# Got complacent



## Cl906um (Jul 21, 2012)

Got right up to a junction box where I was tracking an old gutted circuit, tick tracer in hand. Looked at the box, wires hanging clipped out of circuit and a few wire nuts. Sure. Went to clip the last set of three, and boom. It happens so fast guys, I didn't realize it, but last set was the feed and that was where the first guy started and my wire stripper ended. Good thing it only costed a set of strippers. Would sound like a headline if I blown a set a strippers out in Vegas sure, check everything twice is my point of the story.


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## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

Don't do that!


Glad you're not hurt.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Always check twice, I've done that since the last pair of brand new dikes I turned into strippers.


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## 360max (Jun 10, 2011)

Glad you're not hurt.


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## circuitman1 (Mar 14, 2013)

did you have to change your shorts?:laughing::laughing::laughing: i made strippers out of a pair of ***** one time. just a little upset. no, i didn't have to change my shorts , but almost. glad your ok!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

MechanicalDVR said:


> Always check twice, I've done that since the last pair of brand new dikes I turned into strippers.


Wow! ***** turned into strippers! What a concept!


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

LARMGUY said:


> Wow! ***** turned into strippers! What a concept!


More of that going around than you would think.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

Cl906um said:


> Got right up to a junction box where I was tracking an old gutted circuit, tick tracer in hand. Looked at the box, wires hanging clipped out of circuit and a few wire nuts. Sure. Went to clip the last set of three, and boom. It happens so fast guys, I didn't realize it, but last set was the feed and that was where the first guy started and my wire stripper ended. Good thing it only costed a set of strippers. Would sound like a headline if I blown a set a strippers out in Vegas sure, check everything twice is my point of the story.


Were you cutting random groups of wires together or did you touch ground?
I try to be very aware of the colors I cut.
I have trained myself not to cut more than one color together and try only to cut one at a time if possible.
I will also stagger my cuts enough, if I can, so that I have somewhat of a clue if I have to quickly put one back together. 
Also, if I can help it, I use a cheaper tool like a pair strippers instead of a $40 pair of Klein's. 
In our trade, either you have or you will.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

LARMGUY said:


> Wow! ***** turned into strippers! What a concept!


Yup, two nice 8ga holes!


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

I know a guy who knows a guy who zapped his nose once.


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## scotch (Oct 17, 2013)

On a union plump job was tasked to make up lots of extension cords....union job....so got the apprentice on it after marking out 50ft and 100ft posts . So off I went to see another job ...and it seems he had a brilliant idea to put the plug on the cable end first and plug it into a receptacle to stop the cable moving as he measured it out . Then when it was stretched out he cut it with his nice new linesmans ! Only once !


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

scotch said:


> On a union plump job was tasked to make up lots of extension cords....union job....so got the apprentice on it after marking out 50ft and 100ft posts . So off I went to see another job ...and it seems he had a brilliant idea to put the plug on the cable end first and plug it into a receptacle to stop the cable moving as he measured it out . Then when it was stretched out he cut it with his nice new linesmans ! Only once !


He was just testing the breaker! 

LOL, I hope you never let him live that one down. 

Did you call him 'Buzz' or 'Zappy' afterwards?


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## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

MechanicalDVR said:


> He was just testing the breaker!
> 
> LOL, I hope you never let him live that one down.
> 
> Did you call him 'Buzz' or 'Zappy' afterwards?


Spaz


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## Signal1 (Feb 10, 2016)




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## Cl906um (Jul 21, 2012)

Yep. When I got up to the junction box from the angle I was at, it looked liked they were all spliced together,(and they were at one time) but the ones I was following back, the other guy clipped out. I didn't see it, and clip clip boom. Just like the song click click boom. Old 240 electric heat feed too.


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## Cl906um (Jul 21, 2012)

MechanicalDVR said:


> He was just testing the breaker!
> 
> LOL, I hope you never let him live that one down.
> 
> Did you call him 'Buzz' or 'Zappy' afterwards?


He had to use the most expensive hand tool carried? I seem to go in really good, and long good streaks. I was putting a s.o. Pigtail in a panel this fall, and same thing I always do. Rung it lightly with my parrot nose, then a bit deeper while bending with my knife, and pull outer jacket off. It was a bottom fed square D breaker with the short jumper wires to the bus. When I pulled the s.o. Outer jacket off, i pulled the insulation off of the ground wire as well. The beer cooler compressor this tail operates has been overloading for some time I was told. Well. When the jacket pulled off the wire, it landed right smack on top of the load side of the 200 amp main to ground. Real fast like, those fine strands of s.o. pretty much evaporated into mid air. Had that been on the line side, who knows what could have happened...


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## lightman (Oct 14, 2015)

I pretty much formed the habit to do like Suncoast Power. Cut one wire at a time or at least one color at a time and watch where the nose of your tool is.

Glad you were not hurt.

The above story reminds me of something similar that happened to me once. I was making up a panel late one night, working in the dark with a flash light. I skinned the end of a #12 ground wire and let it get away from me. I had just enough time to almost turn my head. That #12 stuck to the buss on a 200 amp panel and tripped it without so much as a spit. Lucky Me!


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Cl906um said:


> He had to use the most expensive hand tool carried? I seem to go in really good, and long good streaks. I was putting a s.o. Pigtail in a panel this fall, and same thing I always do. Rung it lightly with my parrot nose, then a bit deeper while bending with my knife, and pull outer jacket off. It was a bottom fed square D breaker with the short jumper wires to the bus. When I pulled the s.o. Outer jacket off, i pulled the insulation off of the ground wire as well. The beer cooler compressor this tail operates has been overloading for some time I was told. Well. When the jacket pulled off the wire, it landed right smack on top of the load side of the 200 amp main to ground. Real fast like, those fine strands of s.o. pretty much evaporated into mid air. Had that been on the line side, who knows what could have happened...


I think that is a prime example of Murphy's Law!


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## Cl906um (Jul 21, 2012)

I never seen insulation so loose on any individual wire of s.o. I know it's more like sjow now,but you guys know what I mean.


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## foothillselectrical (Mar 17, 2013)

I thought all strippers were dikes...

But thank god not all dikes are strippers!

Seriously though, glad you're ok. That's just so easy to do.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

foothillselectrical said:


> I thought all strippers were dikes...



Nope not at all, they just say that to guys they deem ugly!:whistling2:






Sometimes licking your ear can turn the tide!


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## UncleBill (Oct 23, 2014)

Suncoast Power said:


> Were you cutting random groups of wires together or did you touch ground?
> I try to be very aware of the colors I cut.
> I have trained myself not to cut more than one color together and try only to cut one at a time if possible.
> I will also stagger my cuts enough, if I can, so that I have somewhat of a clue if I have to quickly put one back together.
> ...


I'm the same except that i stagger my cuts to also keep the ends away from each other. I make my first cut on an ungrounded conductor the longest then shorten then as I go. That way there's no chance of the ends contacting each other just in case something energizes, even though I test and retest and follow LOTTO religiously


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