How to clean copper cable insulation. How to clean a cable from insulation without burning it

How to strip insulation from cables and wires. Cable cleaning machine. Channel "Your Own Master": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv8xmsH5fRuVdKFLWH9AVnQ If you have free time and access to cable and wire waste, you can clean it of insulation and hand it over, for example, to a non-ferrous metal collection facility, or you can try to make a variety of crafts from copper wire with your own hands. Look at some pretty nice decorations in the top left of the screen. When I started cleaning copper wire, I used a regular paint knife, which I first used to cut the outer insulation of the cable, then removed it. It remained to remove the color insulation, which I removed in such a simple way. A knife at an acute angle cuts the insulation perfectly and practically does not damage the copper part of the wire. This is important if you decide to make crafts from copper wire. In general, this method of cleaning the insulation suited me, since the wire was single-core. However, after a while I began to think about mechanizing the removal of insulation from wires to speed up this process. From a flexible, multi-core cable, the upper insulation of the cable is removed normally, but it is problematic to remove the colored insulation from copper cores twisted together with a knife. The knife cuts one or more veins and completely gets stuck, stubbornly not wanting to move on. I did not even take such a wire, since it is almost impossible to clean it in this way. When I came across a large amount of thin stranded wire, which was a pity to just throw away, I decided it was time to make a device to clean it from insulation. This device consists of two halves, between which a groove is propylene. One side of the device is intended for cutting the outer insulation of the cable. On the opposite side there is also a groove, which is slightly smaller and, in turn, is designed to strip the insulation directly from the copper core. Inside is the blade of a painter's knife that peeks out of the groove just enough to notch the insulation without touching the copper portion of the wire. The following device is designed to clean the insulation of a very thin stranded wire. In a solid piece of wood, I made a longitudinal cut with a hacksaw and drilled 2 holes for the bolts that clamp the knife blade between the wood. Now I will demonstrate how this works with a flexible stranded wire. The blade makes a cut in the insulation and does not cling to the wire, which is impossible to do with a paint knife. It remains to separate the insulation from the copper with a slight movement of the hands. Let's take a closer look at these devices. The halves of this device are fastened with self-tapping screws with a press washer and hold the blade together. The wire, passing through the groove, touches the tip of the blade and cuts the insulation. This device can use blades that have become dull and are no longer suitable for other work. By breaking off part of the blade, its tip becomes sharp enough for our purposes. As a last resort, the tip of the blade can be slightly corrected with a diamond file. We assemble the device. We tighten the screws and set the blade to the desired depth of cutting through the insulation. To remove the outer insulation of the cable, we extend the blade a little more, since it is thicker; to remove less insulation from the wire. Then we tighten them until the blade is completely fixed. These devices are safe because the blades are in a groove. They can be carried without additional protection. I made a device for a thinner wire from a single piece of wood, in which I cut a longitudinal groove with a hacksaw. One side of the groove is lower than the other and is made to fit the shape of the blade. The process of installing the blade in this device is similar to the previous one. Remember to adjust the blade so that it only cuts the insulation and does not touch the copper strands of the wire. This is necessary so that the blade does not dull so quickly. And for making crafts from copper wire, this is even important, since there are no knife marks left on the copper wire, and the thin stranded wire remains intact. Device for cleaning...

– a crucial moment, and it makes no difference what material the wires are made of or what they are coated with as an insulating material. Coated wires often have to be connected to each other before installation work, and when performing such work, you need to know how to properly remove the insulation from the wire. It is generally known that plastic insulating material is removed mechanically or by melting. The enamel coating must also be removed mechanically or chemically. When stripping wires, you must follow the rules for performing such work. After all, in the end, the connection of the exposed areas will be made with poor quality, which in the future can lead to system failure.

Removing insulation with a knife

The method of cutting insulating material in a circular direction using a knife blade is not correct. With this action, a notch is applied to the copper material of the core and in this place it can break at the most inopportune moment. This happens especially often when the wire section is too thin. They break almost immediately. How to strip the wire correctly using a knife?

Note! It is necessary to place the knife almost in the same plane with the axis of the cable.

In this case, the insulating material is cut along the conductive material. The remaining pieces of the coating are set aside and also removed.

We use side cutters

With this method, many often make the same mistake. The tool is taken without taking into account the direction of the cutting edges and begin to work. If the tool side is sharpened in the direction that coincides with the movement of the side cutters, then when removing the shell of the insulating material, a decent amount of force must be applied to close the edges of the tool. In this case, we risk cutting through the entire wire, and not just the insulating surface.

