I'm laughing at Goozy's post: he strips copper out of electrical cables? Seriously?
Actually, I have been doing the same thing since I started flying. I used to live up the street from a Porsche dealer, and one day as I was walking by, I saw the technicians (in white coats) cleaning out the shop. They were throwing away wire harnesses for some reason. I'll never get to own a Porsche, but now every model airplane I fly has just a little bit of Porsche in it!
Here's to you, Keith!
Divot McSlow
PS--All the wire I got has had 34Ga. uncoated strands. It wraps nicely and works great. I cut off a piece 32" long. It is a bonus if it has a lug or connector already on one end, because that helps while handling the wire. Next, I lay it out flat on the work surface and gently slit the insulation lengthwise with a #11 X-acto. I try not to cut all the way thru the insulation, but usually you are ok even if you do. Once you get a slit going, you can put the full bundle of copper thru the insulation along the slit all the way to within a couple inches of the end. Leave that untouched so that you don't get a loose, tangled mess. To get a piece of wire, separate out a strand up near the remaining insulated end. Then hold the far end of the bundle with your other hand and pull the strand out towards the insulated end. It sounds tedious, but it really isn't. It works great, and as Keith pointed out, it is cheap to recycle!
PPS--I originally bought heavier magnet wire for the purpose, but didn't like the way it wrapped. The colored varnish (probably actually an epoxy film, nowadays) faded anyway. I just use a bit of colored shrink sleeve over the termination and extending out beyond just a bit. It has some give, so it helps avoid focused flexing right at the end of your wrapped termination. I've heard of a million ways to "righteously" terminate lines. With some guys, it almost becomes a religion.... If so, then this one is mine.