Been stripping coax the hard way for years until a new guy showed me

I was on a job in Tempe last week, trying to get a clean strip on some old RG6. My blade kept catching and I was getting little nicks in the center conductor. The trainee with me, a kid maybe six months in, just watched for a minute and then said, 'You know you can just spin the stripper, right?' He took the tool, made one full turn, and the jacket came off perfect. I'd been using it like a pair of pliers for eight years. How many other simple tricks am I missing out on?

4 comments

4 Comments

abbyr541mo ago

Eight years using it like pliers? I bet the tool's instruction sheet is still laughing at you from the bottom of your toolbox.

kimr911mo agoTop Commenter

That's the real test of a tool, when you find a use the maker never planned. Brian_hart probably has a few of those too, like using a flathead screwdriver as a tiny pry bar or a paint can opener. The instructions might laugh, but sometimes the wrong way works better.

dylanwells23d ago

Wait, eight years using it like pliers? That's wild. I mean, I've used a crescent wrench as a hammer more times than I should admit, but eight years is a whole different level of commitment. Did the jaws even close all the way after that long?

brian_hart1mo ago

That instruction sheet line from @abbyr54 is too real. I've got a few of those laughing at me too.