Make a Simple Wire Stripper Out of a Clothespin and a Pencil Sharpener

If you need to a little electrical work, but you don’t have a wire stripper handy, you can make one with a few things lying around the house.

In this video from the MAD Science Hacks YouTube channel, you’ll learn how to make a wire stripper in about five minutes. Find an old pencil sharpener and remove one of the blades. Then attach the blade to one side of the clothespin (on the end that opens up when you squeeze the spring). You want the blade in place so when the clothespin is closed, the edge of the blade barely overlaps the small groove in the wood. Once it’s attached as demonstrated in the video, you should be able to clamp the clothespin on the end of a wire, spin it around a few times, and strip the wire with a quick pull.