Thermal wire stripper

Claim 1

A thermal wire stripping device, comprising: a pressure responsive set of arms laterally opposed and moveable toward and away from each other upon application of pressure, said arms having front and rear ends, said arms functionally interconnected at some point between said front and rear ends; an electrical conductor for carrying electrical current to blades; blade mounts disposed at the ends of said conductor, said blade mounts providing connecting means for removably connecting blades to said arms; a pair of laterally opposed blades comprised of ceramic material removably connected to said connecting means of said blade mounts, each laterally opposed blade having a clamping edges; resistance heater elements associated with the respective blades and spaced from the clamping edges; and electrical circuit means comprising said resistance heater elements, said blade mounts and said electrical conductor, said electrical circuit means constituting a closed circuit when and only when each of said blades is mounted in said blade mounts, said electrical circuit means connectable to a current source and capable of carrying electrical current; whereby the resistance heater elements heat the ceramic blades independent of contact with a wire when the blades are mounted in closed circuit relationship, allowing the blades to melt through the insulation on a wire to be stripped while preventing metal-to-metal contact with the wire itself during the stripping process.