Stripping flex

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Trimming back the flex sheath

Cut carefully through the outer sheath if your flex has one. Some very low voltage flexes consist of only two conductors separately insulated but with no outer sheath.

Take great care not to cut through into the insulation of the individual conductors themselves. Pull back this outer sheath and trim by folding over the blade of a craft knife and cutting.

Preparing the flex conductors

Separate out each of the conductors and strip the insulation back by about 1/2 inch. This is done using wire strippers. These may have preset trimming sizes or adjustable jaw settings. This enables them to trim the insulation without cutting into the conductors. Squeeze the jaws closed around the insulation and draw the strippers back to remove it. A gentle twisting action will make the job easier.

Taking each conductor in turn, twist its separate filaments.

• Connecting flex
• Extending flex