Abstract:
A pliers-type insulation stripping tool includes a pair of blade holders that are removably connected with the pull rod that longitudinally displaces the blades relative to the handle shell when a severed length of insulation is stripped from the insulated conductor. A resilient ejector arrangement in provided for ejecting from the handle shell the length of stripped insulation. In order to permit use of the insulation stripping tool with insulated conductors of various sizes and diameters, a blade depth adjusting device is provided for adjusting the distance between at least one of the blade holders and the associated clamping jaw.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a companion application to the applications filed by the same inventors entitled “Insulation Stripping Tool With Striker Means” Ser. No. ______ filed ______ (Attorney&#39;s Case No. 19920), and “Hand Grip Shell For Pliers-Type Tools” Ser. No. ______ filed ______ (Attorney&#39;s Case No. 19921). 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    A pliers-type insulation stripping tool includes a pair of blade holders that are removably connected with the pull rod that longitudinally displaces the blades relative to the handle shell when a severed length of insulation is stripped from the insulated conductor. A resilient ejector arrangement in provided for ejecting from the handle shell the length of stripped insulation. In order to permit use of the insulation stripping tool with insulated conductors of various sizes and diameters, a blade depth adjusting device is provided for adjusting the distance between at least one of the blade holders and the associated clamping jaw. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Insulation stripping tools for severing and removing a severed layer of insulation from an insulated conductor are well known in the patented prior art, as evidenced by the German patent No. DE 195 12 132 C1 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,870). The design shown and described there has worked very well in practice. The stripping pliers is configured so that a pull rod can move in the lengthwise direction of the pliers mouth and two stripping elements are fastened to the pull rod in order to move along with it and thereby pull the layer of insulation off from a cable. The drawback to this stripping pliers is that one must use a different pliers with stripping blades of different dimension for different layer thicknesses of cable or insulation in order to avoid cutting through the cable to an excessive depth, or in the opposite situation if the depth of cutting is too little then the insulation cannot be stripped from the cable. 
         [0006]    The German patent No. DE 20 2004 014 801 U1 solves this problem at least partly in that a spring action of the stripping knife is used for slightly varying layer thicknesses of insulation. But this solution offers no remedy when the thicknesses of insulation layers are greatly different. 
         [0007]    The U.S. Pat. No. 6,910,401 to Tapper discloses a stripping pliers tool with a cutting unit that contains two pivot-mounted arms spring-loaded against each other and having cutting elements at their two ends, while the cutting unit is accommodated between clamping claws and moves along with them. Connected to this cutting unit is a pull rod and a clamping and pulling mechanism. The connection between the pivot-mounted arms is a tubular rotary bearing. Hence, the two arms can swivel relative to each other, yet still be firmly joined together as a unit. This rotary bearing contains a needle, which joins the cutting unit to the pull rod. The drawback to this design is that the cutting unit can only be removed as a whole from the pliers and the removal of the cutting unit is time consuming, since one must also remove the needle from the rotary bearing. Furthermore, the needle has proven to be not very suited as a means of fastening the cutting unit to the pull rod. 
         [0008]    Accordingly, the present invention was developed to provide an insulation-stripping pliers-type tool that is suitable for the stripping of cables and conductors with the most diverse thicknesses of insulation layers. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an insulation-stripping tool in which the cutting blade holders are removably connected with the pull-rod that displaces the blade holders to strip a severed length of insulation from the insulated conductor or cable. One end of the pull rod includes a double-hook arrangement for connecting the blade holders to the pull rod. This permits ready servicing and/or replacement of the cutting blades carried by the blade holders. 
         [0010]    According to another object of the invention, resilient ejector means are provided on the blade holders for ejecting from the tool the length of insulation that is severed from the conductor by the cutting and stripping blades. 
         [0011]    A further object of the invention is to provide a pliers-type insulation stripping tool that includes adjustment means for adjusting the distance between at least one blade holder and the associated clamping jaw, thereby to control the depth of cut in accordance with the size of the conductor and/or the thickness of the insulation layer. 
         [0012]    The stripping pliers of the present invention enables an easy replacement of the individual blade holders. Thus, if there is a defect in one of the parts arranged on a blade holder, they can be easily and quickly removed from the pliers. 
         [0013]    Only one pliers need be purchased for cables with the most diverse thicknesses of insulation layers, and one only needs to provide blade holders with different stripping blades. 
