How to Determine Wire Gauge
The wrong size, or gauge, of wire can render your electrical wiring work useless and unable to carry enough current, or cause your jewelry project to sag or become too clunky. Over time, you've probably accumulated substantial amounts of spare wire that might not have its label still attached, making any use of that wire a complete guessing game. Bare wire in the United States is typically measured using the American Wire Gauge scale, or AWG. Special notched plates allow you to measure the wire gauge to determine if the wire is right for your project.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Grasp the wire with the wire stripping tool about 1 inch or so from the end of the wire, if the wire is insulated. Insert the wire into the notch in the tool blades that best fits.
-
2
Begin moving the tool around gently -- Don Vandervort advises on HomeTips.com that "rocking" the tool back and forth will cut through the insulation.
-
-
3
Push the insulation off the wire when the tool has cut through it.
-
4
Insert the bare wire into the holes in the wire gauge tool or plate. Find the one that best fits the wire. Note the measurement printed by the hole. This is the wire gauge.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
AWG gauge numbers become smaller as the wire gets thicker.
Another scale uses metric measurements for wire gauge, with the numbers based on the diameter of the wire in millimeters.
Don't cut or scratch the wire when removing the insulation. The scratched area will be useless if you do.
If using the wire for an electrical project, you must take the voltage, amps and wire length into account when choosing which wire to use.
