Simple DIY Wire Stripper (for Scrapping)

[@mjremy2605]

This sir, is a GENIUS hack!!! Very, very clever and easy to make. I'm going to make mine today. All size wires, yay!!!

[@MsShannaK]

You are wonderful for sharing this video!!! Thank you so much all these years later. I appreciate you so much :) me and my daughter are getting into this and this will help us get started!!! My fingers were so sad! Lol thank you!!!!

[@timmyczajka8411]

So grateful I came across this video as well, u can learn anything on KZbin lol ✌🏼🕊️. I was using pliers and a utility knife once I cut my finger a little bit I was like time to go to plan b AKA go on KZbin and find another way to strip it 😏

[@Subzizzle]

This is exactly what i was looking for. Thank you sir

[@VIDEOEPPO]

HeY, Thanks for the tip man. I did this. But instead of screwing the blade from both sides, I just used one side. The other side was just block using a clamp. This was the blade was flexible and I could strip thin wires as well. Thanks a bunch.

[@Dedthread]

Thats so damn smart bro

[@juanitasews5782]

The best one yet!!!! Will be making on tomorrow. THANKS FOR SHARING!!!! Nice fingernails by the way.

[@spockmcoyissmart961]

Thanks for reminding me I have to get my EMT training refreshed.........

[@jebbyhut4711]

Hahahahaha

[@edmorie6032]

4443b

[@srijita9g362]

Bad joke😑😑

[@someguy1688]

@@srijita9g362 how lmao. It’s a dude who keeps sliding his fingers near a razor blade. Perfect joke for his method of stripping

[@cindythomas4246]

I will surely cut the tips of my fingers off. Did that to my thumb using a kitchen mandolin. It hurts.

[@rodneyjackson622]

The best idea I have seen, Great job my friend. Thank you for sharing.

[@contestsvu4538]

Thanks for this. I have a lot of wire I want to strip. I've never done it before but will be trying your method. I appreciate it.

[@ItsShowtime902]

Throw it in a fire

[@thebeardedboylol2494]

@@ItsShowtime902 loses value

[@ItsShowtime902]

@@thebeardedboylol2494 not even remotely..its #1

[@Mobliz]

Definitely illegal, bad for anyone who has to breath it in downwind, and if the scrapyard notices the copper is burnt they probably won't buy it.

[@diedredunham7383]

Cool!! I'm a wire wrapping and crafter. So this will allow me to strip some of the free wire I have been given. I've been using pliers and a hand held razor. It's not safe!! Thanks!!

[@hannahrj7863]

THANK YOU!! Have been itching to build one of these forever and having a mini like this is PERFECT for what I do. Keep it up, dude!^__^

[@drewj50]

PRO TIP: Add something flexible like a piece of cut mouse pad or rubber beneath the razor so you can make fine adjustments by tightening or loosening the screws. This will also allow you to strip many different gauges :D

[@MrDiyDork]

That's a great idea.

[@A.C.71]

​@@MrDiyDork Another pro tip: Use a a plain old vegetable peeler like the one you use to peel potato's etc, it works well for the braided wire as well :)

[@frankcandiloro8676]

Common sense says flexibility/soft would provide multiple thicknesses without actually having to remove the blade or fiddle with extra pieces to add or remove

[@Matlock69]

Another pro tip, it's 100% not worth the effort to strip the smaller stranded wire. It would take hours to strip enough wire to get even a few dollars worth of copper.

[@tammygurl64]

True but at the very least, it could save a hobbyist jeweler money on copper wire jewelry making supplies. Money saved is money earned. And... then there's more money to gain by selling the jewelry than one could get recycling the same amount of wire. This process isn't for everyone though.

[@patandsandytrierweiler2440]

Sorta right. (I worked in an electrical wire mfg plant for 12+ years.) However, the blade will quickly dull in this setup. May I kindly suggest a piece of metal pallet strap which has been edge sharpened. Instead of screws to hold the blade, consider clamps. As the blade dulls, you just (loosen clamps) advance the blade to the next sharp area. Also, the wire needs to be pushed up and then come back down just before hitting the cutting blade,....A small pan head screw in your entry slot might do the trick. ( the "lift" from the pan head helps to force/keep the jacketing channeled into the blade)

[@Davesroadsidescraping]

I have made this stripper my best stripper is made with a flaring tool it already has different size holes by placing a blade between the 2 sides of the clamp with the blade just entering the hole just far enough to cut the sheith not the wire itself. I stripped about 300 feet yesterday in about an hour.

