Wire stripping tool. Sector scissors for cutting any cable How to quickly cut the wire to the desired length

A good electrician has a variety of tools in his arsenal. After all, high-quality wiring installation often depends not only on knowledge and skills, but also on the availability of certain devices, as well as skills on how to handle them.

Even a seemingly simple question, how to strip a wire from insulation, requires a certain set of tools. An experienced electrician has a tool for high-quality stripping of wires of any type and section.

The importance of proper cleaning

For a high-quality and reliable electrical connection, it is important not only to correctly twist or solder. It is equally important to carefully clean the core from insulation. In a hurry or improper use of the tool, it is easy to damage (cut) the conductive core itself. This leads to a decrease in the cross section of the wire and a faster failure of the junction: breakage or burning.
As a rule, wires and cables used in everyday life have a single-core or multi-core structure. Depending on this, various tools and methods for releasing the core from insulation. Consider the most commonly used of them, which are used by home and professional electricians to remove insulation.

professional tool

Professional electricians use a special device called a stripper (KSI). Such a tool can be of three types:

Manual;
semi-automatic;
Auto.

Let's consider their device in more detail.

The handheld device is perhaps the most common stripper option. Several positive factors come into play here:

Light weight;
Compact size;
Some additional features which makes this tool more versatile.

Such a stripper has several (usually up to seven) fixed gaps, which allow you to quickly strip the wire with a cross section of 0.25 to 2.5 mm. Of the additional features, cable cutters and the crimping function of the lugs are the most useful.

One of the varieties of a manual stripper, allows you to remove insulation from wires with a cross section from 0.6 mm to 2.6 mm

Semi-automatic KSI

This tool also has a certain number of holes in which you need to insert a wire to strip it. After that, it is enough to squeeze the handles: the sponges will close and hold the wire, and the knife will cut the insulation. As a result, the stripper will open, removing the insulation.

The advantage of such a tool is the simplicity of design and ease of use. The disadvantages include some bulkiness and impracticality: additional functions are not provided. That is why such a device has not been widely used even by professionals.

Semi-automatic stripping pliers KBT WS-03A

KSI-machine

Deservedly popular with electricians who have to perform a large number of tasks every day. various connections enjoy automatic strippers. Such a tool is extremely easy to use: just insert the wire into the work area and squeeze the handles. The device will carefully remove the braid from the wire, automatically determining the cross section of the core.

Without tuning, such a tool works with a wire with a cross section of 0.2 to 6 mm 2. It is worth noting that modern strippers have an adjustment screw that allows you to adjust the device to work with a smaller diameter wire.

KBT WS-03A pliers automatically determine the wire cross section

In addition, the popular WS-04 stripper model has many additional features:

Combs on inside handles allow crimping of cores in round terminals;
Cable cutters are installed next to the combs, allowing you to quickly cut the ends of the wire;
If necessary, you can set the limiter for stripping, for example, 2 cm.

The multifunctional automatic stripper is designed for stripping both single and double insulation. But it is worth noting that one layer of braid is removed in one operation. That is, in order to remove double insulation, it is necessary to perform two manipulations.

improvised means

But not everyone needs to strip dozens of wires every day. In addition, a quality professional tool costs decent money. Therefore, in everyday life, when it is necessary to clean several ends, it is quite possible to get by with improvised means and a tool that any owner has.

Stripping with a knife

The most popular tool for one-time cleaning of insulation is a regular knife. But its use is fraught with damage to the cable core. Therefore, the knife should not be held straight, but at an acute angle to the wire and "cut off" the insulating layer. When using a knife, care must be taken as it is easy to cut yourself. A clerical knife is also often used, but it is even more inconvenient to work with them, and it breaks easily if the sheath is very hard.

A hook-shaped knife is often used to cut cables. This knife has a wider blade and is designed to cut the insulation along the cable.

Hook-shaped knife for stripping KNIPPEX KN-1220165SB is used for longitudinal cutting of insulation

A knife is also available in the form of a special clip. The wire is inserted under the clamping bar where the blade is installed. Pressing the bar with your thumb, the knife is drawn along the braid, cutting it, after which the insulation is easily removed. Such a knife costs about 200 rubles and is a fairly versatile tool.

