I've been doing a lot of soldering lately and am tired of my helping hands's alligator clips biting too tightly into the wire insulation and making holes or deforming it. I cut the hem part off an old T-shirt I am using as a rag and wrap it around the wire before clipping it. That pads it just enough to keep those nasty teeth from damaging the wire. The only time I don't use this method now is when using the clip as a holder and a heat sink when re-wiring a motor.