         [0014]    Thanks to having the end of the pull rod in the shape of the number 3 with undercuts, engaging with the undercuts in the ends of the blade holders, an easy insertion and removal of the blade holder from the stripping pliers is made possible by simply swiveling the blade holder into a particular position. 
         [0015]    The ejector means next to the stripping blade ensures that the stripped pieces of insulation are removed from the mouth immediately after becoming separated and the stripping blades are cleaned at once for the next cutting process. 
         [0016]    The slide plate and the adjustable slide moving thereon provides an easy and precise adjustment of the cutting depth of the stripping blades. 
         [0017]    According to one preferred embodiment, the pivotable hand lever member is provided with a cutting blade at its end adjacent the head of the pliers, which together with a cutting blade arranged on the housing shell forms a cutting appliance. In this way, the stripping pliers can be used for cutting completely through a conductor or cable. A locking lever arranged to pivot on the housing shell prevents an unintentional cutting of a cable accidentally getting into the cutting appliance. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification, when viewed in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which: 
           [0019]      FIGS. 1 and 2  are side elevation views, with certain parts removed, of one embodiment of the stripping pliers of the present invention when in the initial loading and final stripping positions, respectively; 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective of one embodiment of the stripping pliers with replaceable grip shell member; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the lower blade holder; 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the conductor stop means; 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of the conductor stop means of  FIG. 5 , and 
           [0024]      FIG. 7  is a detailed view illustrating the locking means for setting the position of the conductor stop means; 
           [0025]      FIGS. 8 and 9  are sectional views illustrating the conductor stop means in the locked and unlocked conditions, respectively; 
           [0026]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an ejector arrangement mounted on the blade holder, and 
           [0027]      FIG. 11  is a detailed perspective view of the ejector spring of the assembly of  FIG. 10 ; 
           [0028]      FIG. 12  is a perspective detail view of one embodiment of the stripping pliers provided with pull rod partial stripping stop means, and 
           [0029]      FIGS. 13 and 14  are detailed views of the partial stripping stop means when in the partial stripping and full stripping released conditions, respectively; 
           [0030]      FIG. 15  is a perspective detail view of another embodiment of the stripping pliers partial stripping stop means, and 
           [0031]      FIGS. 16 and 17  are detailed views of the stop means when in the partial-stripping and full-stripping positions, respectively; 
           [0032]      FIG. 18  is a perspective detail view of a clamping jaw provided with cutting depth adjustment means, and 
           [0033]      FIG. 19  is a detailed perspective view of the adjusting slide device of  FIG. 18 ; 
           [0034]      FIG. 20  is a perspective front view of a preferred embodiment of the stripping pliers when in a partially disassembled condition for the removal of the blade holders, and 
           [0035]      FIGS. 21-23  are perspective views illustrating the steps for the removal of the blade holders; 
           [0036]      FIG. 24  is a perspective detail view of one embodiment of the stripping pliers in the fully assembled state; 
           [0037]      FIG. 25  is a side elevation view of another embodiment of the stripping pliers with certain parts removed; 
           [0038]      FIGS. 26   a - 260   c  are detailed perspective views of the conductor severing means mounted on one of the handle members; 
           [0039]      FIG. 27  is a detailed side elevation view of the embodiment of the stripping pliers shown in  FIG. 25  provided with another embodiment of the partial stripping stop means, and 
           [0040]      FIG. 28  is a perspective detailed bottom view of the stop means of  FIG. 27 ; 
           [0041]      FIG. 29  is a detailed side view, with certain parts removed, of a further type of stop means, and 
           [0042]      FIGS. 30 and 31  are detailed perspective views of the stop means of  FIG. 29 ; and 
           [0043]      FIGS. 32 and 33  are detailed perspective views of and alternate embodiment of the pull rod stop means. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0044]    For an initial overview of the pliers-type insulation stripping tool  1  of the present invention, reference is first made to  FIGS. 20 and 24 , wherein a pair of handle members  2  and  3  are pivotally connected for pivotal movement between open and closed positions about a pivot axis  49 . At one end, the handle member  3  includes a shell portion  4  having a transverse end wall  4   a  and a pair of parallel spaced side walls  52  that define therebetween a chamber in which are arranged a pair of pivotally connected blade holders  15  and  16 . 