Such a knife is often used to strip the insulation from a UTP cable. Also on this device there is a device for clamping the UTP cable into sockets and cross-panels

It is very convenient to use wire cutters, which are also called side cutters. In order to quickly strip the wire from insulation, the wire cutters must be correctly taken in hand. Better take the cutters reverse side: so that the cutting edges are directed against the stroke. This will allow the blades to easily cut into the sheath without violating the integrity of the strand. This method is easy to implement, and every owner has wire cutters. Therefore, this method of stripping wires has found wide application.

Side cutters are an essential tool for any electrician.

Reflow method

Insulation melting method is the most suitable for cleaning old wiring. The fact is that over time, the winding loses its elasticity, becomes rigid and at the same time fragile. If you use a mechanical tool, such as wire cutters or a stripper, the braid can crack anywhere.

In this case, you can use a soldering iron or a wood burning device. With a heated soldering iron, the braid is melted in a circle, after which it is easily removed with wire cutters or pliers.

The advantages of this method include the ability to remove the insulation from very thin wires without the risk of damaging them. Of the minuses, we note the presence of acrid smoke during reflow and, of course, electricity is required.

It is not recommended to use teeth to remove insulation. Not only does this damage tooth enamel, but it can also cause damage from static electricity accumulated during wiring. It's not fatal, but very annoying.

How to strip some types of wire

Sometimes there is a need to connect not an ordinary soft-braided wire, but a conductive core with a specific coating. Removing such isolation requires extraordinary approaches. Let's look at some options.

enameled wire

To strip such insulation, two methods are used:

mechanical method. For this method, it is best to use fine sandpaper. A piece of paper is folded in half, then the wire is inserted into the sheet. Lightly squeezing the sandpaper with your fingers, the wire is pulled over the free end. Such manipulations should be continued until the enamel is completely erased. This method is suitable for enameled wire with a cross section of more than 0.2 mm 2;
The thermochemical method is often used by radio amateurs to clean enamel from wires with a cross section of less than 0.2 mm 2. Its essence lies in the use of a soldering iron and vinyl chloride material (an ordinary electrical tape with such a coating is suitable). A piece of tape lies on a flat surface, a piece of wire is laid on top. A heated soldering iron should be slowly drawn through the wire. The chlorine released at the same time perfectly removes the enamel coating from the wire.

PTFE Coated Wire

Fluoroplast - polymer material, for a protective coating of wires, is produced in the form of a narrow tape, which is tightly wound on a conductive core. Such insulation has high thermal stability (up to 300°C), does not let moisture through and is suitable for use in various difficult operating conditions.

Such a braid can only be removed mechanically. To do this, on one side along the wire, the insulation is carefully scraped off with a knife so as not to damage the core. As soon as the wire is exposed, the insulation is laid aside and cut to the desired length.

The cable cutter looks like wire cutters, but on closer inspection, the biting part of such a tool is built a little unusual. What is it for? This and more will be discussed below.

A variety of cables - a large selection of tools

Deciding to do repairs in the house, you notice that the wiring is already very old, the cables are heating up, and the plugs or machines are constantly knocking out. After that, a decision is made - to replace all the wiring in the house or apartment. What do you need from the tools? These are side cutters, or, as they are also called, wire cutters, tape measure and screwdrivers of various sizes. I would like to focus on what the wire cutters are.

In fact, these tools can be used not only in electrical wiring, but also in other works, for example, depending on the size and shape, they can even bite through rebar up to 6 mm. What do ordinary electrician's side cutters look like? These are two parts, each of which consists of a handle and an edge sharpened inside. Their connection takes place in the center through a special hole using a rivet made of durable material. Their purpose - again, depending on whether they are small or large - is to bite the cable or individual cores, as well as thin wire.

For example, a conventional tool can work with a section of about 3x1.5. A larger cable may no longer be able to be processed, or it may need to be cut into pieces. At the same time, there are also such wire cutters with which it will be easy to cut even thick high-voltage cables. If the action of the first type of wire cutters can be compared with the principle of operation of scissors, then the working part of the second is somewhat reminiscent of an excavator bucket. Such a tool is used near the reinforcing unit, where frames and meshes are assembled by attaching joints with knitting wire, and not by welding. In this case, they are very convenient for even segments that will be needed to tie the reinforcement.

In a word, when buying a tool, we choose what we need it for, because the design and its price depend on it. Bolt cutters can also be attributed to wire cutters, also called reinforcing wire cutters or pin pliers. This useful tool is intended for cutting, or, in other words, biting bar metal. The most commonly used option is that you can work if you need to cut metal up to 1 cm thick.

Cable cutter design

Now about the design of the tool handles. Ordinary wire cutters can go without insulation, as no live work is required. And an electrician's tool must have protective handles made of non-conductive material so that current does not beat on his hands. Also among these handles there are those on which, above the place where we will hold on to the hand, there is a limiter that prevents the hand from jumping off the wire. Tools with this type of handle are undoubtedly very convenient, because they provide reliable protection for the performer of work, protecting against all sorts of surprises.

Moreover, when the tool is checked at the enterprise by a firefighter or a commission, no problems or claims should arise. With regard to safety (regardless of whether we work at home or the tool is used in the workplace), we can say the following. Wire cutters without insulation, with a broken handle where the metal is visible, are not allowed. Alternatively, you can wrap the handles with several layers of electrical tape, but then there will be no limiters on them and aesthetics will be lost, although working with electrical tape will be no less convenient than with wire cutters with ordinary handles.

Some tools have a spring that automatically pushes the handles back into place. But usually such a device has small wire cutters designed for delicate work. Since the spring is not everywhere, consider how to properly hold the tool while biting the cable. With the little finger and middle finger we grab one of the handles below from the inside, and hold it near the rivet with the big one. The working half will be the one that is taken with the index (outside) and middle finger (inside). In this case, the middle finger will play the role of the same spring, pushing the handle.

Types of cable cutters - manual and hydraulic drive

What are cable cutters? This tool is also known as a cable cutter. Thanks to its device, it is possible to cut the most popular types of cable: copper, with a cross section of 3x400 mm and below, or aluminum, with a cross section of 200 mm and thinner. If we talk about the ways in which they are activated, there are such options. We can mention a mechanical sector cable cutter, where the work is done more often by hand. They have manual drive, in which there is a ratchet mechanism for driving the cutting sector element, which allows, with a small effort, to cut cables of a sufficiently large diameter.

An equally popular variety is the hydraulic cable cutter (manual and machine type): in them, forces are transferred to the part being cut using a hydraulic drive. Among this type, electro-hydraulic ones can be distinguished, in which there can be a drive for controlling both hands and feet. These hydraulic cutters, connected to the mains, have been specifically designed to work quickly and conveniently. At the same time, they can work not only from electricity, but also from batteries.

In addition to cutting wires, such cutters are also used for cutting cable cores. These include the following brands: LK125(work with a cross section up to 125 mm²); LK250(the cross section is already twice as large - up to 250 mm²); LK500(the largest size is a section up to 500 mm²). Sector shears are also used when there is a need to cut a piece of cable (option with copper and aluminum is possible) or cut cores, already up to 32 mm². We also include sector cable shears designed for cutting a section from 50 to 70 mm² in an armored cable.

Crimp for twisted pair - sysadmin's nippers

At the same time, tools aimed at removing semi-conductive screens can also be called a cable cutter or wire cutters.. They are applicable to plastic cables and are easy to use due to the fact that they have an adjustment that is adjusted to the depth of cut and occurs very smoothly, and not abruptly. Undoubtedly, in any inventory, a tool is useful that can remove the outer sheath and insulation from a cable or wires of different sections. Permissible cross-sections range from 35 mm² at 10kV to 500 mm2 at 35kV.

System administrators are familiar with the twisted-pair crimp tool. These are also a kind of cable cutters, but they also have a tricky device that will allow you to close a special clip on the system channel wiring arranged by color. This, of course, can be done with a screwdriver, but rarely this method gives a good result, and many times more time is spent on it. But with the crimp function, the wire cutters will do this job in one click, and the clamp will be strong, but when working manually with a screwdriver, clamping each wire separately, and there are at least 6 of them, the fastening is unlikely to be uniform and uniform.

Interestingly, the "fashion" to cut wires and cables has already passed? All the same, the welfare of the homeless has probably increased slightly. Although I remember it used to be done by simply enterprising people.

On the picture cross section underwater cable. More specifically, it's a power cable used to transmit underwater 3-phase electricity from an offshore windmill in England. Three fat veins are lines of force, and a small one for data transfer. By the way, horseradish in two rows along the edge is a metal cord to increase the insulation strength (like an automobile cord). If the cable is underwater, then it is lowered from the ship, and if the depth is 2-3 km, then imagine the load on the cable.

Right here in English exactly where it was cut from.

For reference, here is the cross section of the ground wire, which distributes electricity at 110 kV (cable high voltage line 110,000 volts).

By the way, the white insulating part is cross-linked polyethylene. It withstands a greater electric field strength without breakdown than conventional polyethylene insulation and has a very small dielectric loss tangent. The technology of its production is very complex and the equipment for its production, as they say, costs the wildest money.

More about the first picture:

Many immediately began to dream:

And some elevate it to the rank of art:

But somehow he showed you such a "rainbow in the archive":

Here is a huge 2400x26 cable that is used in telecommunications

2400PR 26AWG (2400 pairs of 26AWG type) , single core 26 AWG ~ 0.405 mm2

American Wire Gauge (AWG) is an American wire thickness marking system used since 1857, primarily in the United States.
Photo with dollar for comparison.

In the process of installing wires, one of the most critical stages of work is the removal of insulation. It doesn't matter if the wire is aluminum, copper, enameled or plastic insulated, in each individual case it is necessary to follow the technology when stripping it. If you ignore the recommendations and tips on how to strip the wire, then specifications manufactured electrical system will be low. Consider several techniques for stripping insulation from a variety of coated wires.

Structural features of wires

Wires are of two types:

Single core.
Stranded.

Single-core means a wire in which the cross section is formed by one core or wiring. As for stranded wires, the cross section of such a wire is formed by several thin wires, which in some cases are intertwined with each other. In order for the stranded wire to be resilient and elastic, a thread is added to the structure that resembles nylon. Taking into account these features, the technology for stripping insulation in each individual case may differ.

Stripping with a knife

When removing the insulation with a knife, it is impossible to cut the wire in a circle with a blade in a perpendicular position - a notch of the copper core may form. As a result, with a slight bend, the wire will easily and quickly break in this particular place, especially if you undertook to strip the wire with a thickness of 0.6–0.8 mm. After a few bends, the wire breaks completely. When stripping the wire with a knife, the blade should be almost in the same plane with the axis of the wire. Pre-insulation is cut along the core. The insulation cut along the length is laid aside and simply cut off.

With this option for stripping, it is important to be careful, as you can easily injure your hands.

Using side cutters

A tool such as side cutters is often used incorrectly. The tool is taken in hand as it should, absolutely no attention is paid to the direction of the cutting edges. If you use the side cutters incorrectly, you will have to make great efforts. In addition, in this case there is a high risk of breaking off the wire along with the insulation.

It is important that the cutting edges are directed in the direction opposite to the movement of the tool. With this option, the blade will cut into the insulation even with little effort. As a result, the tube insulation is removed from the surface of the core without damaging it.

Reflow method

If you have a soldering iron, you can quickly remove the insulation by thermal method. To do this, heat up the soldering iron tip and run lightly over the plastic insulation. After heating, the plastic will melt and be removed. This method does not violate the conductor in any way. If you need to strip a large number of wires with such a winding, then it is recommended to use a special tool. For example, a special wood burner, which was previously known as "Pattern", would be suitable.

The reflow method is most effective if your wiring is old. After a long service life, the plastic winding on the wire becomes hard and brittle. Moreover, if the wire peeks out two or three centimeters from the junction box, neither the wire cutters nor the knife can handle it. And if you use a lighter or crawl with a soldering iron, then you can strip the wire.

And if enameled wire

If the conductor has a thickness of 0.2 mm, then the best option there will be a mechanical method of removing insulation. For this, a knife or sandpaper is used to scrape off the insulation.

To process a cable that has thin insulation, you can use fine sandpaper. Bend it in half with sandpaper inward. Then wind the cable into a bent sheet of emery and, lightly pressing your fingers, pull the wire. This procedure should be continued until the enamel is cleaned.
If a knife is used, it is necessary to lay part of the cable on a solid base. Then it is necessary to rotate it in a circle until the enamel is scraped off the surface of the conductor.

If the conductor is even thinner and has a diameter of less than 0.2 millimeters, then the mechanical method will not be effective. This is due to the fact that the enamel will not be removed as a result, and the wire itself may break. In this case, you can master the thermochemical method using a soldering iron and vinyl chloride insulation. To begin with, heat the soldering iron, then put the vinyl chloride on the table, and lead the wire over it with a soldering iron. Under influence high temperature chlorine is produced, which will clean the wire from the enamel.

In most cases, such wires are used in radio communications, and it is he who is wound on inductive coils. It also has a name - littsendrat. In its appearance, it is distinguished by the presence of a large number of thin wires, which are twisted into one conductor and at the same time covered with enamel.

No less interesting is another option for removing enameled insulation from the wire. You will need to buy aspirin tablets. A wire is laid on them and a heated tip of a soldering iron is similarly passed along it. As a result, the wire is exposed and plus everything else and tinned.

Removal of PTFE insulation

Fluoroplastic is a polymer that is produced by a chemical method. It has a number of positive characteristics, for example, it does not get wet from water and is highly resistant to organic substances. Its technical characteristics allow it to withstand temperatures up to 300 ° C! As insulation, it is ideal, but the main disadvantage is the high price. In this regard, it is used in special cases. In everyday life, it is applicable to many radio amateurs, since after soldering it has an aesthetic appearance, takes up little space and does not melt.

The material itself has the form of a thin narrow ribbon. She, in turn, is tightly wound on a twisted stranded wire. It is possible to clean such insulation only with a knife. The PTFE is scraped off to the desired length. As soon as the wire is exposed, the insulation is taken to the desired length, and the remaining fluoroplastic is cut off.

Insulation from fabric, rubber is cleaned by any of the above methods. The main thing is to prevent notches of the main core!

All of the above methods are manual. They require more time and attention, not to mention experience, when it comes to stranded wires with a small cross section. If you work in this area, and you regularly need to strip wires from insulation, then it is best to partially automate this process. For this, pliers were specially developed, or they are also called a stripper.

With the help of a stripper, the insulation is removed with one touch of the palm of your hand. Consider how to strip wires using the WS-04 stripper.

Specifications of stripper WS-04:

It is possible to remove the insulation and cut wires Ø0.5–2.7 mm with a cross section from 0.2 to 6.0 mm 2 without prior adjustment.
When adjusting the microscopic screw, you can strip the insulation from a thin wire ranging in size from 0.25 to 0.5 mm.
The stripper allows you to crimp on wires connectors without insulation, insulated or automotive wires for a double clamp 0.8-2.7 mm.

In appearance, the stripper resembles pincers, at the end of which there is a cam lever. The upper jaws are movable, while the lower ones are fixed. The left pair is used to clamp the wire, and the right pair is used to remove and cut the insulation. At the first reduction of the handles, the left cam clamps the wire, and the right cam cuts its sharp edge into the insulation. With the constant reduction of the levers, the insulation is gradually removed from the wire. The process of stripping the wire with a stripper takes a few seconds.

The process of sequential operation of the stripper model WS-04 with single-core, stranded and two-core wire:

The wire is wound between the cutting knives, which are located on the inside of the handle. Then they should be brought together. The result is a cut of the end of the wire without deformation. To compare the cut with wire cutters, the end is always flattened and slightly pointed.
At the next stage, one end of the wire is wound between the movable and fixed sponge. After squeezing the handles, the insulation is removed. With such work, no notches are observed on the conductor.
To adjust the exact length of the stripped insulation, you can use the blue movable limiter.
On a two-core wire, the insulation is removed with a stripper in two passes.
From the first run, the PVC tube is removed.
At the second stage, insulation is simultaneously removed from two wires.

The operation time can take no more than 5 seconds!

