large number of conductors with a similar winding, you can use a special device. For example, a wood burner, formerly known as “Pattern,” is perfect.

Using this method is relevant for old material. When it is used for too long, the winding becomes brittle and stiff. Moreover, most often, the wires protrude from the junction box only a couple of centimeters, so that neither a knife nor wire cutters can remove them. But if you just use a lighter or a soldering iron, then you can easily remove what you have in mind.

Removal from enamel version

If you need to strip the insulation from a wire having a thickness of 0.2 mm, then the best option would be mechanical restoration knife or sandpaper.

To process a cable with a thin coating, you can use fine sandpaper. It needs to be bent in half work surface inside. After this, wrap the conductor in this bent sheet and, pressing a little, pull it through. This must be done until the enamel is completely removed.
If you work with a knife, the part of the cable to be stripped must be laid on a solid base. Then start scraping the enamel, turning the guide while doing so, until everything is clean.

However, with a diameter of less than 0.2 mm, this mechanical method cannot be used, because You won’t completely remove the enamel, but you can break the wire itself in no time. In such situations, you can use a thermochemical stripping method using vinyl chloride insulation and a soldering iron. The sequence will be as follows: heat the soldering iron, place the vinyl chloride sheath on the table, and the conductor to be stripped on it, and move the soldering iron along it. As a result, under the influence of temperature, chlorine is released, which will cleanse the enamel.

Basically, such options are used in radio communication devices and are wound on inductive coils. It's called a licendrate. Externally, it looks like this: a large number of thin wires twisted into a single whole covered with enamel.

Pay attention to one more interesting way remove the enamel coating. For this you need to purchase aspirin tablets. Then place the material on the tablet and move the soldering iron over it in the same way. As a result, you will get a bare result, and a tinned one at that.

Stripping fluoroplastic insulation

PTFE insulation is a polymer produced chemically. Has a number of positive properties. For example, it does not get wet in water and is highly resistant to various organic substances. Its parameters allow it to be resistant to temperatures up to 300 °C. It is an ideal electrical dielectric. However, there is one main drawback - cost. It is precisely because of its high price that it is used only in exceptional cases. IN living conditions He was loved by radio amateurs because... after soldering, it has an aesthetic appearance, does not melt, and takes up little space.

The fluoroplastic itself appears in the form of a narrow thin strip, which is tightly wound around a stranded core. The fluoroplastic version can only be removed with a knife. It is scraped down to the length you need. After it is exposed, the shell is taken aside and the remains are cut off.

Please pay attention! Fabric or rubber insulation can be removed using any of the methods described above. The main task is to prevent cuts in the main core.

Using an automatic stripper

All methods described above are manual. They take a lot of time and your attention, and this is not to mention the experience of such work. If you have to remove insulation quite often, then it is better to automate the whole process a little. For this purpose, a special tool for stripping insulation from wires, called a stripper, has long been developed. For example, let's look at the WS-04 stripper model. In appearance, it resembles pliers with cams at their ends. The upper ones are movable, and the lower ones are stationary. The left pair is used to clamp the cable, and the right pair is used to trim and remove it. During the first bringing together of the handles, the left part clamps, and the right part cuts into the shell with sharp edges. When the handles are brought together, the cutting part gradually clears. All stripping work with a stripper takes just a couple of seconds.

With the help of a stripper, you can remove insulation from wires with one touch of your hand. For example, let's look at how to remove insulation from a wire with a stripper.

The wire must be placed between cutting knives located on the inside of the handle. After this they need to be brought together. As a result, the cut comes out without any deformation. To help you understand the difference, when cutting with wire cutters, the end always becomes slightly sharper and flattened.
The next step is to insert one end between the fixed and movable sponge. Pressing the handles will remove the coating. During such stripping there will be no marks.
You can use the blue limiter to adjust the exact removal length.
Two-core wires are stripped with a stripper in two passes: first, the vinyl chloride tube is removed; the second is simultaneous removal from 2 elements.

In addition, the stripper can be used for stripping telephone cables and shielded versions before pressing them. True, when working with them this will be a difficult task, especially if the conductor is of small diameter. However, despite this, we will tell you the technology of work. First, you need to remove the sheath from the braided shielding. To expose the central core, you need to unravel the braid using an awl or needle. After this, perform the already known movement with the stripper and it will be exposed. Remember that cleaning it with a knife is labor-intensive work, and besides, you can easily damage it.

Coaxial cable processing

It is quite possible to remove insulation from wires on the coaxial version on your own. Although all the equipment for this procedure is not too expensive, we will show you how to do it with a knife and wire cutters. Typically, such models are used to connect television antennas.

