Efficient way to strip 3/4" from 4/0 welding cable?

softdown

Spent a few hours studying a bewildering array of cable strippers. It is a simple matter to simply strip insulation, a really sharp knife works pretty well. The magic is the perfect strip of a certain length.

Tools to do such specific strips, down to 10awg, are very widely available. Such tools would not be very practical in the 4/0 range. Tools to do really nice strips down to approx. 4awg are also easily available and relatively cheap.

Why the search? I am going to provide 4/0 battery cables for my "partner of sorts". He does large solar installations. I also hope to soon be doing small cabin installations.

softdown

Ughh....can this be moved to Off Grid? Thanks to Little Harbor for landing me here...

BB.

A couple of places/types to search for:

http://www.tpcwire.com/products/wire-and-cable-accessories/tools/cable-wire-strippers/cable-stripper-large
http://www.tpcwire.com/products/wire-and-cable-accessories/tools/cable-wire-strippers/heavy-duty-cable-stripper
http://www.greenlee.com/products/cable-stripper.html (currently about $106 on EBay)
https://www.grainger.com/category/wire-strippers-and-cable-slitters/cutting-tools/hand-tools/ecatalog/N-o68
https://www.eraser.com/wire-cable-strippers/
http://www.spectrumtech.com/about-us/technology/laser-wire-stripping/ (who could not want a LASER wire stripper?)

-Bill

Photowhit

If you are doing a bunch, lots and lots, I can see making one, wouldn't be too hard. Drill a 1" hole in a 1" nominal piece of hard wood, maybe a pallet compressor board (free), Then cut across the circle with a circular saw so you have 2 half circles, then mount a utility blade on one of them the correct depth, hinge the other side (or a flat piece of wood and use like a simple twist type wire stripper. Basically making something like this;

softdown

BB. said:

A couple of places/types to search for:

http://www.tpcwire.com/products/wire-and-cable-accessories/tools/cable-wire-strippers/cable-stripper-large
http://www.tpcwire.com/products/wire-and-cable-accessories/tools/cable-wire-strippers/heavy-duty-cable-stripper
http://www.greenlee.com/products/cable-stripper.html (currently about $106 on EBay)
https://www.grainger.com/category/wire-strippers-and-cable-slitters/cutting-tools/hand-tools/ecatalog/N-o68
https://www.eraser.com/wire-cable-strippers/
http://www.spectrumtech.com/about-us/technology/laser-wire-stripping/ (who could not want a LASER wire stripper?)

-Bill

I was ready to pull the trigger on that laser stripper until I found this:

Variable Cable Size

• 1 AWG to 50 AWG and smaller
• Ribbon and flat cable up to 285 mm (11.4″) width

Otherwise....a 25-50 year time frame for return on investment seemed readily available. Who could resist?

softdown

Photowhit said:

If you are doing a bunch, lots and lots, I can see making one, wouldn't be too hard. Drill a 1" hole in a 1" nominal piece of hard wood, maybe a pallet compressor board (free), Then cut across the circle with a circular saw so you have 2 half circles, then mount a utility blade on one of them the correct depth, hinge the other side (or a flat piece of wood and use like a simple twist type wire stripper. Basically making something like this;

Nice idea...I have so many irons in the fire right now that it is troubling.

softdown

This looks like a nice set from a quality manufacturer. I made a good offer. Over budget of course...buying so much gear.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/192028137595?ul_noapp=true&autorefresh=true

littleharbor2

softdown said:

Ughh....can this be moved to Off Grid? Thanks to Little Harbor for landing me here...

Any time.

BB.

Moved.

-Bill

softdown

BB. said:

Moved.

-Bill

Thanks! So I bought this set. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. Always entertaining knowing that we are jerking David A's chain every time Ebay is mentioned.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/192028137595?ul_noapp=true&autorefresh=true

Photowhit

I was curious if you had purchased it. I guess your doing a lot of cables. I think under 100 and I'd spend an hour making a tool, under 20 I'd just cut them with a utility knife, since 4 at a time is the most I've done, I've never had the need...lol.

softdown

I have at least 12 major projects that need done. I'm the tiniest big businessman of them all.

Yes...I plan to do a lot. Bought 500' of 4/0. A positive quality of buying good, used stuff is that it can be sold without a big  loss...on paper.

mike95490

I've used and love the Teledyne Stripall TW-1 thermal wire stripper.   The heat blade should be large enough for 4/O insulation. 
As configured as stock, heavy cable will not fit into the jaws, but if you remove one element, and reverse the other element, you have a single hot blade that will melt right through and not nick anything, You just rotate it around and cut the insulation, then grip it with mechanics gloves and slide it off.  it will stink a bit, but you never damage wire.  Razor cutters all nick the wires.
http://www.concorde-electronics.com/products/Teledyne-Stripall-TW1.html

softdown

mike95490 said:

I've used and love the Teledyne Stripall TW-1 thermal wire stripper.   The heat blade should be large enough for 4/O insulation. 
As configured as stock, heavy cable will not fit into the jaws, but if you remove one element, and reverse the other element, you have a single hot blade that will melt right through and not nick anything, You just rotate it around and cut the insulation, then grip it with mechanics gloves and slide it off.  it will stink a bit, but you never damage wire.  Razor cutters all nick the wires.
http://www.concorde-electronics.com/products/Teledyne-Stripall-TW1.html

Looks nice. Wondering about this....from their site: • "Strip insulation up to 1-1/2" dia. (10-38AWG)"

mike95490

>   "Strip insulation up to 1-1/2"  
That's as deep (long) as the strip depth gauge is.  (see where their quotes end)

 the standard jaw opening only goes up to about #10, so to do fatter wire, you flip the cutter blade around, and do it freehand,  you can set the depth gauge to 3/4" and use it as a handy reference.
These work like a soldering gun, a (well built, buzz free transformer inside) with a secondary winding of a couple turns of heavy wire to supply amps to the heater blade

softdown

It was made to do 10awg...that was the purpose of the quote. Thanks for pointing it out.