Note! You should position the tool so that the sharpening side faces in the opposite direction from the movement of your tool.

It will be necessary to create a slight reinforcing effect, and the insulation will be removed with a characteristic tube. In this case, the wire is guaranteed not to receive even the most minimal damage.

Reflow method for insulating material

It is great if you need to prepare a thin wire for installation that has a plastic safety material. An electric soldering iron is perfect for these purposes. The tool must be heated and its tip lightly passed over the insulation in the place you need. Under the influence of temperature, it will heat up and in some places even melt. After this, it can be removed by hand without any problems. The copper core of the wire will not receive mechanical damage. When working with a large number of wires sheathed in plastic material, it is recommended to use a special device. Usually it is a wood soldering iron. This method of removing insulation is great when working with old electrical wiring. After all, after prolonged use, the plastic coating of such wires becomes very hard. If necessary, you can use a lighter or regular matches.

Removing the enamel coating

In such a situation, it is recommended to use the mechanical method. You can remove the insulating material with sandpaper, or you can simply scrape it off with a knife. The sandpaper must be wrapped around the wire and twisted until the insulating coating is removed. When using a knife, the wire must be placed on a hard surface and gradually rotated around its axis, scraping the surface with the knife. If the wire diameter is not too large, it is better to use the thermochemical method. You will need a soldering iron known to us and a piece of vinyl chloride tape. Under the influence of heat, the released chlorine is able to clean the wire from the enamel applied to it. This method is excellent for radio amateurs working with high-frequency coil windings. Another little secret is a simple aspirin tablet. You need to put the cable on it, press it with a heated soldering iron and pull it along the tablet. The insulation will be perfectly removed, and the wire will receive additional tinning.

Removing fluoroplastic insulation

This is a type of polymer coating that has good stable characteristics. The insulation coating is ideal, but quite expensive. It is customary to use it only for design calculations. This coating looks like a thin narrow tape tightly wrapped around a copper conductive wire. Only physical impact is suitable for removal. It is best to remove it using a sharp knife by scraping the surface layer to the required working length. Having exposed one edge, the wire is carefully bent to the side and the remaining insulating piece is cut off.

Note! If you come across a cable that has a rubber or fabric insulating surface, you can use any of the mechanical methods to remove it. The main condition is to strip the wires correctly, without notching them.

Application of an automatic stripper

Manually stripping large quantities of wires can be quite time consuming. And if there are also wires with a large number of cores, the matter will take a long time. Here you can use a special type of pliers called a stripper.

They are quite comfortable to work with. With just a little hand pressure, the insulation is removed almost instantly. Typically, for such work in everyday life, a stripper model WS-04 from a German manufacturer is used.

Such a tool has the ability to cut through and remove insulation from wires with a diameter ranging from 0.5 to 2.7 mm. This is without pre-adjustment.

When performing adjustments, you can work with wires of a much smaller cross-section without damaging the integrity of the conductor cores.

To connect wires to each other, connect to contact groups, or terminate (use terminals, sleeves, etc.), they must be stripped.

The tip of the cable, freed from insulation, becomes the weakest link in the entire multi-meter wiring. If the metal core loses its cross-section or strength, the characteristics laid down by the manufacturer will be nullified. How to remove insulation from a wire without damaging its properties?

When applying a protective coating, you have to solve opposite problems. The shell should be strong but flexible. Provide protection from moisture penetration, while at the same time being easy to remove from the core.

What damage can be caused to the current-carrying conductor by careless stripping?

1. Reducing the diameter (and therefore cross-section) of the conductor.
2. The appearance of fractures, and therefore a decrease in strength.
3. The appearance of hidden damage due to bending and stretching.
4. Reducing the number of wires in multi-core cables.
5. Left fragments of insulation on the surface of a current-carrying conductor.

Most experienced electricians have their own secrets for cleaning wires from insulation: some remove the sheath with their teeth, many have a special (or rather favorite) tool. All methods are good if the conductor does not suffer and there is no damage to health. We will tell you about the correct technique.

How to strip a wire while maintaining its properties

Let's start with simple methods.

Knife

A universal tool is used: a regular pen or office tool.

Improving the use of knives, many electricians make homemade devices for stripping insulation. For example, you can use a safety razor blade by simply screwing it to a clothespin.

Using holes of different diameters (on a clothespin), you get a universal tool for removing both the outer sheath and the coating directly on the conductors.

The simplest factory-made insulation stripping pliers work on this principle. The outer sheath is removed using calibrated holes, and conductors of small diameter are stripped using a blade with a molded hole.

