I was thinking about the physics and hassle of removing enamel from the wire we use for toroids, and suddenly this came to me. It works GREAT for me on the larger diameter wires, +/- 24/26 guage. It is especially useful on those short wires we sometimes have to work with.
Grind off the seam zipper posts, leaving them as very short guides for the wire, sharpen the central knife surface, and scrape away. Laying the wire on a finger and moving the tool, at a slight angle, usually works best for me. Of course you will need to rotate the wire to get all surfaces cleaned.
73, happy scraping,
Bruce K3BAB?

On Jan 30, 2023, at 5:36 AM, Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:

This is not a DIY stripping tool:


but works very well for stripping small bell (aka magnet) wire. As you can see, it is nothing fancy in that it is 2 pieces of spring steel flat bar about 12mm (1/2") wide and ends bent down at about a 45 degree angle from each leaf of the tweezer like tool. Those bent down ends have a small v notch in them to accept small wire so it strips the wire rather than cutting it. It could easily be homebrewed since as you can see, there is not much to it.

Thank you.
Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY

On 1/29/2023 8:11 PM, Bruce wrote:

I was thinking about the physics and hassle of removing enamel from the wire we use for toroids, and suddenly this came to me. It works GREAT for me on the larger diameter wires, +/- 24/26 guage. It is especially useful on those short wires we sometimes have to work with.
Grind off the seam zipper posts, leaving them as very short guides for the wire, sharpen the central knife surface, and scrape away. Laying the wire on a finger and moving the tool, at a slight angle, usually works best for me. Of course you will need to rotate the wire to get all surfaces cleaned.
73, happy scraping,
Bruce K3BAB

On Jan 30, 2023, at 2:13 AM, William Smith <w_smith@...> wrote:

?I dunno, $20 for the 'proper' tool versus 'found it around the house' or a dollar store item, probably depends on your circumstances, but I applaud Bruce's ingenuity!

73, Willie N1JBJ

On Jan 30, 2023, at 5:36 AM, Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:

This is not a DIY stripping tool:


but works very well for stripping small bell (aka magnet) wire. As you can see, it is nothing fancy in that it is 2 pieces of spring steel flat bar about 12mm (1/2") wide and ends bent down at about a 45 degree angle from each leaf of the tweezer like tool. Those bent down ends have a small v notch in them to accept small wire so it strips the wire rather than cutting it. It could easily be homebrewed since as you can see, there is not much to it.

Thank you.
Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY

On 1/29/2023 8:11 PM, Bruce wrote:
I was thinking about the physics and hassle of removing enamel from the wire we use for toroids, and suddenly this came to me. It works GREAT for me on the larger diameter wires, +/- 24/26 guage. It is especially useful on those short wires we sometimes have to work with.
Grind off the seam zipper posts, leaving them as very short guides for the wire, sharpen the central knife surface, and scrape away. Laying the wire on a finger and moving the tool, at a slight angle, usually works best for me. Of course you will need to rotate the wire to get all surfaces cleaned.
73, happy scraping,
Bruce K3BAB

On Jan 30, 2023, at 4:24 AM, Chuck - K3FLN via groups.io <chuck.salmon@...> wrote:

?Not to take anything away for the creativity shown, but just pull the wire through a scrap of sandpaper between thumb and forefinger.? That removes all the varnish and leaves you with a shiny wire that solders great (tinned or un-tinned).??

Now I know that you-all are thinking, like I did: "Couldn't that easily damage the wire by breaking it or making it brittle?"? So, I did a little experiment with some 320 grit paper.? After the wire was clean, I continued to pull it through the paper to see what it would take to damage it.? I gave up after about 50 pulls!? Even with pretty fine gauge wire, there is plenty of margin.? Use a medium grit so you aren't tempted to squeeze too hard and start stretching the wire, which will make it brittle.??

Any form of scraping risks damage, and burning can be hit or miss. Give it a try!
--
Cheers,
Chuck