Below is the sequence of actions to clean the coaxial model:

The wire must be taken vertically;
Using a utility knife, press firmly on the cable at a right angle at a distance of 2.5 cm from the end. Do not press with the end of the blade, otherwise there is a risk of it breaking and rebounding into your eyes.
Next you need to cut through the outer shell, braid, foil and dielectric foam ( white). It is precisely these layers that this option has. As you press down on the knife blade, you will feel some resistance. Once the blade has penetrated halfway through the cable, the pressure must be reduced slightly to avoid damaging the central core.
Then work your way around the cable while cutting. In this case, it is advisable to do everything carefully so as not to leave nicks on the central core.
After trimming, twist and pull the edge. This will remove the cut end.
If there are wires under the shell, simply cut them off with wire cutters so that they do not protrude beyond the boundary of the shell. Check for combs on the center core. If they are present, everything will have to be repeated.
Dielectric foam may remain on the central core. It can simply be removed with a fingernail
To connect the cable to the F connector, you must first remove a small part of the outer sheath.
Measure 8 mm from the previous cutting point. Make a cut in the outer shell. Everything is exactly the same as before - perpendicular to the core. Be careful not to remove the braid. However, for connecting some F connectors, removal of the braid is necessary, but for others it is not. As a result, you should get a core in dielectric foam, wrapped in a winding (in the form of foil).
When you have not yet decided whether you need braiding, it is better to leave it for a while. It is located around dielectric foam.
The braid must be wrapped over the outer shell. After this, the white foam is exposed. Here you already need to decide on the type of your F connector and the shape of the bare wire.
Please note that there should be no conductors between the central conductor and the braid. It will be visible.
The F connector is placed on the end of the cable.
After the connector is seated, the dielectric should be located at the bottom. It is unacceptable that it does not reach the bottom of the connector or peeks out.
Please note that the F connector must not be allowed to come into contact with the tip.
That's it, the coaxial cable is ready for use.

Replacing electrics in an apartment should begin with dismantling the old electrical network. At first glance, it seems that removing sockets, switches and the cable itself from the wall is quite simple, but even in such an undertaking, difficulties may arise. For example, not everyone knows how to find a wire running in a wall, but it is also advisable to remove it before laying a new line. In this article we will talk about how to dismantle old wiring with your own hands, so that readers know about all the intricacies of the work.

Step 1 – Prepare the tools

First you need to collect tools that may be useful during dismantling work. At a minimum, you should have on hand:

Screwdriver Set
Pliers
Insulating tape
An indicator screwdriver, or even better, a multimeter
Grinder and hammer drill
Flashlight
Rubberized gloves
Hidden wiring detector

Regarding the latter, it would hardly be advisable to purchase a detector for a single case. You can solve the problem by doing .

Step 2 – Dismantling work

When all the tools are collected, you can proceed to dismantling the old wiring yourself. First of all, turn off the power in your house or apartment. To do this, we turn off the input circuit breaker in the panel, as well as group circuit breakers, if any (just in case).

Next, you need to make sure that there is no voltage in the room, otherwise when you remove the socket or switch, an electric shock cannot be avoided. We talked about that. Use the indicator to touch each connector and make sure that the light is not on. The multimeter should show no voltage in the network.

When the power is turned off, we proceed directly to dismantling. We begin removing old wiring from disassembly switchboard– disconnect the wires after the introductory machine and remove all group circuit breakers and RCD (for sockets, lighting, individual electrical appliances). When the shield is disassembled, we move on to dismantling sockets and switches.

There is no need to explain for a long time how to remove old switches and sockets. Simply unscrew the screws, remove the housing and disconnect the wires from the clamps. The video below clearly shows how to dismantle these wiring elements:

Changing the socket

Removing the light switch

Don't forget about chandeliers and wall sconces, they should also be removed when dismantling the wiring. We talked about this in a separate article.

As for the electric meter, if you want to dismantle it (move it to another place or replace it altogether), then first of all you need to obtain the appropriate permission from management company, because To dismantle the electricity meter, you will have to remove the seals. We talked about this in more detail in a separate article.

Lastly, dismantling is carried out electric cable. It's good if the wiring is done open method. In this case, the cable is simply removed from the box, and a new one is pulled in its place. You can simplify the process even further by attaching the end of the new cable to the old one. During pulling, the new wiring will replace the old one.

