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