[@tammygurl64]

Great tip and safer than some other ways. Thanks!

[@SunRabbit]

This year has been PHENOMENAL in the amount of wire I've been finding because the Copper prices have gone down a bit. As a result I'm not seeing that many cars cruising the piles from Czech Republic and Poland, and 2 days ago I saw none at all. But here's the deal: 2 days ago me and my girlfriend did bulk garbage day in Eschenbach, Germany and OMG we found a section of 3-phase 4 x 480 cable. Don't know how long it is but it's about 10cm (4 inches) in diameter and weighs at least 200 kilos. Good thing she went with me because we could barely get it in the van. When I undid the wire clasps the coil spread out all over my hallway. But this thing is so hard to strip. What I'm doing is I use a pipe cutter to cut the outer insulation in sections about 15cm long, which I then slip off, then cut the 16 strands of monofilament with a sheetmetal clipper. Nothing else works. I tried using a knife and no way, the material is too hard, even when heated with a hairdryer. I also used a brand-new medical scalpel blade I put into a vise-grip plier and even that didn't work. Based on the weights of the pure Copper vs the weight of the insulation I estimate I'll be about 700 Dollars richer after all is said and done (but when?). Thing is that I never sell Copper or any other metals here in Germany because I get a lot more money for them in Czech Republic. Besides, I can use the Crowns to buy SOME stuff cheaper there, like gasoline, Silver coins for my retirement collection, and leather handbags which in turn I can sell here for a lot more money on eBay.de's Kleinanzeigen but which I all mail out from Czech Republic because postage rates are about 1/3 of those over here. Crazy, I know. Thank God CZ is only about 40km (20 miles) from my house.

[@colleenposadas8415]

Sun Rabbit You have good ideas!

[@titanconnect441]

3....2...1 slices fingers

[@ffjsb]

A few comments... I'd clamp two pieces of wood together (of the same size) and then use a drill press to make the channels by drilling right at the joint. You could probably fit 2-4 channels per blade. I'd also put a shim behind the back of the blade to angle the blade down at the front so it digs in easier. To keep the wire down in the channel so the blade doesn't dig into the copper, put a heavy wire staple into the wood in front of the blade to force the wire down into the channel. Thanks for the vid, seems like a very economical way to strip wire.

[@tiffanytrublyss8606]

Genius. This will make my work so much easier. Thank you. BTW: you have great voice, dude. Just wanted you to know.

[@wolfcry8968]

You, sir, have just saved me a lot of time and Bayer.

[@shawnkiesel5349]

Nice video. I'm going to try this method..

[@diehardfan173]

Perfect idea. Good for you to think of this and for sharing

[@hasanshaikh9241]

Very good machine.simple and low costing but very effective. Good one Bro.

[@keshatton2334]

I used to strip long lengths of cable very quickly by tying one end to a hook in the garage, or wall holding a sharp knife in a gloved hand and walking backwards. You end up with a very long bit of scrap plastic sheath and a valuable line of copper. It worked well if there were no kinks in the cable.

[@aaronedmunds4829]

And it works best with solid wire. Stranded is a bit more challenging

[@jedarramorriss7064]

I just tried this and it was ok, and I did enjoy when I had a good little run, but I have a really good way of stripping braided wire 😊 I use an approximately two foot piece of 3/4" pex, but you can also use pvc, and I drill holes through on one end about a 1/4" from the end of the piece of pex pipe that are just barely big enough for the wire to go through. Then I stand it up between my feet and knees and place a piece of wire through it just enough to be able to pull out from the other side, and I place a box cutter knife into the end of the pipe on top of the wire, resting the tip of the knife against the side of the hole where the wire is going out. Place just enough pressure to cut into the wire insulation and pull the wire through 😊 It works fabulously 😁😁I'm sitting in a chair with a foot stool, which is why the piece is two feet, so obviously you can cut the length to where it is comfortable to hold. If after a while the piece of pipe starts to wear out, you can just cut that end off and drill new holes, or even drill other holes across the end of the pipe. I first watched this video last year and I figured out this technique shortly after, and I have been meaning to leave this comment in hopes of helping others out 💜 Good luck everyone!