Among other things, the stripper can also be used to strip the insulation of a telephone cable before pressing it into an RJ-11 connector. If a screw connection is used, then with just one movement, the insulation is removed from the wires.

A stripper can also be used to strip shielded wires. First of all, it should be noted that it is enough difficult task, especially it becomes more complicated if the conductor is thin. So, the first step is to remove the insulation from the shielding braid. To expose the central wire, the braid is untwisted with a needle or spike. It remains to make one movement with the stripper and the wire is released from insulation. Cleaning shielded wire by hand is a tedious job, especially if all you have at hand is a knife. It is very easy to damage the wire with a knife!

So, as you can see, the stripper is a fairly versatile tool that cleans different wires from insulation.

Coaxial cable

You can strip the insulation on the coaxial cable with your own hands. While the equipment for this purpose is inexpensive and readily available, we'll walk you through how to get the job done with wire cutters and a knife. As a rule, such a cable is used for connecting satellite TV and for standard F.

Step-by-step instructions on how to strip a coaxial wire:

The cable should be taken away from your body.
Take a utility knife and press firmly on the cable at a right angle from the end of the cable at a distance of 2.5 cm. Do not press with the end of the blade otherwise it will break off and may bounce into the eyes.
At this stage, it is necessary to cut through the outer jacket, braid, foil layer and dielectric foam. In most cases, she has White color. It is with such layers that the vein is surrounded. You will feel some resistance as the blade plunges into the cable. As soon as the blade has reached half of the wire, you need to put less pressure on it. It is extremely important not to damage the central core!
Next, you should walk around the circle of the cable. When doing this, be careful not to leave notches on the core.
Now pull and twist the cut edge of the insulation. By doing this, you can remove the cut end of the insulation.
If wires stick out from under the cable sheath, then cut them off with wire cutters so that they do not go beyond the edge of the sheath. It is important to examine the wire for notches. If there are any, then the above procedure will have to be repeated.
Dielectric foam may partially remain on the main core. You can simply remove it with a fingernail.
To connect the cable to connector F, first remove a small part of the top sheath.
To do this, measure eight millimeters from the previous cut point. Make an incision in the top shell. As in the previous case, the incision is made perpendicular to the wire. Be careful not to snag the braid. In some modifications of the F connector, there is no need to remove the braid, while in others, on the contrary, it should be removed.
If you are not sure whether a braid is needed in your case, then leave it temporarily. This braid is around the dielectric foam. Her wiring is less than a human hair thick, so all work should be done carefully. Just the same, now the incision needs to be made with the tip of the blade along the entire wire.
Remove eight millimeters of the cable sheath so that the dielectric foam wrapped in the winding remains on the core.
The braid wraps over the outer sheath. So, the dielectric is exposed. At this stage, pay attention to the requirement of the F-connector: which end of the wire should be in your case.
All possible wiring should be absent between the braid and the central core. Against the background of a white dielectric, this will be clearly visible.
An F-connector is placed on the end of the cable.
The dielectric must be at the bottom of the connector after it is seated on it. It is unacceptable that he looks out or does not reach the bottom of the connector.

Under no circumstances should the tip come into contact with the F-connector.

The F-connector is now ready for use.

Cable stripping knives

Separately, it should be said about special knives that are directly used to strip the insulation from the cable. For example, the most popular is a knife with a hook. In the process of operation, it is much more convenient than stationery. Moreover, thanks to the thick blade, they can work more confidently and boldly. It will be difficult for them to cut the wire insulation, but cutting the cable along: this is what you need. Such a hook digs well into the cable sheath, so it will not jump out of it. However, such a tool does not have all the advantages, since it cannot provide good cable stripping.

Another special knife is known.

It is very easy to work. To begin with, pull the special bracket with your thumb. It is under it that you will thread the wire. At this point, a small knife peeps out of the handle, rotating around its axis. After laying the cable, the bracket presses it against this knife. Make two or three turns around the wire until you get a notch. Now, without removing the wire, pull the tool firmly towards the end. The knife will turn and cut along the casing. In the end, it remains just to remove the cut off part and continue working.

The only drawback of such a device is that it is necessary to adjust the wheel directly to the depth of one or another type of wire. You can use a piece of wire to adjust.