Thermal method

If the question arises: how to quickly remove insulation from a wire, all means are good. Many craftsmen simply burn the ends of the conductors with a lighter or match. The method is not the best: Firstly, the cable may catch fire. Secondly, the remaining part of the shell loses its properties at a distance of 1–2 cm from the cleaned area. And finally, the conductor itself (copper or aluminum) is destroyed by such thermal effects.

Important! If a thermal method of processing conductors is used, it is necessary to ensure ventilation of the room. Any coating emits toxic smoke when heated.

If you need to quickly strip the wire, but there are no cutting tools, you can use a soldering iron. The tip of the conductor is burned with a hot tip, after which the insulation is easily removed.

There are thermal tools of industrial design.

Stripping the wires of insulation is carried out as follows: the heating elements are pressed to the cut point, the sheath is melted with a short pulse, the conductor remains untouched. Such devices can be stand-alone or part of soldering stations.

Advantage of wire thermocouples:

• Heating occurs pointwise; the copper or aluminum core does not change its properties.
• A thin melt line does not lead to waste of material.
• A sealed ring is formed around the shell, preventing the penetration of moisture.

The only limitation is the insulation material. Thermal stripping is used only in cables with polyvinyl chloride insulation. The fluoroplastic or rubber shell can only be removed mechanically.

Mechanical devices for stripping industrial wires

The most popular electrician's tool is the "Insulation Stripping Complex", known by the abbreviation KSI.

The operating principle is as follows:

During the initial compression of the pliers, the conductor is clamped between the grooved jaws (as in pliers), the other end is captured by the knife mechanism. The cutting attachment is spring-loaded and does not cut through the shell to the metal. This way the current-carrying core is guaranteed to be preserved. Next, the working levers are separated, and the notched sheath is removed from the wire.

The length of the area to be stripped is set using a limiter, against which the front wire rests when inserted into the tool.

There are certain restrictions: the tip cannot be too long. If you need to clean a long area, the process is repeated several times. In this case, the wire does not rest against the limiter, and the shifted section of the sheath is removed manually.

The complex copes well with both mono conductors and multi-core cores. There are restrictions on the diameter of the wire: a cable with a cross-section of more than 4.0 is almost impossible to process.

The next tool is simpler. End pliers for stripping insulation.

Designed for a diameter of up to 6.0 squares; it is difficult to expose a thicker wire manually. Between the cutting tips there is a screw stop, with which the diameter of the conductor is set. The distance between the grips is chosen to be slightly larger than the diameter of the current-carrying conductor. This is done to reduce the risk of damaging the metal. After squeezing the handles, the sheath is removed with a sharp movement along the wire. Working with such a device is not as convenient as with a CSI, but this is justified by its low cost.

Nippers, or the cutting sector of pliers, work in a similar way. Only stripping the wire with their help requires some skill.

The following device is designed to work with large diameter cables. This is a complex knife with a grip.

It can be used to strip wires of any length. First, a transverse incision is made, then a longitudinal one.

After which the sheath is easily removed without damaging the central conductor.

Stripping varnish-coated conductors

Such a conductor is used in transformer windings. Instead of a dielectric sheath, a thin varnish coating is applied to the copper core. The conductor is cleaned with a knife or sandpaper.

Security measures

A conductor stripped of insulation is potentially a source of danger. After processing the wire, especially in places where it is pressed and scored, the insulation resistance should be measured. This is done when putting the electrical installation into operation, then the frequency of measuring the electrical wiring insulation is carried out according to the approved schedule.

If there is damage that reduces the protective ability of the shell, it is necessary to cut off the damaged area or put a dielectric casing on it.

That's all we wanted to say about it. To fully understand the issue, we recommend watching the video.

Video on the topic

Used colored cable scrap is a popular and expensive recyclable material. You can extract it yourself from old power, fiber optic, telephone, installation, and other wiring. What tools and equipment will be needed to remove the winding? How to quickly clean a cable for scrapping, spending a minimum of time and effort?

Popular methods for stripping insulation

When handing over a cable, the metal core of the conductors is of value. Before going to the receiving point, you need to strip the cable from the insulating winding. There are several ways to do this yourself:

• manual stripping with a knife or hammer is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process, suitable if the batch of scrap is small;
• roasting and melting - a fast process, but harmful to the environment, not recommended for thin-stranded scrap, the metal burns out along with the winding;
• the use of special equipment is the fastest and safest method; tools are used during the work.