[@JOEY22445]

Show how to make your version. I'm sure we would all like to see it. :)

[@marcusbrown7817]

You lost me bruh

[@rayray3842]

Awesome 👏🏽 going to try that!

[@marks.6480]

I made one today and it does work pretty well. It's all a matter of getting the wire to go in at the right angle. Easier and much safer than just using a hobby knife or something similar.

[@svfantom7776]

That's a great time shaver. Thanks!

[@kaningraja2145]

Nice bro. Keep going

[@SunRabbit]

Bit of advice: watch out for bell wire. I was stripping the last of a big yard-waste bag full of wires I had gotten on my last rounds and I came upon a coiled up wire with a doorbell still attached to it. Not thinking anything of it, I clipped that off and proceeded to strip. Looked like nice shiny Copper at first, but I noticed it wasn't acting the way normal Copper wire does. After years of doing this you just know. Anyway, after expending great effort to wind this piece on my hand to make a bundle, I decided "what on earth" and put a magnet to it. Sure enough, it was steel. I couldn't believe it! My friend's an electrician and I told him about it and he was like "sure, bell wire is always Copper plated steel" and even gave me a reason, but which I promptly forgot. So that's something to watch for, at least here in Europe, don't know if this applies to the US as well.

[@MrDiyDork]

+Slunecni Zajicek Funny you mention that. When I replaced the doorbell on our house, I noticed the same thing.

[@TheDJOblivion]

I just discovered this stuff yesterday, in an odd place. It was used in a cheap Chinese car battery charger, it was in the motor coil and all of the ac cord and ali clamp cords. Strange.

[@FusionDeveloper]

Thank you. I did a temporary version where I used a razor + a plastic container and locking pliers. I want to build what you you made, it looks awesome and the more dangerous temporary version I made, worked perfect.

[@mjremy2605]

Worked PERFECTLY, not Worked PERFECT. PERFECT is an adjective used to describe a noun (thing). E.g. This watch is perfect for my needs. 'PERFECT' describes the watch. PERFECTLY is an adverb used to moderate a verb or adjective. E.g. This watch works perfectly at keeping time. 'PERFECTLY' moderates the verb WORKS. Americans have but one language to master and still butcher it. Sloppy language is a sloppy attitude in all areas. Take the time to use language as skillfully as the power tools in your garage. The rest of the world in Europe, South America, Canada, Asia, India all speak multiple languages fluently. There is no excuse not to use polished English at all times. 🧐

[@seanbruck5269]

FUSION BE LIKE B"BACK IN MY DAY I WAS THE BEST BASKETBALL PLAYER IN MY STATE, COACHES SAID I WAS THE GREAT THEY HAD EVER SEEN.......THE GREATTT"

[@mr.cmrs.c3591]

i'm running out now to buy a wire stripper... thanks for the encouragement :)

[@milagrorodriguez9996]

ken C. That was funny remark it got me laughing really funny made my day it encouraged you to buy yourself a stripper hahaha I'm still laughing

[@iH85CH001]

cant tell if that was sarcasm in the reply or not lol

[@jameshutchinson6146]

Couple of more ways .a bit called a spiral cut for a router .put in drill leave on a flat board strips it as it feeds automatically. Also the mouse pad works but rigged with an wing nut so fits any size .and my favorite I hole drilled through an old axe head just skin about a foot of wire tie wire to car and pullout strips it at 60 mph if u want

[@ericlv96]

Man! I've tried now and again to make a cheap stripper like this but always tried something along the lines of a pipe with a razor sticking down, or something like that. Never could get the combo setup quite right to make it that effective. Like an idiot, it never crossed my mind to lay the razor sideways instead of up and down. Had my blinders on and wasn't thinking of other ideas, just trying to make the one work. Thanks for the idea! I had one whipped up on 10 mins and stripped 30 feet of wire in no time! Great video!

