A senior tech in Atlanta told me my wire stripping method was slowing me down by 30%

I had been using a standard pair of strippers for years, always careful to get the insulation just right. One day a guy with 25 years in the trade watched me work on a 24-gauge bundle in a Cessna 172. He pointed out that I was pulling the wire toward me instead of away from the connector. I switched to a backwards angle and now I strip about 15 wires per minute instead of 10. It felt weird for a week but now I can't go back. Has anyone else had a tiny change in technique that saved them that much time?

2 comments

2 Comments

henry_kelly5429d ago

Devil's advocate here. The angle change might shave a few seconds per wire, but that's assuming your wire is already straightened and routed perfectly. If you're spending 30 seconds untangling a bundle before each strip, the angle of your strippers is a drop in the bucket. In a Cessna, wire dressing is half the job. You can't just yank on a 24 gauge wire or you'll snap it at the connector. I'd rather spend an extra second getting a clean, straight pull toward me than risk damaging a wire that takes fifteen minutes to replace. Speed is great, but reliability on aircraft wiring is non-negotiable. If you're doing production work on a bench maybe it matters, but in the field, careful handling beats raw speed every time.

evanfox29d ago

Gotta disagree a little here... pulling toward me has always felt more natural and I still hit around 12-14 per minute when I'm focused. Feels like the real time killer is getting the wire straight in the first place, not the angle.