Cleaning with a knife or hammer

A construction or stationery knife or pullers with hooks, adjusting screws, etc. are suitable for stripping wires. When working, carefully cut the winding along the core, then take it to the side and cut it.

When working with a hammer, they hit the cable with force until the insulation separates from the metal.

Firing and reflow

You can burn raw materials over a fire, but the method is justified for large volumes of raw materials. Perform work outdoors, observing safety precautions.

Melting a cable with a soldering iron is one of the ways to remove insulation from thin and thick wires and cables. Before work, the wire is laid on a flat horizontal surface. Then heat up the soldering iron and apply it vertically to the winding. As the insulation melts, the cable is rotated around its axis. After firing, the plastic can be easily removed with pliers, tweezers, or pliers.

Important! Work in a well-ventilated area. When the insulation melts, toxins are released and there is a strong plastic smell.

Using a side cutter and stipper

How to quickly clean the cable for scrap delivery and mechanize the process? Special tools will help:

• side cutter;
• stripper.

A side cutter is called wire cutters or tweezers for cutting wires. When using it, the free end of the wire is clamped between the blades, then carefully turned and pulled. The insulation is easily removed.

Note! The cutting edges are directed in the direction of movement of the tool so that the blades cut into the winding without much effort. If you handle the side cutter incorrectly, the cable will break off along with the insulation.

A stripper will help automate the cable cleaning process. There are different subtypes of the instrument. Models differ in the number of additional functions.

Stipper and working with it

The operating principle of all strippers is the same:

• the end of the cable is inserted into the hole of the tool;
• they clamp the handles of the stripper with their hands to cut through the windings;
• then the conductor is pulled outward, freeing it from insulation.

Important! The good thing about this tool is that it is simple and easy to use and is inexpensive. It rarely damages the cable, reduces winding removal time, and is suitable for working with single-core stranded conductors.

Special equipment

If there is a lot of scrap, special equipment for removing insulation will help simplify the preparation of raw materials. It can be rented directly from a centralized collection point.

Recycling collection points

Scrap acceptors purchase the following waste cable and wire products:

a) manufacturing defects, warehouse surplus;

b) used cable lines, production remains;

c) old uncleaned cable;

d) dismantled communications;

e) installation waste.

Acceptance is carried out according to several criteria, which determine the price per kg of scrap. The length of the conductor pieces, the percentage of scrap to insulation, and foreign impurities are taken into account.

By the way! To determine the weight of the metal without winding, the acceptance specialist cuts off a prototype conductor, strips it and weighs it.

Average price per kg of copper scrap for 2018-2019

Copper wire is a fairly common thing. It is used for wiring, and worn-out ones are gladly accepted as non-ferrous scrap metal.

As a rule, such a wire is covered with a protective sheath, and enamel or plastic is used as insulation. If you have decided to hand over copper to St. Petersburg, then before doing this it makes sense to clean the wire, as this will increase its cost several times.

There are several cleaning methods:

1. Using a utility knife. This option is the simplest and most affordable. Everything is done in two stages: the shell is first cut in a circle, and then along the length, only after that the insulation can be removed. However, such actions are dangerous - you can cut yourself with the blade if it slips.
2. Take a paper cutter, secure one end of the wire well and lower the blade close to the wire - the insulation will be removed.
3. Heating the copper wire will melt the insulation. This operation is carried out in small areas, but there is a risk of inhaling smoke and getting burned.
4. Hammer - they simply hit the wire until the insulation breaks. This option is the most labor-intensive and time-consuming.

There is another option - use a special installer's knife equipped with a hook. It is more convenient than the stationery one, as it prevents the blade from slipping: the hook bites well into the insulation and cannot jump out. Therefore, the incision can be obtained very quickly without any risks.

Special tool

Everything will turn out much faster and easier if you use a device that can now be freely purchased in the store. We're talking about a stripper.

It is not too expensive, and the quality of work demonstrates excellent. The principle of its operation is this.

The stripper handle contains a small, rotating knife. You need to pull the bracket on the tool with your finger and insert the wire under it - it will press against this knife.

Now the tool is wrapped around the wire several times, and a cut is made on the sheath. Next, the stripper is pulled towards the end of the wire, the knife will turn around and make a cut along.

Then the insulation can be easily removed. As you can see, the manipulations are similar to those performed with a knife, but safer and faster.

The tool has one drawback: it must be adjusted to the thickness of a particular cable. This is done using a special wheel that controls the depth of the cut.

How to quickly remove insulation from wires. Watch the stripper in action in the video: