The CAT5 should be solid. Stranded CAT5 is usually used in factory made
patch cables and I don't believe it is stocked where normal consumers would
shop. Did you cut up a factory cable?
Crimping usually refers to attaching an RJ45 male onto a cable and using a
crimp tool. If this is what you are doing then you have to buy the correct
RJ45 plugs for stranded or solid. They look almost identical.
If you are referring to the S110 type punch down blocks then you also have
to verify that they were made for solid or stranded or both.
In no case do you strip the individual wires!
At one job the tech cut up patch cables and tried to punch them down. They
worked for awhile but we had nothing but trouble with the connections.
Kevin

wrote in message
...
Hey there,

I was trying to crimp some cat5 ethernet cable last night. I stripped
the wires and used a punch down tool to press the wires into the
connectors, but the wires would come loose before I could get all of
them crimped. The cat5 cable uses stranded wire, and I'm wondering if
this is what is causing my problems. I had already crimped a phone
line without problems.

Assuming that the stranded wire is the problem, is there some kind of
marette that can be used for slicing solid wire to the stranded wire?
I could then crimp the solid wire to my connector and tuck everything
into the wall behind the connector faceplate.

thanks