         [0045]    A clamping jaw  8  is pivotally connected with the shell  4  by means of a removable pivot pin  19  that extends through opposed openings  21  contained in the shell side walls. The clamping jaw  8  is provided at its free end with a durable clamping insert  9  arranged opposite a corresponding clamping insert  10  carried by the shell end wall  4   a . The blade holders  15  and  16  are provided at their free ends with cutting and stripping blade means  12  and  13  ( FIG. 1 ), and with stripping means  25  and  26 , respectively. Adjustable conductor stop means  14  are provided on the lower blade holder for limiting the extent to which an insulated conductor is introduced longitudinally within the open mouth  55  of the tool. Adjustable depth control means  44  are provided in the cutting jaw  8  for controlling the relative position of the associated upper blade holder  16 , thereby to control the depth of cut in the insulation layer produced by the cutting and stripping blade  13 . Fixed scale  59  provided on the clamping jaw adjacent the depth control means  44  indicates the appropriate setting to be made in accordance with the diameter of the insulated conductor that is to be stripped. Scale S on the shell portion  4  indicates the extent to which the insulated conductor is to be longitudinally introduced into the mouth of the stripping tool. In the following description of the figures, terms such as above, below, left, right, front, behind, etc., refer exclusively to the sample representation and position of the pliers chosen in the respective figures. These terms are not to be understood restrictively, i.e., these relations may change in different working positions or by mirror symmetry design or the like. 
         [0046]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show a stripping pliers  1  with two hand levers  2  and  3 . One hand lever  3  is a single piece with a housing shell  4 , while the other hand lever  2  can is mounted and can swivel on the housing shell  4 . 
         [0047]    A detachable grip shell  5  is pulled onto the hand levers  2 ,  3  and can be replaced by a larger or smaller grip shell, depending on the size of the user&#39;s hand, so that the grip width of the stripping pliers can be modified.  FIG. 3  shows, besides one embodiment of the stripping pliers for the hand levers  2  and  3 , a replacement grip shell  47  for the upper hand lever  3 , which is adapted to the contours of the hand lever  3  and encloses the hand lever  3  on four sides. It would also be conceivable to have a molding adapted to the back of the hand lever as a grip shell replacement, or a U-shaped grip shell, which covers both the back and the side regions of the hand lever  3 . As another alternative, one could also consider a replacement grip shell  47  which can be pulled onto the first grip shell  5  to enlarge the grip width, so that the grip shell  5  covering the hand lever remains on the hand lever. Preferably, the grip shell  5  has at least one locking tooth  6 , which can engage in a lock opening  7  in the hand lever  3  to provide the grip shell  5  a stable and secure purchase on the hand lever  3 . 
         [0048]    The pivotable hand lever  2  is mounted movably on the housing shell  4 , thanks to a mounting bolt  49 , which passes through boreholes  50  in the side walls  51  of the hand lever  2  and in the side walls of the housing shell  4 . Part of the side walls  51  of the hand lever  2 , especially the part around the boreholes, lies against the inner walls of the housing shell  4 . In this way, the hand lever  2  is guided in the housing shell  4 . The swiveling hand lever  2  has, at its left end, a cutting appliance with a cutting blade  27 , which when the hand lever is swiveled moves toward the other hand lever against a cutting blade  28  arranged on the housing shell  4 , so that a cable introduced in this spot can be cut through. The housing shell  4  is preferably shaped as a round mouth  48  in this spot for introducing a cable to be cut. 
         [0049]    In a special embodiment shown in  FIG. 25 to 26C , a locking lever  63  is arranged on the housing shell  4  in front of the cutting appliance or the opening of the round mouth  48 . This locking lever is arranged on the housing  4 , preferably next to the cutting blade  28 , at its end facing the cutting appliance by means of a pivot axis  64  in front of the opening of the round mouth  48 , and thus can pivot on the housing. To secure the locking lever  63  to the housing  4 , the locking lever  63  is configured with a locking cam  65 , which sticks out from the locking lever  63  toward the side surface of the housing  4  and can lock inside a recess  67  on the side surface of the housing  4 .  FIGS. 26B and 26C  show the locking lever  63  in a locking position, where the round mouth  48  is blocked by the locking lever  63 . The round mouth opening  48  is thus blocked by the locking lever  63 , one end face  66  of the locking lever  63  being fixed against the opposite side of the round mouth  48 . Alternatively, the pivot axis  64  of the locking lever  63  can also be placed on the opposite side of the round mouth  48 . To prevent an unintentional separation or cutting through of an electrical cable which has accidentally gotten into the cutting appliance, the locking lever  63  is rotated from its neutral position close against the housing  4  to the opposite side of the round mouth  48  to block the round mouth  48 . This prevents a cable from being placed in the round mouth  48 , so that when the swiveling hand lever  2  is activated for a stripping maneuver the two cutting blades  27 ,  28  will still be moved toward each other, but no cable can be cut through. 
