well...perhaps i might look into finding or borrowing one of these since i
do have allot of this stuff and intend to make some various antennas with
it.
Took me about five mins to scrape a nice clear area at the end of one wire
today...not that i mind investing time and energy into building
antennas..but i figure there has to be an easier way then wittling away at
it with a utility knife...i dont have a torch to burn it off with.
73
Colin, V A6BKX
----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin McCormick" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2005 8:38 AM
Subject: Re: stripping wire


>         One thing a well-equipped ham should have is a thermal wire
> stripping tool.  I have never bought one new, but I did find a used
> one in perfect working order for twenty Dollars at a ham fest, once.
> It consists of a heavy power supply that appears to have some sort of
> solid-state triac-based controller in it.  An extremely thick cord
> runs to the stripper which you hold in your hand and which looks like
> a very large pair of short tongs.  The ends of the tongs are little
> U-shaped loops of nichrome wire that can get red hot in a second or so
> after applying power to them.
>
>         You can put the wire in to the tongs while the strippers are
> cold and get it where you want it by pinching the tongs closed
> lightly.  Turn on the power and wait a few seconds.  You'll smell the
> melting insulation and will soon be able to slip it off the end with
> no trouble at all.
>
>         The thermal strippers I have used have a knob that controls
> the amount of current through the loops in the tongs and I usually
> turn mine about mid-way.
>
>         This is the type of tool you should be extremely careful with
> as you could set fire to just about anything combustible in a fraction
> of a second if it comes in contact with the strippers, themselves.  If
> you are a clutz, this isn't for you.  I am a bit of a clutz, but also
> a chicken, especially the older I get.
>
>         The thermal strippers I bought have a rocker switch that has a
> low-heat and a high-heat position.  The low-heat position probably
> gets about as hot as a soldering iron when the knob is turned all the
> way up.  The high-heat position gives you a range that starts about
> that point and goes all the way up to red hot.
>
>         If you run across one of these things in working condition at
> a ham fest or by some other means, grab it.  It is really handy, but
> do be careful.  It's in the same realm as torches and anything else
> that can start a fire.
>
> Martin McCormick 405 744-7572   Stillwater, OK
> Information Technology Division
> Network Operations Group
>