Things get more complicated when you need to dismantle hidden wiring in the wall. In this case, the first thing to do is find where the old power line runs. The easiest way is to visually inspect the walls. Where prominent plaster seams will be visible, it will most likely pass cable line. If there are no visual differences, you will have to use a detector that will show where the old electrical wiring runs that needs to be dismantled.

Searching for wiring with a detector

We draw your attention to the fact that if you change the wiring diagram, it is not at all necessary to remove the electrics located in the wall, especially if they are located in voids panel house. It will be enough to simply insulate the ends and wall up the line, and draw a new one in another place. This will simplify the dismantling process.

If you nevertheless decide to dismantle the old electrical wiring with your own hands, then after finding the route for laying the cable, use a grinder and a hammer drill to cut through the plaster and take out the laid cable line.

How much do the services cost?

Also for general information We bring to your attention prices for dismantling wiring in the apartment. We took this price list from one of the companies, the average cost in Moscow for 2019.

There are various wires and cables, some are laid according to a standard scheme, others are laid over the air. It is the first ones who have a special protective layer, which allows you to eliminate short circuits. Such a surface is subject to dismantling in the process of performing the most simple tasks. For example, this is the connection of two cables so that the contact point becomes as tight as possible and works efficiently.

The question arises: “How to remove insulation from wires?” To make this process easier, there are many different techniques and techniques. Because it is not always necessary to completely disassemble the cable; sometimes you just need to clean the contacts without damaging the main core.

In order not to make a mistake and understand exactly how to remove insulation from a wire, you should arm yourself with instructions and take as a basis correct recommendations. But without the proper tools, the work will not be completed. In addition, wires and cables may have different bases, and the methods differ accordingly.

Features of stripping insulation and problems in performing the work

Before stripping the insulation from the wires, it is worth considering some of the nuances of the process. After all, the coating can be in one layer or several. The work is done quickly, but this will require the use of a stripper.

If you don’t go into details, many people don’t see any difficulties in the procedure for cleaning a cable or wire from protection. But without sharp, cutting objects, the work will not go smoothly. As a result, there is a possibility of compromising the integrity of the wire itself. The following may happen:

Formation of holes in unnecessary places.
There is a possibility of getting hurt.
Damage to the conductor itself.

All this can be easily eliminated if simple and precise instructions for implementation are taken into service. In addition, it is necessary to have special tools. There is no need to rush, even if you have experience in completing the task. It is worth at least theoretically understanding how to remove insulation from wires with a tool.

What kind of wires are there?

There are two main cores used in the process - copper and aluminum. If you remove the insulation, you will have to be careful with each type and take your time. When it comes to strength, copper retains its integrity longer than aluminum. Below we will consider the properties and characteristics of each.

Aluminum:

Density is expressed in t/m3. More than 2.6.
There is no resistance to frequent bending.
It will not be possible to create a multi-wire core.
The specific resistance is negligible.

Density is expressed in t/m3. More than 8.8.
Resistance to frequent bending is present.
It will be possible to create a multi-wire core.
The resistivity is good.

From these data we can conclude that copper wire is better and its conductivity is higher. But aluminum is not reliable high level, so it is used less often. Great care will have to be taken during the cleaning process. Therefore, before removing the insulation from a copper wire, it is worth making a small notch and preparing the appropriate tool. There are not many options for working with cables and wires; it is important to choose not just a suitable method, but an effective one.

What methods are effective?

Most of the skill in removing the protective layer from a cable or wire comes with time and practice. Especially when you need to do cleaning on the thinnest possible wire.

The main thing is to correctly choose the degree of application of force and pressure on the tool. In addition, the speed of work and the final result depend on the direction of movement. You will have to understand how deep the main vein is. This will determine whether it is damaged or not. Before you remove the insulation from or copper, you will have to figure out what kind of material is inside.

The most simple options carrying out the work:

Using a stationery or regular knife. If you chose the first option, then you should not take one that is too large, they are inconvenient to work with. The pressure should not be maximum, since their blade is quite sharp. A simple knife should have a narrow blade and high-quality sharpening.
Using side cutters. This is a convenient design, it is similar to scissors, but more durable and sharp. They are sold at any hardware store, although many always have them on hand.
Burning. This is another good option and less dangerous. To do this you need to use high temperature so that the winding melts. If you need to make a small release, then this method ineffective, since a fairly large area is burned.
Using a stripper. This is the tool chosen by professionals.

Using a knife

How to quickly remove insulation from wires? This is the most common and effective method, but it is very traumatic. When you need to process a small number of wires at home, this option is quite suitable. The main thing you need to know is at what angle to hold the tool. You can’t do circular movements, because it’s completely ineffective. Because with this option there is a high probability of cutting the main working core. After this, the wires will become unusable.

