What is the gauge of the wire on these DCC systems? What is the best practice for stripping insulation, is there a good tool? Also, what is the best heat shrink tubing to use? Thanks!
For the bus and feed wires, the Ideal Stripmaster (or an identical tools sold by Klein Tool) is simply the best. It can strip the ends of wire, sure - but it can also strip wire in the middle of the wire.
For the wires in decoder installs, most of the DCC companies sell bundles of “decoder wire” with is the same size wire that comes with decoders. I use a fingernail to strip that fine wire.
–Randy
Hi doublereefed,
There are several sizes of wire involved in DCC. For layout wiring there are the main bus wires that are typically 12-14 ga, and the track feeder wires which are 18-22 gauge. There are also a bunch of wires used for things like lighting, signals, tortoises etc. Generally, those wires will be in the 18-26 ga. range, but some smaller wires will be used as well.
Then there are the wires used for decoder installation. Those may range from 30-38 ga. and the insulation jackets can be made from various materials, some easier to strip than others. For example, teflon insulation cannot be stripped successfully using your finger nail.
I use two tools for stripping wire:
- For larger gauges I use a Vise Grip stripper like this. It will strip wires in the middle of a run as well as at the end.
For finer wire I use this:
Yes, the Jonard stripper is a bit of an investment, but after years of having difficulty stripping fin
A teeny additional point: it can be important not to nick or crimp the wire, especially at very small diameter, in the process of stripping. So use your tools wisely, and practice to be sure how they actually work before starting an actual project.
Some of the insulation on fine-gauge wire, including the ‘Teflon’ mentioned, is difficult to strip because it stretches rather than separates when ‘scraped’ (as with fingernails or tool edges) and has to be cut without the cut going into the wire as a nick. (I believe some types actually ‘work-harden’ when stretched, as those plastic rings on packs of beverage cans do when pulled.) This can become infuriating when, for example, the wire in question is a short length already attached at the other end. The best answer, again, is “get the right tool and know how to use it correctly” – and if necessary pay, once, to get the right tool of the right quality and then treasure it always.
Stripping very fine gauge wire, 28 and smaller, is tricky. Most cheap commercial stripping tools are just too crude. I use an exacto knife very carefully. The fingernail method sounds good also.
For 28 to 22 I use a cheap plier type with the cutter notches, again carefully. Make sure you match the notch size exactly to the wire gauge, not just the insulation size.
For larger wire 22, and larger, the clamp type plier is well worth buying. Don’t bother with a cheap one, they last forever. The one I use came from my stepfather’s toolbox. He was an instrument engineer on the Manhattan Project (he had the plaque) and when I strip wire I always think of him and his accomplishments. The tool itself looks like it really went through the war… it still works as smoothly and accurately as ever.
The plaque ?
Given to people who participated in the ‘Manhattan Project’, after the effort was declassified. I have only seen a couple of them, and I think he should ‘host and post’ a picture of it here.
Mike Lehman would know about counterparts for participation in ‘later’ weapons development or for SAGE, which were also in their ways at least as significant as the Manhattan Project itself.
Yes, there is a fantastic tool.
With most things electrical, Klein Tools is a great choice.
Randy suggested one of them, I use a different one.
I bought one of these Klein fine wire stripping tools off the shelf at my local Home Depot for about $20.00, and it works perfectly. It has individually machined stripping slots for stranded wire 22 to 32 gauge.
It should meet all your needs for the stripping tool.
-Kevin
This is the one I have, and the one I mentioned. Not cheap, but it’s all metal, no plastic in it at all. It has gates for each different wire size This is for the larger wires - it does #10-#22.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ideal-7-in-Long-10-22-AWG-Stripmaster-Wire-Stripper-45-092/300497605
This allows easy stripping in the middle of a bus wire to make a space to attach a feeder, as well as being able to strip the insulation at the end of a wire. There’s one that used to be advertised on TV that works with a similar clamp and pull operation, but it pulls fromt he end (parallel to the handles) and can only strip the ends, not in the middle. Pointless.
After years of building electronic projects as a kid and having nothing but a wire cutter to strip wires, I got pretty good at using just the right amount of force to remove the insulation without taking the wire off too, so I never bothered to get a strip tool for really fine wire.
