Skinning Romex with out the Blood

Unknown

I just nibble up the romex with my tin snips , about 2 inches . Then I grab the black and white in separate hands and yank away . No chance at all of cutting directly into any of the wires . This also works good for low voltage wire .

Big Ed

Skinning Romex with out the Blood

For ever I been risking blood skinning romex with a sheet rock blade until this past weekend. I waas taught by a young machanic the correct way to skin the stuff and I feel like a fool all these years now.

Some I sure know how but would like to share .Maybe save some blood too....

Take your linemen pliers and grip the romex across the cutting part of the tool. Apply just enough pressure and release.Now just pull off the outer casing to expose the wires......

Way to simple I was amazed...

Now is there a easy way for thermo wire?

Paul Pollets

Yes....Tool for above...

A Romex skinning tool ius available for under $4. Most electrical supply houses and even Home Depot has it.

But when you can't find the tool...good to know the linesman pliers trick.

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Love that little tool. Splits the outer casing and no danger.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Blood

Had my first ever accident with a powered tool last week. Table saw. Was making a technically "unsafe" cut (very small piece) like I've done countless times in the past.

Don't know how but my left index finger contacted the blade. Saw it happen in slow motion, then felt. Thank God I didn't jerk and only god a ¾", quite shallow cut. Had me shaking for an hour and almost made me consider replacing the awful, inconvenient, OHSA-prescribed guard.

I wonder if they use them in high-school shops now? Certainly not in the early 80s when I was in class.

Andy Morgan_2

Klein

Check out Klein Tool's online catalog. Part # 1012, 1014, and 1412. These are the best IMO. Just wish they made one for 10g. Those other strippers with the tooth (those spring steel type) are useless, they don't stay sharp long enough.

Andy Morgan

Riverside Mechanical, LLC

Wayco Wayne

Yeah

I just recently discovered the Romex stripping tools. Makes it easy. They also have a hole on them that you can stick the stripped wire through and bend a little U turn for hooking the wire around a screw. Never knew. Now if only there was a tool for stripping UF wire I would be in tool heaven. WW

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Joe Furfaro

Stripping Romex

I am an electrician in Canada, but I can be pretty sure that romex in the U.S. is the same.
I take my side cuters or knife and slice the romex about 1" to 2" down from the end (it is not necessary to slice it all the way through when you use the knife).
Then grab hold of the ground wire with your pliers and with your other hand holding the end of the romex rip the ground wire down the romex to the length of tail(exposed wiring) that you require.
Cut the insulation that is left hanging.
Don't know if I was able to convey what I mean but I have found it to be very effective.
To put it another way, I use the ground wire to cut the insulation.
There is no chance of you nicking the wires and you can strip any lenght you want.
I should add that this method works best for 2-wire romex.

J.C.A._3

I remember.....

When they used to put a splitter right in the box with the stuff. It was a cheesey piece of tin with a pinch cutter and it stripped/cut the casing about 2". From there, I used the same method.

I guess the cost for the tool got out of hand eh? Must have been a whopping 3 cents added to the price. Chris

jerry scharf_3

hmmm

Andy,

I own a Klein that is 12G/10G cushion grip, bought in the last couple years. This is the first tool I reach for when doing box wiring. I have a 14G/12G, but it's nice to have the 12G romex stripper at the end, so it can reach into the box a little.

Most of my 10G and larger is 4 wire/240V, so I've actually never used the romex 10G part of the tool.

jerry

Ken D.

UF

YES! We need a tool to strip UF! If anyone knows of one, Puleeeze let us know! More blood has been spilled working with that stuff than most operating rooms.