The angle of inclination is as sharp as possible so that the blade does not penetrate deeply into the body of the wire. Only minor slipping is allowed. You should choose the “pull away” position - such conditions are safe for the worker and for the cable itself.

Electrician's knife

An electrician's knife is the most handy tool. It has a heel, making it quite easy to hold. At the same time, the core is protected as much as possible, your hands are safe, and the insulation is removed efficiently. This is the answer to the question: “How to quickly remove the insulation from a copper or aluminum wire?”

Side cutter - effective help

This metal tool with comfortable handles. But most often the work is done by craftsmen. This process requires knowing how much force to apply, otherwise the main core may be damaged. Electricians know how to carry out the stripping process. The side cutter is used in several cases:

When the cable is too thick, biting is done in several places along the entire length, and then the insulation is removed by hand. This option is quite suitable for inexperienced people. But the cuts must be made carefully so as not to violate the integrity of the main cable.
You need to run the strip along its entire length, and then remove the main winding downward.
Through a distance of 3 centimeters, cuts are made with a side cutter. After which you need to remove the winding in small pieces.

These are the simplest options for people without experience and more. Craftsmen can easily work with this tool. This option will help you easily remove the insulation from the wire for scrapping. To avoid damaging the main core, it is worth holding the sharpened jaws in the opposite direction of pulling and removing the insulation. This allows you to not disrupt anything and get the job done quickly.

Today there are wires on sale on which the manufacturer makes special notches during the creation process so that the insulation can be quickly removed. Therefore, before stripping the insulation from a copper wire, it is worth considering it: you may not even need tools.

Burning

This is the easiest way when you need to remove insulation to transfer wires. This is also the most effective method if the inside is made of polyvinyl chloride. When a small area needs to be treated, use a lighter or soldering iron. Under thermal influence, the winding softens and it simply comes off the wire. If the winding thickness is small, this option is the most effective.

There is one drawback - it has a smell. Therefore, work must be carried out in a room with access fresh air. Toxic emissions during the firing process negatively affect the body.

What is a stripper?

These are the tools that help you do the procedure quickly and efficiently. But not every cable is suitable for such work. The cross-section must be at least 0.2 mm. You can find it on sale or from craftsmen different kinds devices:

Manual stripper without add-ons. Its use is similar to working with a side cutter: notches are made, after which the winding is removed. But this option is not suitable for every section.
Semi-automatic At the base there is an adjustment lever that regulates the degree of pressure, after which, when the handles are closed, the main process of stripping begins.
Machine. This is the most the best option because it is based on several functions - cutting, stripping, crimping conductors.

As a result, this method brings many positive aspects. The main thing is that cuts in the main core are completely eliminated. As a result, this method can be called the best. It is the stripper that allows you to properly remove insulation from wires without damaging the core.

Cable check

When work is underway to get rid of the winding, you need to carry out actions in a clear sequence. Each cable has its own characteristics. Work on a copper cable should be carried out in the following order, since it has two layers of PVC insulation:

Electrical power is cut off.
During the installation of the outlet, only a strictly defined area needs to be cleaned. 15 cm is quite enough. A person without experience should not reduce this distance. A side cutter is used for this procedure.
The top part is cut and carefully removed.
The required length is set on the stripper, after which the phase and neutral conductors are placed in the tool. A complete cleanup is being done.

This is the entire scope of the work, after which you need to fix the socket. This procedure is not difficult to carry out, although mistakes are often made. The wire breaks, and further stripping has to be done.

How not to perform pressure testing?

Experts believe that removing insulation from cables and wires is not so easy. As a result, many mistakes are made that lead to the main core being undercut. The main reason is the use of the wrong tool. Therefore, there is a special list of those violations that are worth knowing not only for beginners, but also for masters:

When upper layer removed and needs to be cut, often the master chooses the wrong angle, which leads to notches on the main core. Even a slight, imperceptible notch in the insulation of a current-carrying cable leads to a short circuit, and sometimes to complete failure of the entire device.
Incorrect use of side cutters. They have a sharp side and a blunt side, often choosing the wrong side. As a result, a sharp sliding along the wire occurs, which leads to excessive tension and compression, and this already violates the integrity of the main core.
A knife with a heel is convenient, but it must be clearly directed, namely, choose the angle of inclination. A mistake made leads to the main cable being cut. And violation of secondary insulation causes more serious problems.

