PTFE covered wire - how to strip off the PTFE?

Thermal wire stripper (STRIPALL)

I have several sets of these and use them on anything that might be damaged by a blade. Make sure you get some spare blades.

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
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Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

I've had reasonably good luck on PFTE wire and cable (including the spiral-fused-tape-insulated type) using a set of "hot tweezer" wire strippers. Bought 'em used through a dealer in such things who has a table at a local hamfest every month.

The temperature of the heated stripping element can be adjusted... anywhere from a gentle warmth which melts through PVC without making it smoke, up to a literally red-hot glow which will cut through PFTE down to the underlying wire.

[Using a fume evacuator, or at least a small fan, is a good idea in this case, to avoid the risk of inhaling the fumes... a nasty respiratory syndrome can result. Don't do this at all if you keep pet birds around... they're acutely sensitive to the fumes from overheated Teflon and etc.]

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Dave Platt                                    AE6EO
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And nerve damage...

Both nasty side effects.

Good ventilation is a must.

Jeff

Cutting

off,

Thats the type I use. I think I'll make my own cutter, a pair of razor blades set with a tapered gap between cutting edges (gap a bit larger than ext diam down to wire diam). Push the wire down the gap in 2 orthogonal directions and then rotate round at the narrow end. Then sleeve should slide off easily as its the cutting completely around that is the problem. I'd rather avoid melting of PTFE (the fluoro bit) especially as it cuts so easily. Hopefully something like a minimal version of these PTFE specific cutters, I only have one drum of one size of this wire, so no adjuster needed

tting/0608301.aspx

Works a treat, cutting this pesky thin inner layer of PTFE and not the wire filaments.

Two 2inch lengths of 12mm diameter hotmelt sticks. Temp controlled solder iron , melt a slot axially in one. With a pair of razor blades gripped in an engineer's cramp with gap one end , wider than the outer PTFE, and the other with blade edges touching at a point. Push the wide gap end into the hotmelt. Cool and repeat with the other end. Mark along the razor edge where the stripped wire falls to. Push some of the sleeved wire down to just beyond this point and drop hotmelt , filling the space down to the closed gap end. One sliding cut and 180 degree rotation is all that is needed , slide away, remove from the slot and pull off the cut sleeving.

but

PTFE.

lock

grinding

approved

in

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tapered

rotate

of

cutters,

This wire is very fine filament multistrand. perhaps 30 wire strands. If it was solid conductor it would be easier to strip. But the main problem is the multiple thin sleeve layers , perhaps 3, under the thick outer sleeving. PTFE seems to be strong in one sense and transverse very weak. If the fibrey part was laid up transversely it would easily part at the cutting point, but the layup is strong axially.