best way to strip CAT-5 wires

[keithp]

Does anyone have a good suggestion for stripping the individual wires in a cat-5 cable? I have two stripping tools and neither will work with such thin wires. Do they make a tool that will do this easily?

[Paul Birkeland]

You can actually pinch around the wire with your fingernails, then just pull the jacket off.  If that doesn't work, use your needlenose pliers to yank the insulation off. 

If none of that works, tilt your strippers at an angle to get some purchase on the strand in question, then give it a tug.

[Grainger49]

The answer is yes, they make a tool that strips Cat-5 wires.  The wires are 24 AWG, this one goes down to 26 AWG (~$11):

http://www.amazon.com/Klein-11046-Stripper-Cutter-Inches/dp/B0000302WS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1417301041&sr=8-3&keywords=klein+wire+stripper

[keithp]

thanks for the tips, I couldn't quite do it with my fingernails and I kept breaking the wires when I tried to use my pliers, so I made a quick trip to Home Depot and found a Klein stripper that can handle wire as thin as 30 AWG. Works like a charm.