Everything happens due to an illiterate choice of tool. But there are also other problems: a frivolous attitude towards the procedure of clearing the main cable or wire from the winding. Before removing the insulation from a thin wire, you should know what actions you will have to perform, and do everything carefully and in a clear sequence. There are situations when the distance for work is minimal and it is unacceptable to take risks.

We repair headphones

A common problem when using headphones is a violation of the integrity of the wire. To restore it, you need to choose a simple stationery knife for the job. The procedure occurs in several stages:

It is necessary to find the breakdown.
Remove the top winding by making a neat longitudinal cut.
Connect the components and insulate them.

How to remove wire insulation from headphones?

You can use a sheet of sandpaper. Its grain size does not matter (the main thing is to perform work on the front side of the element). Place the edge of the wire on sandpaper and press on top with a soldering iron. It will melt our winding. Then its remains can be removed by hand. As a result, we get a wire without insulation. After this, you can make the connection using the same soldering iron. This is not a long procedure, but everyone can achieve a positive result. There is no need to experiment; each tool does its job. When working with wires and cables, use a sharp knife and a stripper; in other situations, it is worth selecting the appropriate devices.

Conclusion

So, we looked at how to properly remove insulation from wires. As you can see, there are different instruments and methods. You just have to choose the most suitable one and follow the instructions.

Hi all!

The parcel was sent with a track tracked throughout China, all information on it is available for viewing via the link.

The extractors arrived in a regular plastic bag.

There are several variations on sale: you can buy 3 pieces, you can buy 8 pieces, or you can buy 11. I chose the last option, since you never know which wire will have to be pulled out of the plastic clip.

All extractors were connected to each other by twisting, a ring was also included. Why you didn’t put them on him is a mystery.

The set includes extractors of three various types: four pieces for pins with one lock, four pieces for pins with two locks and three pieces for round pins. In general, options for all occasions. They look like this:

There are no particular complaints about the quality of production. The metal is quite hard and does not bend during operation. But if you set a goal, then thin “needles” can be bent by hand without any problems. But since there is no special load on them during intended use, there should be no problems with this. The rings are covered with something black, either plastic or rubber. The coating is moderately soft and does not slip in your hands. I put all the extractors on one complete ring and realized that this cannot be done. The ring turned out to be a bristly hedgehog that you couldn’t really pick up.

Now about the sizes:
1. extractors for pins with one lock (needle width): 0.8 mm, 1 mm, 1.2 mm. and 1.4 mm;
2. extractors for pins with two clamps (distance between “needles”): 2 mm, 3 mm, 4.5 mm. and 6 mm.;
3. round extractors (diameter): 2 mm, 2.6 mm. and 3.2 mm.

In general, no block can stand :)

Nothing else interesting about them appearance and the device does not exist, which means you can move on to practical tests. Since it was winter and cold outside (and even now it’s no better), connectors found in the pantry were used for the test. I tried to take as many different ones as possible, but it didn’t work out very well. In general, the test will be carried out on them:

The essence of how extractors work comes down to the following: insert it from the connector connection side, the “needles” (or “needle”) of the extractor compress the retaining antennae, pull the wire in the opposite direction and remove it from the block. This picture makes it more clear:

But theory is theory, and how it will be in practice needs to be seen for yourself. I started with the largest connector with 5 wires:

We insert - pull - we get the result:

After 15 seconds:

The process is just dragging out :)

Let's move on to the next connector, this time more compact. Also, no problems, and it took about 5 seconds to remove the wire, no more.

Last test subject:

Wire from it:

A closer look at the female contact shows that there is absolutely no damage to it. The only thing that indicates its removal is a small scratch on the retaining antenna, which means it can be installed back without any problems:

It turns out that extractors really work :) And very well. Previously, you had to suffer using needles or paper clips, and in the most critical cases, cut the wire or break the connector. This is over now. It takes a couple of seconds to remove the pin from the connector if there is direct access to it, and a little longer if the connector is in an inconvenient or hard-to-reach place.

The extractors have already been tested in real conditions. It was necessary to “pull out” the wire responsible for automatic operation headlight washer There were no problems:

In conclusion, I want to say that this purchase can definitely be considered successful. Perhaps, for those who have never tried to pull out wiring from a plastic box, this is not relevant, but for those who periodically face a similar task, you should pay attention to this set. Well, its main advantage is not even that it can reduce time, but that it will save nerves :) After all, poking around in the connector and trying to pull out the last intractable wire is still torture, capable of causing a lot of emotions (not the most positive) . So I was pleased. And for greater ease of use, I divided the extractors into two sets, hanging them on 2 different rings.

That's probably all. Thank you for your attention and your time.

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