Are you using 30 AWG wire?

I assume you are using 30 AWG wire. MicroMark sells a wire stripper that goes down to 30. That is what I use and it works well. Best of all their website says it normally is $24.95 and it is on sale for $19.99

22-30 awg

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/14762

20 - 30 AWG

This one is available from various sources, including Amazon and Home Depot and is priced quite reasonably (under $5)

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Pro-sKit-Precision-Wire-Stripper-AWG-30-20-CP-301G/206679686

A lighter

I used a lighter and my fingers. I held the wire where I wanted the insulation to remain, and lit the other end with my lighter and melted the insulation off.

a lighter? heck i use my

a lighter? heck i use my soldering pen to do the shrink wrap.

been looking at a heat "gun" on m,m's page, but will look for this tool. right now i am tripping over mail order boxes. and a lot of them have this big A on them.

another $50+usd to micro mark. should be here in about a week. thanks RMeyer.

thanks gregc, but i just

thanks gregc, but i just wanted to keep it down to one shipment, but your link does show a better price.

arazona gary, must be a

arazona gary, must be a on-line only tool. as no hardware store (either big box, or ace hardware. all the rest got bought out and shut down) had such in stock.

Back in the day...

I used to strip wire with my front teeth.  No, I wouldn't recommend it.  Neither would any self respecting dentist.

You could say it's "really groovy".

I used to strip wire with my

I imagine many of us have. 

lots of things have been

lots of things have been "altered" by using my front teeth, including squishing those little split lead balls for fishing.

Wire wrap tool

I usually just use my finger/nail but ...these are made for stripping 30 gauge Kynar.

https://www.amazon.com/Strip-Unwrap-Cable-Prototyping-Wrapping/dp/B07L6GDXF1/ref=asc_df_B07L6GDXF1/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241955516116&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10773384226775658966&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1026759&hvtargid=pla-616672492746&psc=1

Same as GeeTee...

I have always used my finger nail (thumb nail actually). Easy to do.

It's all about the feel

Roll your own.

Step #1

Roll the wire along the cutting edge of an Xacto knife with #11 blade.....the knife stays still, only the wire moves. Use the "force" to find the correct pressure. Both the right thumb and left thumb and index finger do the rolling. The fingers are sensitive and much easier to control than any tool I have used. Many tools are good for stripping larger gauge wires but fail on small gauges.

Step #2

 Hold the wire tightly with left thumb and index finger and pull up with right hand. Shield will pull off and wire should not be damaged.

As a recording studio owner that wired countless large consoles for my use and jobbed out for many other installs I tried just about every wire stripper available. This was the best, least destructive and fastest method for small wires and I stripped thousands upon thousands of tiny delicate Mogami wires successfully this way. Larger wires were a whole 'nuther set of rules.

For 20-30 AWG, Fingernails Work Perfect

Nails on thumb and middle finger. Extremely pressure sensitive. More accurate than any tool, you’re never looking for them, and … they’re free!

I can see Rick Sutton’s solution working really well to.

Self Adjusting wire stripper

I first found one of these years ago that was made by Marklin.

But they are more common now. About $25-30 bucks at your big box hardware store or Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/IRWIN-VISE-GRIP-2078300-Self-Adjusting-Stripper/dp/B000OQ21CA

self adjusting strippers

we've been using these to expose the wire in the middle of a bus which we then solder to.

i wear a simple nail pouch to hold tools and such when working on layouts.   prefer lightweight tools

Wire striper

Speedex Mfg. Co, Speedex wire stripper. Rockford Ill. Best you can buy if you can find.

Wayne

10 to 36+ Gauge wire stripper.

I own two wire strippers.  Both the same.  One is for upstairs and one is for downstairs. One is 50 years old the other is less than 5 years old.  As you can see they are handy on my tool bench.  The only time they are in the tool box is when I travel.

Nick,

Thumbs up on that!  I have one for the shop, one for the layout, one at the cottage.  The only time I don't use them is when I've left them somewhere weird - usually, somewhere near the scene of the last use.  Top of a tall book case, under the layout but on top of a stack of stuff, on top of a hanging fluorescent, that sort of thing.

I get so used to automatically moderating the force to strip whatever wire size I'm working with, I hardly notice it.  Got my first two pair in 1977, the third one is a cheap knockoff that isn't as good.

Blair

Have you tried using an

Have you tried using an alligator (crocodile?) clip?

way over kill for such small

way over kill for such small wire.and just the grip area is much larger than needed to solder it.

After I ripped the red wire out of a Tsunami 2200 steam decoder

I was using the fingernail method and ripped the red wire out of a Soundtraxx Tsunami 2200 Steam Decoder.  Well, maybe it wasn't soldier well.  Anyway I bought this tool and it works great on the decoder wires.

https://www.amazon.com/Stripper-Stranded-Klein-Tools-11057/dp/B000XEUPMQ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=N60XT8WZ36VT&dchild=1&keywords=wire+strippers+small+gauge&qid=1624827581&sprefix=Wire+strippers%2Caps%2C286&sr=8-3

Only $19.99.  I haven't destroyed another decoder since.

Den

I really hope folks follow

I really hope folks follow the link Den supplied. I have been using a Klein wire stripper since I was 12 years old and my father taught me to solder. (I'm 55) He used it for I don't know how many years prior to that. Klein has been around for a very long time and make the very best tools. Buy once, and your grandkids will be using it. 

Teeth, finger nails, knives were NOT made for wire. When you strip wire, it is ESSENTIAL not to nick or break any wires. Both solid and stranded wire must be in perfect shape before it is soldered, crimped or otherwise connected. My father always taught me to do it right, once and you'll never have to do it again. Quality tools and techniques are the best way to save money.