         [0050]    A clamping jaw  8  is mounted and can swivel on the housing shell  4 , thanks to a mounting bolt  19 , which passes through boreholes  20 ,  21  in the side walls  51  of the clamping jaw  8  and in the housing shell  4 . Part of the side walls  51  of the clamping jaw  8 , especially the part around the boreholes  20 , lies against the inner walls  52  of the housing shell  4 . In this way, the clamping jaw  8  is guided in the housing shell  4 . 
         [0051]    At the forward end wall  4   a  of the clamping jaw  4  is attached a clamping jaw insert  9 , formed of a durable rigid material, such as steel. Opposite this clamping jaw insert  9 , especially its pressing piece  53 , is secured in the same manner another clamping jaw insert  10  at the tip of the housing shell piece  4 , forming a lip of the pliers mouth. The clamping inserts  9  and  10  consist of a sheet-like pressing piece  53  and a pin  54  standing upright on the surface, projecting into the tip of the clamping jaw  8  and being held there by friction or form-fitting. The clamping jaw  8  and the a forward end wall of the housing shell  4 , on the left in  FIG. 1 ,  2 , together form the mouth  55  of the stripping pliers. 
         [0052]    One blade holder  15  and  16  each is arranged at the bottom of the clamping jaw  8  and the top of the front housing piece  4 , behind the clamping jaw inserts  9 ,  10  in the direction x of insertion of a cable. As can be seen in  FIGS. 1 and 4 , a stripping blade  12 ,  13  projects from both blade holders  15 ,  16  at their front ends. The position of the stripping blades  12 ,  13  on the blade holders  15 ,  16  in the cable insert direction x is chosen so that the edges of the blades meet when the pliers is operated. These stripping blades can be designed as massive blades or, as is evident from  FIG. 4 , preferably as a set of lamellas  56 . The advantage of this configuration is a better adapting of the lamellas to the contour of a cable being stripped. Further in the mouth, on one of the blade holders  15 ,  16 , preferably on both of them, is arranged an ejector  25 ,  26 , which prevents insulation scraps from sticking to the stripping blades  12 ,  13 . The lower ejector  25  is shown as an example in  FIGS. 10 and 11 . It is designed as a spring. Preferably, it has an S-shape, one end making contact with the piece of insulation being ejected and the other end is passed around a bolt  57 , on which the stripping blade  12  is also secured per the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0053]    Further into the mouth, a movable cable stop means  14  is mounted on the lower blade holder  15 , located in the housing shell  4 , to allow for different stripping lengths. The cable stop  14 , as can be seen in  FIG. 5-7 , is composed of a stop  31 , a stop lock element  33  and a compression spring  32 . The stop lock element  33  is guided in the stop  31  by slanted oblong holes  34 , each of which engages with a protrusion  35  located on the inner lengthwise sides of the stop  31 . 
         [0054]    The mode of operation of the cable stop  14  is shown in  FIG. 5-9 . When the cable stop means  14  is activated by pressing on an operating surface  38  on the stop release element  33 , the stop release element  33  is pushed laterally relative to the stripping pliers against the compressive force of a compression spring  32  located between the stop member  31  and the opposite end of the stop release element  33 , and thanks to the guiding of the stop release element  33  in the stop  31  by the oblong holes  34  and protrusions  35  of the stop  31 , it is forced downwardly to disengage a tooth rack arrangement  36  arranged on the stop  31  from a corresponding tooth rack arrangement  39  running along the longitudinal sides of the blade holder  15 . The cable stop member  31  can then be moved longitudinally of the blade holder  15 . If one then lets go of the operating surface  38  on the stop member  31 , the compression spring  32  forces the stop lock element  33  upwardly toward the starting position of the stop. The stop member  31  will be lifted upwardly to cause re-engagement of the tooth rack arrangements  36 ,  39  of stop  31  and blade holder  15 , thereby to again fasten the cable stop  14  on the blade holder  15 . 