As for teflon insulated wire - you’ll find that mostly in 8 pair network cable, which certainly has many uses in model railroading, but unless someone gives you a spool of it, just buy the regular. Avoid the hassle. Plus most uses of it are with crimp on plugs and jacks, though not always. Always spend the money and get a good ratcheting crimper for those sort of things. I forget what brand mine is, but it has a built in stripper. But I will probably have to get a new one, as the strip part of mine is only for flat wire - that’s fine for DCC connections but for my signal and control stuff the interconnects are going to be regular network UTP cable. Klein has a ratcheting RJ45 crimper that has a stripper for both flat and round wire - plus it has swappable crimp dies so you can use the same tool for anything from handset cords like used in the NCE control bus between boosters, RJ12 6p6c cables used for the NCE ca
Sadly, for any one of many reasons I have no idea where that plaque ended up. I hope it went to one of his children. My mother may have kept it but as she passed during the current pandemic, though not apparently directly from it, I have no way to trace its whereabouts.
I do have my good memories of a very fine engineer. He worked into his late 70’s. Refinery turnarounds were his specialty later in his career. He was a rare breed of engineer: very good at motivating and managing teams required to meet or beat those very expensive deadlines for getting the refinery back up on time. No leaks.
And I have the wire stripper which turns out to be exactly the one linked above as being a Stripmaster. But without insulation on the handles. Made for real men back when you just shrugged on a pair of insulating gloves when stripping live wires. If the voltage is significant…only a wuss worries about less than 50 volts.
Um, I guess for this site I should clarify I’m joking. About stripping live wires. Just don’t do that. Not even on a bet.
Sorry for the loss of your mother.
Dave
With decoder wire, I melt off the insulation with a soldering iron, while holding it on a block of wood. Then I wipe the bare wire with a piece of fine emery paper, to clean it off.
Mike.
I use the Klein Self-Adjusting Wire Stripper and Cutter. I love it, but I notice that when you are stripping in the middle of a bus wire to make a space to attach a feeder, the tool simply moves the insulation to both sides of the strip. After a while, it seems to get harder to create additional strips.
Rich
I solder all track feeders to Buss lines, when I do this I think the heated insulation relaxes the backed/bunched up stressed insulation it’s self. It seems like it, I have not had that problem as you did.
Thank you. Unfortunately, due to her choice to live in California, she loved living in the US, and various permutations of quarantine and travel restrictions interfacing with my inflexible professional schedule I had not seen her in over a year. So, that hurts more than usual.
Ah, yes, it has to. I find stripping the closer end of the wire first helps deal with this problem. Then the insulation slides along and covers the bare end of wire, moving the stripped section, in effect.
Also, stripping the non-end sections of wire in relatively small amounts at one time makes the process smoother. Best is to strip an entire range of travel off the end of wire first, then strip two less than half range of the stripping tool in the desired middle of wire location. Leaves just enough bare wire to judge where to start the next end
How close are you making multiple strips? If I have 2 or 3 sets of feeders near each other, I make ONE middle of the run strip and attach all the feeders in one place. With main feeders every 3 feet, I haven’t has an issue with the insulation not leaving a big enough gapp to wrap the feeder around and solder. On my last layout, I had every rail joiner a feeder, so if I had a short fitter piece in place, there would be 2 feeder wires for each rail right next to one another. Or around a turnout - I had feeders on all 3 legs, so in the space of a turnout, 3 feeder wires per rail. I just made one slice and put all 3 around the same point on the bus.
–Randy
Thank you for ALL of the replies. Very helpful. I should have been more specific… I was only inquiring about the fine wires used on decoders, but the larger answer has been very helpful. Much appreciated.
In that case, any of the online dcc shops carry a color coded pack of decoder wire. Unless you have a big fleet of DC locos or are going to install decoders professionally, that will be good enough.
Tonys Trains sells 3/32 and 3/64 inch heat sink tubing by the foot.
For small gauge wire I use the Paladin Stripax:
… rated for 10 to 28 gauge wire, or the mini Stripax:
…rated for 18- 22 gauge wire.
They include a cutter and an adjustable stopper for the length of the strip (the orange thing in the jaws above).
The’re both a bit pricey, but in a previous life when I was working on professional audio installations they proved to be fast and reliable.
Occasionally you’ll need to clear the blades of insulation with a small brush, but I wouldn’t want to wire a layout—or a studio sound system—without them.
YouTube demonstration here.
Regards,
Bruce