Arcade Repair Tips - Methods For Stripping A Wire

[@Collectorcast]

I bought that good wire stripper after you sent a tweet a while back with it on sale. Thanks!

[@TortureBot]

Thanks for the vid. I have used all the shown types of strippers. I'm sure depending on the amount of money and where they are bought, the quality of each will vary even when they look identical to each other. I have to say, my favorite for multi-stranded conductor wires is really the "dinosaur" one. I bought a set like that about 20 years ago at a flea market and they always worked flawlessly up until, you guessed it, a plastic part in the middle cracked in two, making them useless. Still lasted several years though. The standard type works well, but sometimes I end up having to attempt a strip a couple of times, because I cautiously start at a hole for a slightly larger gauge than I think is correct, so I don't accidentally go too small and damage the end of a wire. Now... for the recommended self-adjusting type. I bought a set of these at Walmart about 4 years ago. I wanted to replace the "dinosaur" type I had broken a long time back and saw these. They were HEAVY, well-made, and a bit more expensive as you say. I think they were between $13-15 there, and were obviously a generic brand, with little writing on the package, no user instructions (I know, none SHOULD be needed), and MADE IN CHINA on the back of the package. Upon getting them home and putting them into service, I noticed right away they were very aggressive when used on multi-stranded conductor wires. They work GREAT on home electrical wiring (14, 12 gauge Romex). But no matter where I adjust that little knob, which I figure controls how tightly they clamp down on the insulation, I ALWAYS find them breaking/cutting several individual strands of the copper wiring inside the insulation. I actually think it slightly nicks even the strands that are still in the insulation, making me worry they will eventually break after a project is complete later on. They still feel very heavy-duty in hand, and I do like them for solid conductor wiring, but even when used in a home AC wiring project, I find myself opting for the standard strippers, because usually I am connecting the Romex to stranded wiring that is ALWAYS in a ceiling fan, light fixture, or smoke detector, etc. Keeps me from switching back and forth. Maybe mine are just defective, and I need to purchase another set from a well-known name brand. I know when adjusting that knob, I have actually experimented and found it does practically NOTHING. If I loosen it too much, the entire threaded knob, spring, and a tapered slug falls out completely. The end result is always several broken strands of wire, and honestly, I don't want those strands falling all around where they might be left on a circuit board causing a short, or on the floor ending up in someone's bare foot later on.

[@vasili1207]

I got a trained ferret , thing is they only last a few years but they do poop out copper pellets so pays for itself