[@scottpawley1143]

Fantastic idea I'm over here in the uk it's a Sunday morning I'm going to build one cheers great work Scott

[@Gerasimo_Carbone]

El Hungry La Appro ved !!! Great Idea !!! THANKS !!!

[@matthewjameson4216]

That's a cool idea. what I sometimes do is use boiling water from a kettle to heat up the plastic and you will find it cuts easier for your smaller wires.

[@MrDiyDork]

That's a great idea. I'll have to try that out.

[@mariahsmigiel9108]

good idea, but i do like what one person said, making the entrance of the channel a little bigger but ultimately when it hits that razor, only the size of the uninsulated wire should be able to fit though to make more of a cut every time, if its for scraping start of with a pair of strippers do like 5 inches off the bat and pull yards through at a time thanks for the idea i may try something similar

[@steelcrusher]

Cool great idea!!! 👍

[@brucemartin8435]

Living here in Italy and the older gentleman down the street does this all the time and 3 - 4 times a year returns all of his copper.......yaaaay! Wine money!

[@darrenmcwhiney3220]

Thanks for the video! But a lot of wire, I would tie one end of to my tailgate and once you get it started you can just rip it out the rest of the way!😁👏

[@michaelsilkwood6129]

I’ll be trying this for sure.

[@spg77777]

When drilling into metal, very often slower rpm's are better. Start slow and try to find the sweet spot where the drill starts to peel the metal away. Some cutting fluid of some oil help. ) Use a saw to make the groove...

[@diskreteone1967]

Thanks for the good video

[@lucaslongfellow7669]

What type of drill bit did you use?

[@RGLaudio]

How did you drill the holes so easily into the razor blades?

[@rhys8125]

Same here my drill bits don't make a dent just slides away

[@RoseKindred]

Neat simple build. Thanks for showing. I am going to try to make one like this but I think a piece of wood on top of the razor would be a good safe guard.

[@MrDiyDork]

Thanks. It's ultra simple and not the most mind blowing design ever, but works decent enough for when I need it occasionally. Your wood block guard is a great idea!

[@cyberdan1000]

wood not needed. just go to harbor freight and get a $4 pair of gloves. Nothing heavy duty needed. I think mine are HARDY brand.

[@lisalowe2242]

I'm trying to find what u do to turn it gray

[@markcornelius8802]

Thanks for sharing! That looks like a pretty basic method for stripping. Simple and cheap!

[@christinageller1649]

What size bits are they

[@zedshowsyouhow9038]

Suggested improvement: place a u-type nail over the channel, just before the razor. This will not impair function, but will most certainly allow me to keep my fingerprints.

[@MrDiyDork]

+Zed Showsyouhow That's a great idea. Thanks.

[@armandomccutcheon896]

What size drill bits are they

[@papaversomniferum5247]

Zed Showsyouhow hmmm... I don’t want finger prints. So I won’t do that. Gfy

[@LunchBox2005]

Or trace the shape of a blade onto the board and hit it with a plunge router like an 1/8 inch deep to recess the blade into the board.

[@cyberdan1000]

@@LunchBox2005 the blade only needs to be recessed the thickness on one layer of insulation. The angled edge of the blade should should be riding on the copper, not gouging it.

[@vielkarodriguez7966]

Uh mercy I love this idea I have some smaller blades but hope it will work for me. I Will try this week. Pray for me

[@jesseperez6139]

Million dollar idea man! Thank you!

[@najdiy]

Great idea, easy to follow n so useful

[@davidmarzolino7159]

Not bad for such a simple tool!

[@MrDiyDork]

Yeah, it's definitely not the ultimate, end-all-be-all stripper, but works good enough for the occasional wire stripping I do.

[@davidmarzolino7159]

MrDiyDork like I always say if it ain't broke don't try to fix it

[@josealbano4738]

David marzolino o o

[@Mike_Greene]

its darn near close... i almost cried when i found this... Most of us scrappers already have everything it takes to make this...

