How To Strip UF Cable 

Thanks for the pointers. I followed your directions with the addition of warming up the cable with a heat gun prior to scoring the sheath. It really softened it up, just being careful not to melt it .

Great video on this cable, it is real hard to work with, I like the process you use. Going to use some of this at my new home and this will help a lot

I start at the end and slice the cable down along the ground. Cut as far as you need to strip. Pull out the ground. Then pull out the insulated conductors.

"Not perfect" you say? I don't agree! This great video was "perfect" for me. Thanks👍👍

Great simple video - I was just trying to strip a wire and struggling hard!

Thank you, God bless you for all the tips

You're did it the way I would for sure. I do like that folding utility knife you got. Might have to order one of those.

I bought a hot knife & easily made scores down the shielding on a 6/3 which is a bit thicker. Since you don't have to use as much force, it's easier to precisely score the thick shielding & then peel like a banana. Always start with the ground, since you don't have to worry about hitting the shielding. I was also doing this is 30f weather in Tennessee, so the wires were especially stiff. Worked well for me.

That's good idea my frend thank you

Well done. Just done one yesterday for my Bro in law. Unfortunately, the wire had already been installed in the box, with very little wiggle room. Took me about 30 minutes to do it.

Easy way to strip underground wire. Go to fabric store and purchase a seam ripper. You are able to slip point between wire and outside sheath and run length of what you want to strip without nicking the wire insulation. No need to use utility knife and no fear of nicking wires.

This is a very helpful video! Thanks, buddy!

Thanks for sharing.

I think I have the best way. I make a cut beyond where I want the sheath to stay on with sheath removal strippers-the kind with the three holes that just remove the sheath. Then I use side cutters to cut the end of the wire along both sides of the ground, the dig out the ground and pull ripping it out of the sheath back to my cut. Then you just separate the black and white and they rip themselves free of the sheath back to the cut.

From what I remember, I simply scored down both edges....it's difficult to do when you first try it out, but easy to master when you've done it a few times. How I did it was you lay your middle finger between the knife handle and cord while using your ring finger around the opposite edge to hold the wire, then use your first and thumb as a guideway for the wire to slip, your finger becomes a balance point that once you set the depth, just pull the wire and it just goes like butter. If you don't wear gloves, I suggest only doing 1 cut (or you'll get something similar to a paper cut when you run the other side), you can then peel and snip, it's not the cleanest looking but faster on very long runs. You seem to have gotten the second method down pretty well at the end of the video though....you can do the above but only do maybe a half inch to an inch slice, then peel back and pull....doesn't matter if you cut the sleeves that close to the edge, you're usually going to strip them anyway at that distance.

Thanks for the video my professor didn’t tell me to grab cut resistant gloves and after I cut my finger to the knuckle with a boxe cutter knife then he says try it the way you showed . Thanks Tons brother

You can cut deeper near the end that you will be stripping to give yourself a grip point. It's a good way to get it started after a light scoring.

To get the wires out of the jacket I would separate then then use wire strippers the next size up and it would cut the jacket off then I would pull the wire out the rest of the way. So example if you're using 12 gauge wire cut the jacket with 10 or 8 gauge wire strippers then pull it out of the jacket by hand. And if you do it this way test it on a scrap piece first

Hey Ben! Get rid of razor knife and get Klein linesmans knife and carefully slice the edges off the side of UF- B cable not to cut into insulation of conductors and strip down the outer jacket that’s the way pros do it.

An easy way to strip is use a propane torch to burn the outer gray jacket. Get the torch to heat up all round the cable. Then grab some of the gray sheath with fingers or plier and tear it off. I have yet to damage the inner wires. May have to heat it several times in stages to soften it enough for it to pull right off. The grey sheathing becomes very soft and weak. was needing to do this on some old uf 14-2 cable. Using a knife, you might nick the inner wires or even your fingers. Using a torch also works with old NM-B cable when the sheathing has hardened with age. To clean up the remaining sheath, use some sharp scissors to trim it back.

Only suggestion I have is to not cut toward your other hand like was done for the first 3 cuts here. Very glad you didn't slip. Edit: left out the word "hand"

I have a knife that has a one sided bevel edge. I lay the edge of my knife that has the blade away from the sheathed wire and slice along the wire with some pressure away from the wire.

As a translator for my kids when they were two, your daughter said "I want to do it daddy" the first two times. The last one was " I want to pull it."

So this is my understanding, wish you had gone over it, but might be different since I'm in Canada. Has to be buried at least 24 inches when no conduit is used. At the point it comes outta the ground and up the side of the house it needs to be in a conduit. Once it comes in to the house you can run it in to a junction box, then run your ordinary romex wire to the panel.

Yes a tip.... you are cutting toward your other hand. Never do that. Instead put your holding hand above the knife and cut away from your hand. If your knife slips no hand or fingers will be in the way.

I’ve never struggled so much like I did with this.

Can I use this UF wire with FMC in the garage?

If you're using a utility knife (of any type) engage the blade at an angle and cut at an angle. How the video describes is educational and helpful. Just sayin' if you tilt the knife while cutting the blade will stay sharp longer.

Another tool is the King Innovation 46200. I tried it at a trade show a couple years ago, and it worked well with the 12-2 UF they had at the booth table for try-out. Can't say how it will work otherwise. Definitely practice the tool on scrap first, to get the feel for how much tension to apply.

It helps if you leave it out in the sun for a couple of hours

I just cut in from the end where i can see the wire and peel it back like a banana. scoring it will help it peel back more easily, but i always end up nicking one of the wires.

I cut softly around the wire and strip it off with my flat head and thumb. Its going fine until now.

Thank you. Between our video and my prior general electrical experience, I accoomplished itFLAWLESSLY my 1st attempt! Cheers to that

Benjamin I'm cut a piece of my PVC Then I found my bear coper I took a pliers lift it out then I'm hold my cut end and pul the bear coper up and cut the PVC as fare I need Then I cut the PVC nice with my carpet nife of Yes be careful look with every pul that you not slice your L,N Brown Black or Blue isolation this faster This my way and I'm do my work with out anny problems Tanks for your nice videos Benjamin I now aplenty elect will said now This not what my trainees teach me in apprenticeship I do it for a long time found this faster and easy where I do installations Try it till your found the way

They should honestly make a tool for this

Where is it used? and is this the only cable for the application?

Did it yesterday 8 -3 with ground. Never want to do it again.

Don't cut towards your hands! The camera angle made it look especially bad. Wearing gloves is a good idea too.

Lol I ran into this stuff and it was used inside my buddies house for a couple outlets. Needless to say I ripped that out and put 12ga Romex in. And I think your 2 y/o was saying they wanna peel it with you lol. That’s my guess

pro tip! don't strip uf cables during winter while holding it in your hand cutting towards yourself! you can probably tell what happened when I did this...

Same way sharp blade. Ground first Use ground to peel back

No way use a knife to score it. Just take your Pliers and Needle nose and pull them apart at the tip then just pull down and the sleeve comes off. It's a pain but safest way and looks like it would be quicker than scoring carefully. Grab and pull.

I mistakenly bought some UF wire to run to a water heater and cussed it as I wired my breaker box and water heater.

Ya the 6 gauge is horrible. Was not fun.

I don't care if you have Kevlar gloves on, Line-of-Fire safety rules should still apply. Good Luck.

Get your fingers out of the way

Laughable