Keeping The Strands of Wire Together

TIP: How to keep the strands of numbers 10, 12 & 14 stranded wire together.

When normally installing wire on the binding screw of a device (switch, etc.), you simply strip the insulation off, make your hook, then install around the binding screw, then apply firm clockwise rotating pressure of the screw on the wire. No problem when installing solid wire, but with stranded wire you will usually end up with the wire fraying away from the binding screw. This is not the best connection. Here is one way to keep the strands together.

First, strip completely off the wire about 7/8 of an inch to 1 inch of insulation. Next strip about 3/16 of an inch to 1/4 of an inch of insulation, but do not take this piece of insulation off. Slide the piece of insulation all the way to the end of the wire; keep about 1/16 of an inch of wire visible at the end of the wire.

Stranded Wire

Now make your hook and install wire on the device binding screw.