Shoutout to the old guy at the supply house who showed me a better way to strip 12/2

Last week at the counter at Platt Electric, I was stripping a long run with my usual method and this retired electrician, Frank, just shook his head. He took my linesman pliers and showed me how to score the sheathing and pull the ground wire to split it clean in one motion. Anyone else have a little trick like that for Romex that saves a ton of time?

2 comments

2 Comments

carr.elliot2d ago

My buddy Mike was doing a kitchen rewire last month and kept nicking the conductors. This old timer on site, named Ray, grabbed his knife and showed him how to hook the blade in the middle of the cable and just roll his wrist. It pops the sheath open without any risk to the wires inside. Mike said he hasn't cut a wire since.

norab212d ago

That trick with rolling your wrist is solid, but it makes me wonder about all the different cable types now. Like, does that work on that stiff armored cable or just the basic Romex? I could see someone trying it on the wrong sheath and having the knife slip right into their hand. Maybe the real skill is knowing which method to use for each cable you pick up.