Also, such a knife does not cope very well with the elimination of insulation. This is due to the fact that the device can flatten a thick cable with careless actions.

So, we looked at the most common methods for stripping wire insulation. Perhaps one of the above methods will be useful in your case. Successful work!

Branch wires are used to add a new line to the finished electrical network. For example, you have a cable running along the wall that you need to connect to to connect a new outlet. In this case, it is not necessary to cut the core and twist the three ends together. A safer and more durable way is to use special taps, which we will talk about next!

Squeeze a nut

When we considered the main ones, special attention was paid to a special walnut-type clip. The product has a fairly simple design, but, despite this, it allows you to make the branch reliable and durable. The compression nut consists of a carbolite body, a steel plate and a plate, which actually presses the cores with four screws.

The compact dimensions of the walnut, as well as its low cost, make it one of the most popular power line taps. In turn, the disadvantages of the product are low tightness ( 20), as well as the lack of the possibility of branching the cores of live wires. It should also be noted that a very important advantage of the "nut" is the ability to qualitatively connect copper and aluminum conductors with a cross section of 1.5 to 150 mm 2.

All you need is to put the stripped contacts in a special die and carefully tighten the screws with a screwdriver, then snap the case into place. You can learn more about it from our article.

Piercing clamps

An improved model of the nut cable clamp is. Disposable products, however, allow you to make a branch wire without cutting and even without peeling off the insulating layer during splicing. The design of the clamp is represented by a hexagonal head, which tightens the wires, as well as contact plates with teeth, which actually pierce the insulating material.

They are most often used to branch off from overhead line laid without stress relief.

The advantage of these products is as follows:

You can branch wires from an overhead line (VL) even under voltage, without fear for your safety. This is due to the fact that the contact plate is reliably insulated from the clamping bolts.
The body of the products is sealed and reliably protects the junction from bad weather conditions.
The clamps are easy to operate and have a long service life.
Low production cost.
Capable of bonding copper and aluminum conductors.

As for the disadvantages, the main thing is only the “disposability” of the product, but this point is very controversial, given the durability of this method of branching wires without breaking.

Installation is carried out as follows:

Video instructions for installing the piercing clamp

Clamp type OB

When repairing or replacing electrical wiring in an apartment, you can use another pretty good option for splicing wires - using OV-type clamps. Products have the simplest design and no less simple principle of operation - the cable fits into a special latch, which pierces the insulation layer of the conductor with a brass connector. As a result, in a matter of seconds you can make a good branch from the cable of the main power line (for example, to a socket).

As for the disadvantages of latches, the main one is the limited conditions of use - the cross section of the cores should not exceed 6 mm 2. In turn, for home wiring of this section it will be quite enough even to connect a powerful electric stove.

Such connectors are also called "Scotchlocks". You can learn more about what scotchlocks are and how to use them from our separate article:.

Video instruction for using the latch to branch the wire without cutting:

The simplest version of the coupler

Polyethylene terminal blocks

A more outdated way of branching a wire is to use terminal blocks (they are also called polyethylene terminal blocks). It is not recommended to use compact ones, because. in this case, cutting and breaking the main core is indispensable. In addition, the terminal block also has such disadvantages as poor tightness and the need to periodically tighten the clamping screw, especially if the conductor is aluminum. As a result, you do not get any important advantages when splicing, and at the same time you get several serious disadvantages.

Overview of terminal blocks

Grandfather's twist

Well, the last method of branching wires that can be used is to twist a new line from a passing main line without additional soldering or welding. In this case, you must first strip the insulation of the conductors, after which the branch line should be screwed onto the main line (as shown in the picture).

Please note that when creating a twist, it is forbidden to connect aluminum and copper conductors. The conductors must be made of the same metal. According to paragraph PUE 2.1.21. () twisting cannot be done at all - all connections must be soldered, welded, crimped or fixed with clamps or terminal blocks. Therefore, to branch from the wire, use the above methods or solder such twists. We talked more about how to make twists in the article:.

Here, in fact, we examined the most popular ways to branch wires without breaking and cutting. Now you know how to make high-quality splicing of two power lines. Our advice is to use piercing clamps, which are the most trustworthy of all the options!

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