         [0055]    In order to support an exact adjusting of the cable stop for a desired stripping length, a scale S is applied to the housing shell  4  in the area of the blade holder  15 ,  16  parallel with it. Preferably, the scale consists of millimeter rulings, but other units are also possible, of course. Preferably the scale is placed directly above or below the blade holder  15 ,  16  on the housing shell  4 . 
         [0056]    In the pliers mouth  55 , a compression spring  17  sits on the lower blade holder  15 , pressing against the upper blade holder  16  and counteracting the force exerted by the user on the pliers mouth  55 , and opening the pliers mouth  55  once again when the hand levers  2 ,  3  are let go. 
         [0057]    The blade holders  15 ,  16  are removably hooked into a double-hook arrangement at the end of a pull rod  29 . This double-hook arrangement has the profile of the number “3” and open toward the blade holders, whose ends engage in an opening  58  provided for this purpose in the end pieces of the blade holders and securely hold the blade holders in this way, so that when the pull rod moves horizontally the blade holders move along with it. In the front region, the blade holders  15 ,  16  are guided by the inner sides of the front piece of the housing shell  4  and the inner sides of the clamping jaw. 
         [0058]    To replace the blade holders  15 ,  16 , one must first remove the pivot pin  19 , securing the clamping jaw  8 , from the bearing position  46  and the clamping jaw  8  from the housing shell, as shown in  FIG. 20-23 . Then one swings the upper blade holder  16  upward to take it out from the upper fork of the pliers mouth. Once the upper blade holder  16  has been removed, the lower blade holder  15  lying in the housing shell can be easily swung upward and taken out of the lower fork of the pull rod mouth. The blade holders can then be replaced by new ones or the same ones with a different blade shape. 
         [0059]    The pull rod  29  runs essentially horizontally through the inside of the stripping pliers. It is mounted so that it can move horizontally. At its end pointing toward the pliers mouth is found the already mentioned mouth in the double-hook profile of an open numeral “3”, in which the blade holders are pivotally hooked to the pull rod. 
         [0060]    In one embodiment of the stripping pliers, a partial stripping stop  30  is fastened in the hand lever  3  behind the end of the pull rod away from the blade holders ( 15 ,  16 ). A detail view of the partial stripping stop  30  is shown in  FIG. 12-14 . This allows for a partial stripping  62  of an insulated piece of wire  61 . It is preferably configured as an L-shaped piece  130  that is pivotable about pivot axis  131  and includes arms  130   a  and  130   b  of different lengths. The mounting of the partial stripping stop means  30  is situated in the junction between the arms of the L-bend, so that the partial stripping stop means  30  can be optionally adjusted so that the pull rod  29  is limited in its backward movement by the long leg  130   b  of the L-piece  130 , and thus a full stripping of the wire piece is prevented. In the other adjustment possibility shown, the partial stripping stop  130  is rotated away from the path of the pull rod  29  so that the latter can move freely. 
         [0061]    In another embodiment shown in  FIGS. 15-17 , the freedom of movement of the pull rod  29  is limited by an adjusting cam  40 . This adjusting cam  40  is mounted and can pivot above the hand lever  2  at the right next to the operating lever  18 , which also controls the movement of the pull rod  29 . In the partial stripping position shown in  FIG. 16 , the adjusting wheel  40  limits the operating lever  18  such that the pull rod  29  and thus also the blade holders  15 ,  16  execute only a limited travel. The adjustment for full stripping is shown in  FIG. 17 . Here, the adjusting wheel is fixed by a cam strip  41  present underneath the adjusting wheel and faces away from the operating lever, so that it has more freedom of motion and thus the pull lever  29  and the blade holders  15 ,  16  can travel the full distance. 
         [0062]    In another embodiment shown in  FIGS. 27 and 28 , the freedom of movement of the pull rod  29  is limited by a partial stripping stop means  30 ′ fashioned as a leaf spring. As can be seen in the detail view of this partial stripping stop  30 ′ in  FIG. 28 , this is likewise freely secured in the hand lever. The leaf spring  30 ′ is freely secured in the hand lever by a rear end, facing the end of the pliers. The front end of the leaf spring points in the direction of an end  71  of the pull rod, which is pushed through an opening in a stop  70 , which is arranged in the hand lever  3 . Preferably, the rear segment  29   a  of the pull rod is grasped by a spring element  69 , which counteracts a stripping movement of the pull rod in the direction of the end of the pliers in that the one end of the spring element  69  rests against the stop  70  and with its other end it is compressed by the movement of the pull rod in the direction of the stop. In this way, when the pliers is squeezed, after traveling a distance X the pull rod  29  hits the partial stripping stop  1 , which indicates that the partial stripping process is finished. In order to perform a full stripping, the pull rod  29  has to be forced further against the leaf spring  30 , so that it is deflected. 
