What kind of wire is this?

[BeezFun]

I had to repair the electric brakes on one of my trailers, and it used wire I've never seen before. From the outside it looks like plain old 2 conductor lamp cord. But each conductor has two insulators, the normal outer one and a white inner one that's surprisingly hard. I've attached two photos, the white inner insulator reminds me of the material used around the inner conductor of coax, it's less flexible and hard. If anyone has any suggestions on how to strip it, I'm all ears. I ended up using a sharp razor knife and making a longitudinal slit and tearing it back away from the conductor.

 

[LittleBill21]

the way you did is about the best without special tools, but I strongly recommend you solder/heat shrink those connections if you never want to touch it again

 

[ArlyA]

I recommend you crimp them and cover that with heat shrink. Its better than soldering them.

 

[Roadworthy]

I'd twist the wires together, solder them, and heat shrink the joint. As far as stripping that wire, I'd use a wire stripper. The proper size will cut the insulation around the conductor without cutting the conductor itself. You simply close the stripper on the wire then pull the cut insulation off the end while the stripper is closed. This one is great at $5.99 : 7 in. Wire Stripper with Cutter

 

[workinonit]

Ideal T strippers. It's what most all electricians use.

 

[BeezFun]

I'm not lacking for wire strippers, and none of these work.



But I did find the mini stripper I used in the good old days for phone wire works pretty well if I use the blade that makes a slice along the length of the wire.



If this were heavier gauge wire it would be no problem, but the wires are so fine that any sized stripper cuts a bunch of them. The teflon, or whatever the white stuff is, is so tough that if I don't cut it completely I can't pull it apart with my fingers like I normally would with softer insulation. If I could figure out what this wire is and where to buy it, the people selling it must have some cutter that would work better.

 

[ArlyA]

Solder vs crimping. I soldered for years on snow implements thinking it was safer until a EE fellow (electrical engineer) helped me on a project who had just completed a satellite project. He said that both systems had been thoroughly tested and the clear winner was crimping. Solder likes to fall apart or at least break contact after use and the guy soldering it can't see this. Crimping is indeed safer. I like to put glued heat shrink over it. This the project he helped me wire.

 

[LouNY]

The right type of strippers is the best way,
I'm partial to this style myself;
8 In. Self Adjusting Wire Stripper

 

[BeezFun]

Thanks for the suggestions, I dug through my old data comm and coax stuff and the circular cutter below turned out to be the magic bullet. The vernier adjustment under my thumb allows the cut depth to be precisely set so it cuts the teflon with no damage to wires. I put a piece of scrap insulation in the cutter for reference, rotating the cutter completely around the wire cuts the insulation.



Tools are like old clothes, keep them long enough and they come back in style.
I'd still like to find this wire online so I know what it is and what it's designed to be used for. Not sure I'd ever use it again but my curiosity has got me.

 

[scootr]

Solder vs crimp. The best type of connection is the one you are the most proficient in.