[@johnholmes8413]

Thanks a lot for this video. Now I have no fingers! What a great ideal

[@bengallagher2574]

If you have no fingers how did you type this out

[@nathanlapp6369]

@@bengallagher2574 you can do voice text

[@mohammadsameer7681]

Good idea

[@mattyal9347]

I'll try it!

[@colleenposadas8415]

I love your name and retro look. thanks for good video

[@madog466]

I’m having a problem with making the whole in the razor blade I would like to know what drill bit you used ?

[@nickbenson8717]

Just make sure it says its for metal too

[@angelaallen6650]

Thank u so much for this post!!! I made one yesturday n it works great 😁

[@MrDiyDork]

Awesome. Glad to help!

[@TheSeancassady]

I like this concept but think I would try making the same rig but slightly larger so you could hold onto it and pull it along the wire instead of pulling the wire through the cutter. Long enough that you have good hand grips on each side, then secure the wire FIRMLY on the starting end and as you pull away there should be a natural up-swing of the wire to keep it against the cutting edge of the razor.

[@timmyczajka8411]

That's what I'm trying to do

[@nomommaswhey619]

B I'm😊 m

[@kevinlee9751]

nice job. similar to the way I do it. Thanks.

[@Laidtorest69]

It seems to work better if you mount the razor to where the cutting edge is at 30-40 degree angle to the wood piece so it cuts through with a slicing motion as opposed to pushing through the blade

[@alen82904]

What drill bit to use to make holes in razor blade?

[@wackyrice1]

. . If you get one of those wood coffee stir sticks,, shave it to fit, and shim the small wire channel for smaller wire. .

[@sarathkumarrajappan1693]

Please I need this how much

[@티코-h2w]

that's good idea thank you!!

[@anthonybaringer6697]

Ok what kind of razor blades are you using? I see they're IRWIN clearly but are they different material or something? I've tried 7 different packs of blades, all of which are shiny silver blades, and every one of them cracked and broke while drilling through it or when screwing it down. I'm using brand new Milwaukee titanium bits and even switched to brand new Cobalt drill bits on the last 2 blades with the same result. What am I doing wrong?

[@piedadunda8578]

very good job, I love it!!!!!!!

[@kirtivaishnav5243]

Excellent

[@kenbooth7678]

I liked the video.thanks for the information.

[@CarlosAmbert]

This is the way!

[@sueknight154]

Thank you very much!!!

[@freeganjustin6699]

Stiff single wire is much easier to strip freehand than this. Fine multi strand is best sold as is (it's not profitable to strip it), but if you must, it's best to use a tool that puts the point into the work. That way it doesn't matter if it digs in, as you you won't slice bits out.

[@robbscofield9968]

Thank you!!!!!!!👍✌️

[@reyeschavez3032]

Does anyone know the difference between a razor blade and a utility knife blade?

[@SquidwardsGooch]

I’ve been cutting so much wire for about 3 months now does anyone know how much this sells for?

[@cutweldngrind]

I have 6.6oz of copper ready which may be around $1.25. I'm going to buy a burrito.

[@brentsido8822]

if you find the exact angle at which the insulation is caught by the razor and put something under the wire on the cutting side so as to maintain the angle I predict you will have an easier time loading and maintaining a constant stripping action.

[@suev3214]

I've tried the DIY wire stripper with the screw technique for slicing the casing with minimal luck - it appeared the screw tips dulled quickly. This flat mounted utility knife blade works great. You can use a single groove size for a few different sized wire gauges. Tip for drilling the groove - clamp two boards together and drill down through the gap between the two boards, and this sure beats trying to get a drill bit to grip on it's side. As far as safety, the worst that will happen is a few layers of skin - or you can simply place a wire staple in front of the knife blade to prevent fingers from hitting the sharp blade. What do you expect from the Beta version of a very low cost DIY tool to make a great deal of money scrapping scrap wire? This is a friggin fabulous DIY wire stripper for the cost of a single utility knife blade, scrap wood, wire staple, and a few screws (aka less than $5).

[@CodyMorrisseyTrailerParkNerd]

add a spring underneath the blade on one of the screws so you can adjust the blade hieght with a turn of the screw and the blade will raise up and down.

[@MrDiyDork]

+Cody Morrissey that's a cool idea. Thanks!

