There are a few tools you’ll need to begin working with wires. Most of these tools are considered pliers, which are tools that help you bend, strip, and cut wire. They can be important to have on hand, especially when you’re trying to complete a job safely. Here are some tips for how to use wire cutters and other pliers when you’re just getting started.
What Do Wire Cutters Look Like?
There are a few types of pliers that have the ability to cut wire. If your goal is to simply cut a wire, you can stick to using diagonal pliers. These have a short nose with a side that slopes inwards, towards the sharper side that is used to cut the wire. The cutting edge intersects the joint of the pliers at a diagonal, which is why they’re called diagonal pliers. This also explains why wire cutters are called dikes—it’s short for diagonal cutters. You can get the most direct cut with this type of pliers, but if you’re looking to strip a wire or connect it to another one, you’ll probably want a different tool.
How to Strip Wire with Wire Cutters
A second type of pliers is commonly referred to as a wire stripper. It has a longer nose, with teeth that meet up when the pliers are closed to form various-sized circles. These circles typically get smaller as you go up the nose, to handle different sizes of wires. This type of tool is important when working with electric wires, because most electric wire has a protective coating. The coating protects the metal part of the wire that carries the electric current, to prevent it from coming in contact with other metal conductors.
When using wire strippers, you want to find the correct size of your wire. Your goal is to find a circle that cuts into the plastic coating just enough to remove the outside protector, without causing damage to the wire. With the wire in the stripper, gently push the nose closed without going all the way, and try to pull the plastic coating slightly away from the wire you’re holding. If it hasn’t been cut away enough, try a smaller circle on your wire strippers. You can use diagonal wire cutters to do the same thing (in fact there are even resources on how to strip wire without wire cutters), but doing this requires a bit more skill and risks causing damage to the metal part of the wire. Also, learning how to sharpen your wire cutters and keep them sharp will help you do a more consistent job every time.
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