         [0063]    According to a further embodiment, the freedom of movement of the pull rod  29  is limited by a partial stripping stop  30 ″ which, as shown in  FIG. 29 to 31 , is fastened and can rotate by a pivot axis  73  in the hand lever  3 . Furthermore, the partial stripping stop  30 ″ has a housing  75 , in which a dampening element  72  is mounted, which sticks out from the housing at one end face  74  and impinges on the pull rod  29  as it is pushed backward during a partial stripping process. 
         [0064]    In another embodiment shown in  FIGS. 32 and 33 , the pull rod  29  has a recess  79 , in which a bolt  78  spring-loaded in a housing  76  engages. The housing  76  is secured by a pin  77  to the housing  4  of the stripping pliers. In this way, by pressing the bolt  78  into the recess  79  the freedom of movement of the pull rod  29  in the direction of the lengthwise axis of the pull rod is limited to the length of the recess  79 . This ensures that the electrical cable is only partly stripped, that is, the insulation is cut through, but the piece of insulation remains on the cable. 
         [0065]    As can be seen in  FIGS. 1 and 18 , an adjusting slide  24  for changing the height of the blade holder is arranged above the blade holder  16  in the clamping jaw  8 . As shown in  FIG. 19 , this slides on a slide plate  23 . The adjusting slide  24  has on either side a flexible leg  43  with corrugated outer contact surfaces  44  at the ends, which stick out through openings  45  in the side surfaces of the clamping jaw  8  and can be pressed in by the user in order to move the adjusting slide along the lengthwise axis of the clamping jaw. The adjusting slide  24  is flat in its front region and increases in thickness toward the rear. The flexible legs of the adjusting slide merge at the front end with the main body of the adjusting slide and spread away from it toward the other end. The main body of the adjusting slide  24  tapers in its width backward in the region of the legs, to allow the legs to be pressed against the main body. The rear region of the adjusting slide  24  has the same width as the slide plate  23  located underneath, only the end piece being somewhat more narrow. If one moves the adjusting slide  24  forward, i.e., to the left in the figure, the slide plate and thus also the blade holder  16  resting against it will be forced downward. This enables a fine tuning of the cutting depth for the wire being stripped, so that one can also make precision cuts in the insulation layers of cables with insulation layers of different diameter. To indicate the direction in which the adjusting slide needs to be moved for an insulation layer with a given diameter, a scale  59  and several ring symbols  60  of progressively larger radius are placed on the clamping jaw  8 , preferably on the back of the clamping jaw  8 . 
         [0066]    When using the stripping pliers, as the two hand levers  2 ,  3  are squeezed together by one hand, the hand lever  2  is forced in the direction of hand lever  3 . The clamping jaw  8  is at first forced downward against the housing shell  4  by a lever mechanism including the operating lever  18  pivotally connected at one end  18   a  with the handle member  2  ( FIG. 15 ) and carrying at it other end a roller  18   b  that engages a corresponding cam surface  8   b  ( FIG. 20 ) on the clamping jaw  8 . This clamps down on a piece of cable  11  placed in the pliers. At the same time, the stripping blades  12 ,  13  of the blade holders  15 ,  16  cut into the jacket of the piece of cable  12 . If one continues to squeeze the pliers, the pull rod and the blade holders  15  and  16  pivotally connected thereto will be pulled backward by the lever mechanism, thus pulling the severed insulation layer of the conductor backward from the bare conductor wire. Depending on the position of the partial stripping stop  30 , the insulation will be entirely or only partly pulled off from the piece of cable. The ejector spring  26  will be placed under tension. As soon as the user lets go of the pliers handle members  2  and  3  and removes the insulated conductor or cable from the pliers, the clamping jaw  8  will be pushed back into the open position by the compression spring  17 , and the ejector spring will relax and discharge the stripped piece of insulation from the mouth of the pliers. 
         [0067]    While in accordance with the provisions of the Patent Statutes the preferred forms and embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made without deviating from the invention described above.