[@gregoryone90]

Honestly based on stripping videos I’ve watched. One does not even need a wire stripper if you are good at it. This would be good for a really long wire but I suggest this. If you have a wire extremely long then do the same thing but notch the piece of wood so that the wire is not flush with the notch and sticks up enough so that you can screw the razor right on top of the wire and easily pull it with one hand.

[@patlawless1960]

Great idea! Thanks for posting it.

[@fangtie_experiments]

nice drill

[@alabarrr]

What I do when I strip wire is I lay the wire in the sun for a while. It warms the insulation up so that when you strip it, it comes off in one long piece. When wire is cold, the insulation comes off in pieces that are 1-2 inches in length.

[@marks.6480]

that's actually a very good tip... i'll try it with hot water

[@6980869]

How'd the hot water method work for you? any pros or cons you'd be willing to share? thanks in advance. Aloha

[@bschaller9777]

Thanks for the video, don’t think it will work for this 500 I’m messing with, but I’ll honestly keep this in mind for that small stuff

[@muhammadrafiuddin2347]

Nice video. Do you have diy idea on how to connect two wire using tape?

[@michaelpaul721]

THANKS GREAT IDEA _

[@GadgetAddict]

Mmm I guess it's okay if you're at a site and need to strip a LOT of wires and really have no other options. But this really seems like one of the most difficult ways to strip wires.

[@MrDiyDork]

+Gadget Addict Yes, that exactly the point of this wire stripper. It's for stripping lots of wires completely to scrap the copper inside. It's not intended to be used like a handheld set of strippers where you're just stripping the end to do some electrical work, etc. I'm big on recycling as much as I can instead of just trashing it, and it don't hurt to get paid for it when you can. ;) I had a box full of old wires, plugs, etc I had saved in my closet, and I needed a fairly simple way to strip it. I tried a knife and handheld strippers, but it was taking hours & killing my fingers. Then I built this and it took minutes.

[@GadgetAddict]

MrDiyDork Ah okay, that makes a lot of sense then. Sorry I think I kind of missed the purpose of it when I watched the video.

[@MrDiyDork]

+Gadget Addict Yeah, no problem. It appears I didn't make the purpose of this stripper very clear in the video seeing all the dislikes right off the bat. lol

[@GadgetAddict]

MrDiyDork Maybe you can add an annotation. Cos for what you described, it makes sense to make something like that!

[@danielb27]

@@GadgetAddict your a idoit

[@Cancun771]

1:45 have you heard of this brand new invention, called a "saw"? Not sure if it'll catch on but it is about a million times better at making channels in wood.

[@frohman86]

what if the cable is long and peeled in the middle?

[@furywild3830]

Cuánto cuesta el kilo allá en el gabacho?

[@franklimfranciscosousadaro7970]

congratulations

[@skitzabod7727]

Exactly how I like my stripper... Simple.

[@parcydwr2]

Those blades must be way softer in the US than the UK if you can drill them. Maybe it is just an Irwin thing.

[@johnsen5228]

The right way to strippe your fingers!

[@lonewolfhatchetjack4774]

AWESOME VIDEO, thanks brother. Thanks for the info I needed this method to make,my day easier an more days to come..

[@sisyphyus]

No need to drill holes in it. You already have 2 spaces to secure it with. Just use those, and cut two channels to the right and the left of it of varying sizes. ALSO, using the already provided notches you can simply loosen the screws to change out the blade easily. Figuring in the past 5 years someone has possibly already suggested this though.

[@chadpanelli8240]

you should strip the end first and then make your depth i the wood to that bare coper size so when you pull it through it catches the sleeving and you can pull it straight through great idea though

[@venupatange5162]

Thank you it's working now

[@crazyc3558]

Think the 1st channel was made tiny bit to deep or wouldn't have mess about like that but nice video m8y cheap an effective

[@AJsRemovalServices]

We made something similar a few months back but it didn't do so well with braided wire because it kept getting snagged and fraying the wire.

[@MrDiyDork]

+A & J's Removal Services, LLC. Yeah, that's an issue I've had with it as well. It's works pretty decent on solid wire though.