Strip 400 kc mill mc...??

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Electrical Student

Electrical Student

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North East Philadelphia
Hey guys. Been a while. I looked around and couldn't find what I was looking for...

Rookie with 400 kc mill mc. Using a sawzall to surgically strip the mc off of it. Is their a better technique? I cautiously cut one bell then pop it off with a small flat head driver. *I'm not intreasted in some specialtie $400.00 tool. I don't do it enough. Just thought their may be a good way to hold it or somthing im missing. I nicked the insulation on a wire today. ??*♂️ thanks in advance.
 
Good old fashion hack saw and a little surgical precision, having some experience don't hurt either

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I haven't ran MC that large, but I'd wager a small cordless portaband with a cut at a slight angle to the MC would be just the ticket. If you only have access to a sawzall, I'd probably use a 24 tooth blade so it isn't so aggressive that it gets away from you.
 
The biggest mc I have used is 250-4 and I could still kink, untwist, and snip the armor just like small mc. If the 400 us too big (or you are too much of a wuss ;)) for that then like others said prob a sawzall used delicately or a hand saw.
 
electrofelon said:
The biggest mc I have used is 250-4 and I could still kink, untwist, and snip the armor just like small mc. If the 400 us too big (or you are too much of a wuss ;)) for that then like others said prob a sawzall used delicately or a hand saw.
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it's been almost 20 years since i worked with that stuff, and i only did it once.
500MCM-3 mc copper cable... underfloor feeding lieberts in a data center. kink and twist,
not so much....

tri stand and portaband, or just throw it up on a box. it weighs so much it doesn't
move much.

the electrical contractor, bless his heart, had 500' spools of it. now, normally,
i'd get a tugger, set up shives under the floor, and have three guys work it in
slowly.

naaaaahhhhhh.... we will get ten guys, and just bull it in. i hate hard and stupid
directed by an idiot.

all of you bend over, and goose step it thru the computer floor, holding the cable
off the strut on the floor, and drag it off that 8' x 4' reel, and pull these in 150',
around all the crap under a computer floor. 1,2,3, HEAVE!

it pisses me off 20 years later to remember..... :rant::rant::rant:
 
Fulthrotl said:
it's been almost 20 years since i worked with that stuff, and i only did it once.
500MCM-3 mc copper cable... underfloor feeding lieberts in a data center. kink and twist,
not so much....

tri stand and portaband, or just throw it up on a box. it weighs so much it doesn't
move much.

the electrical contractor, bless his heart, had 500' spools of it. now, normally,
i'd get a tugger, set up shives under the floor, and have three guys work it in
slowly.

naaaaahhhhhh.... we will get ten guys, and just bull it in. i hate hard and stupid
directed by an idiot.

all of you bend over, and goose step it thru the computer floor, holding the cable
off the strut on the floor, and drag it off that 8' x 4' reel, and pull these in 150',
around all the crap under a computer floor. 1,2,3, HEAVE!

it pisses me off 20 years later to remember..... :rant::rant::rant:
Click to expand...



Damm... well, I'm going to try a hack saw today. It will probably take way to long for the bosses liking... but it's that, the sawzall or they can get someone else to do it. Theirs alot to do. So I guess I'll be pretty experienced by 2 o clock. Thanks guys.
 
Sometimes theirs a 1/8" gap from the mc to the insulation. Sometimes theirs not. I was hoping I could influence the wire somehow to be able to rely on the spacing. But so far, no matter how I bend it... it still just does what it wants. Just gonna take some precautions wit the sawzall.
 
We install 750 kcmil MC all of the time for temp feeders. As mentioned cut it on a angle with a hacksaw and twist the jacket so that it loosens as you twist. After that it should pull right off.
 
Fulthrotl said:
it's been almost 20 years since i worked with that stuff, and i only did it once.
500MCM-3 mc copper cable... underfloor feeding lieberts in a data center. kink and twist,
not so much....

tri stand and portaband, or just throw it up on a box. it weighs so much it doesn't
move much.

the electrical contractor, bless his heart, had 500' spools of it. now, normally,
i'd get a tugger, set up shives under the floor, and have three guys work it in
slowly.

naaaaahhhhhh.... we will get ten guys, and just bull it in. i hate hard and stupid
directed by an idiot.

all of you bend over, and goose step it thru the computer floor, holding the cable
off the strut on the floor, and drag it off that 8' x 4' reel, and pull these in 150',
around all the crap under a computer floor. 1,2,3, HEAVE!

it pisses me off 20 years later to remember..... :rant::rant::rant:
Click to expand...

Been saying that for years.
Can't wait for someone to invent the wheel, no wonder my back is shot.

Cut at an angle go slow finish with hand saw; cost more to make a mistake than time to do it right!
 
kwired said:
Rotary tool with cutter or grinding wheel?
Click to expand...

Yeah, a RotoZip with a cut-off wheel should do just fine. As long as you cut against the rotation you can maintain some pretty fine control. At least for this kind of operation.
 
I have done it with a sawzall blade, hacksaw blade, file, razor blade, dremel, skill saw, and the specialty tool. Use a rope to measure where you want to cut it and it fit nicely still, use tape to mark your spot you start measuring from. The further it is in the spool the tighter the metal sheath will get, it gets crushed tight around the conductors from its own weight and the way they reel it on the spool. So if it dont come in one cut make some smaller chunks of sheath to remove, have had to strip 12/3 cable 4-6" at a time.
 
Forgot to add that when you twist the sheath while removing it twist it with the filling, and only that way. Twist and pull same time. If doing small chunks keep the filling twisted the right way and taped so it doesn't bind up. Once that happens you should get a snickers cause its gonna be a while. Only have it taped at the very end of the conductors dont try to candy cane tape it, it will only bind up on the tape.
 
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Electrical Student said:
Sometimes theirs a 1/8" gap from the mc to the insulation. Sometimes theirs not. I was hoping I could influence the wire somehow to be able to rely on the spacing. But so far, no matter how I bend it... it still just does what it wants. Just gonna take some precautions wit the sawzall.
Click to expand...

a porta band, or anything that doesn't reverse direction will work better.

and if the powers that be want it done faster, if you screw it up and it
has to be replaced, that will pay for a lot of time to do it right.

take your time, and don't screw it up.
 
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