carl mciver wrote:
My favorite thing is to score
the insulation around circumferentially (sp?) first then bend the wire until
it breaks. Once that's loose, pull it off. If necessary I'll score into
the slug longways, but the idea is that when you pull it off, the strands
are clean and still lay in place.
Some folks cut it away like they were sharpening a pencil, but they make
sure the blade angle is such that the edge won't cut into the metal when it
gets there. The standards I have to work to won't allow that because of the
potential for error on critical lengths.


I've always been taught to never score around the circumference of wire
with a knife, by hand. When I strip wire with a knife, I do it similar
to sharpening a pencil, but I use a skinning knife and not a utility
knife. My preferred skinning knife is this one.


http://www.buckinghammfg.com/linemen/opsk.html

Th only time it's OK to ring a wire, is when you are stripping
semiconductor off of poly and you use a tool called a banana stripper.
Here is a page of cable preparation tools.

http://www.brenco-inc.com/catalog/ri...ip/default.htm

Don