"ANTHONER SIGNAL QUESTION"

[TrainsRMe1]

HI All,

   I have a question about my signals, they are NJ International combo house signals #2071, they are LED type signals, I have to change a risistor to one of the leads, and I know it's a 1k 1.4 resistor and I have a pack of them, the leads are very small and I have to strip away the cover to get to the bare wire, are there any wire strippers small enough to do this work, or will I have to use the ones I have and just be VERY careful????

thanks for the help and have a  great MEMORIAL DAY, let us not forget the ones who fought for our freedom.........

                                   transrme1

[BNSF UP and others modeler]

I have a pair. No idea what brand, but there are small ones out there. Other ideas include using your fingernails, a knife, scissors, etc. Will do in a really tight pinch.

[RR_Mel]

I use my thumb nail on #28 wire and smaller wire, pinch it and pull.  Works good and doesn’t ding the wire,

 

 

Mel

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

[dehusman]

.... or use a soldering iron.  When you solder the lead, the iron will melt away the insulation on very small wire.

[MisterBeasley]

Is this wire insulated with thin plastic, or is it "magnet wire" insulated with a varnish-like material?

dehusman

When you solder the lead, the iron will melt away the insulation on very small wire.

That's the answer for magnet wire.

For standard insulation, I put the wire in a small hole of my stripper and then rotate the stripper about 120 so the wire ends up on one sharp edge of the cutting surface.  Hold the insulation firmly and pull the other end.

[peahrens]

I enjoyed this fun last year.  I think my experience was with some Tomar signals.  I think they included Teflon insulation on the very thin wires and I had a devil of a time getting the wire ends stripped, trying many ways suggested with little success.  I got by, barely.  I did not have the suggested tool (which I acquired recently) that encircles and pinches the insulation with teeth and then is pulled.  

Here is the related thread, if it helps:

http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/744/t/262931.aspx

One option, was $41 when I looked last year, but only $15 now.  Don't know how well it works.

https://www.amazon.com/Jonard-ST-450-Adjustable-Precision-Thickness/dp/B0032QZMWA/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1527471810&sr=1-1&keywords=wire%2Bstripper%2B26-36&th=1

 

[gregc]

while i use a wire wrap tool to strip 30g wire, i use diagnal or Xuron rail cutters to cut through the insulation and rip it off.

  

 

[MisterBeasley]

gregc

while i use a wire wrap tool to strip 30g wire, i use diagnal or Xuron rail cutters to cut through the insulation and rip it off.

My guidance has always been to use the Xuron rail nipper only on track, not for snipping wires or removing insulation.  To use it on wire, you risk nicking or notching the tool blades which will make it harder to get clean, straight cut that we all like our Xuron tools for.

[bearman]

I have a pair of wire strippers that will strip as small as 32 (or is it 30?).  And, I second MrB's observation on using rail nippers.

[selector]

How 'bout finger nail clippers.  Low leverage so less chance of an oops moment, but they're sharp, pinch through, and you can rotate either the clippers or the wire...or both... to effect the stripping.

I'd bet rock wool would work as well.

[rrinker]

MisterBeasley

 

 

gregc

while i use a wire wrap tool to strip 30g wire, i use diagnal or Xuron rail cutters to cut through the insulation and rip it off.

 

 

My guidance has always been to use the Xuron rail nipper only on track, not for snipping wires or removing insulation.  To use it on wire, you risk nicking or notching the tool blades which will make it harder to get clean, straight cut that we all like our Xuron tools for.

 

 The reason is the blades are not hardened, so cutting something harder than nickel-silver rail will nick the blades - ie, do not cut off the music wire from your Tortoises with the rail nipper. Steel is harder than nickel silver and will put nickes in the blade. But copper is softer than nickel silver, so you can cut copper wire without damaging the rail nipper. At least thin stuff like phone wire and thinner. I wouldn;t try to cut through a #12 bus wire with them, but that's more from the force required breaking the tool itself, not the blade getting damaged. I do use it to snip feeder wires, since it's usually right there when working on track, and it still cuts track like a champ, blade is still straight and sharp.

                                    --Randy