Enamel wire stripping tool

[fitz]

Has anyone ever used one of these for stripping magnet wire ? Seems like it would be a pretty handy tool.

https://www.amazon.com/15-11-120-Stripping-Tweezers/dp/B00202BULY/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Knipex+1511120&qid=1576275473&s=hi&sr=1-3

 

[Thermioniclife]

Hey Fitz,
I have not used that tool to strip magnet wire but I have wound my own inductors for ham radios and crystal radios.
some of the magnet wire claims that all you have to do is heat with a soldering iron to melt the coating on the wire to get a good joint but I have found that this is a hit or miss situation at best.
what I do is carefully scrape the end of the coated wire with a razor blade or an xacto blade to expose the bare wire and then solder.
I would hate to have you spend money to buy a tool that may not be necessary.
I hope this helps you.

 

[fitz]

Hello. I have had really good luck with just using a soldering iron. I have never heard of an enamel stripping tool before and was curious if anyone else had.

Sounds like you are a ham. NO5S here.

 

[Paul Joppa]

Many years ago, we learned that a very large proportion of modern magnet wire is not coated with old-school enamel, but with some much tougher plastic. The only really reliable way to solder it was to dip the end in a solder pot first. Scraping works, but often takes several tries and risks nicking the wire. We've avoided it since. Sounds like a tool like this might help, but be aware of the issue.

 

[Doc B]

Yes, nowadays they use a high temp urethane. It is like the finish on your car, very rugged. A solder pot is definitely the easiest way to strip the stuff.