trueCABLE’s Fiber Optic Cable Strippers: The Essential Tool for Fiber Optic Installations

Written by Don Schultz, Senior Technical Specialist, BICSI TECH, INSTC, INSTF, Fluke Networks CCTT

A fiber optic cable stripper is one of the most essential tools in bulk fiber optical cable preparation. When working with fiber optic strands, an entirely new level of precision is required for the task as the quality and accuracy of the fiber stripper will literally make or break your efforts. Consider that fiber optic cable dimensions are discussed in terms of microns (µm) and you may start to realize that the tools required for any level of fiber optic preparation must be durable, reliable, and extremely accurate.

In this blog we will specifically highlight and discuss the trueCABLE Fiber Optic Cable Stripper.

Fiber optic cable preparation is a potentially hazardous activity. The risk of personal injury or even death can be lowered with the proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and training. Safety glasses and a clearly labeled “sharps” container are absolutely required! Formal training is recommended.

What Is a Fiber Optic Cable Stripper?

The purpose of fiber optic cable strippers is to remove any plastic protective coatings from the fiber optical strand assembly prior to cleaving, connector termination, or in-line splicing. This tool is hand held, and has multiple high precision cavities for removing the multiple layers of coatings found covering the actual glass fibers. Given the thickness of the cable in question, the same tool may or may not be useful in removing the outer jacket and an additional tool or tools may be necessary for that task.

Each high precision cavity found on the optical fiber cable stripper is for a specific task:

• Outer cable jacket covering the fibers (up to a practical limit within the tool’s ability)
• Color coded tight buffer (900µm)
• Clear acrylate coating directly on top of the actual glass (250µm)

Example cross-section of a multimode tight buffer assembly

How are fiber optic cable strippers different from commonly seen copper twisted pair Category cable (aka Ethernet) cable strippers? Ethernet strip tools are for removing cable jackets only, while sometimes with the added ability to cut the cable to length. When terminating copper twisted pairs, plastic is not removed from the fiber strand where the exact opposite is true for optical fibers..

Why Proper Stripping Matters in Fiber Optics

Proper stripping of fiber optical cable must be done with a high degree of precision via:

• Accurate strip tool with high precision cavities
• Proper techniques (workmanship)

Fiber optic strands become progressively more fragile as each layer on top of the glass is removed. The tight buffer is the primary protective mechanism to prevent fiber breakage. The last line of defense is the acrylate coating. If the process is not performed with a quality tool and correct technique, then the possibility of nicking and scratching the glass or even breaking the glass is very high. I know, as I have broken many during the process of stripping, usually when I get out of practice and/or my technique needs refinement.

Any nicks, cuts, gouges, scrapes, or fractures will destroy the ability of the connector or splice to perform as required.

trueCABLE’s Fiber Optic Stripper: Features & Benefits

Given the criticality of correct fiber stripping, not any old tool will do. trueCABLE specifically set out to design and produce a long lasting accurate fiber strip tool with the following features:

• 3-Hole design strips cable jacket, buffer, and acrylate coating with precision
• Angled jaw design protects fibers from damage
• Hardened carbon steel edges ensure flawless fiber preparation
• Hidden spring mechanism with convenient safety lock feature
• Ergonomic high-visibility green TPU handle

You don’t want a tool that cannot lock!

Supported Fiber Cable Types

The primary purpose of the trueCABLE Fiber Strip Tool is to strip the individual fiber strands (whether tight buffer or loose tube) found inside bulk distribution fiber cable or fiber optic patch cords. As mentioned previously, some variations of fiber distribution cable will be too thick, so the maximum for the tool is 3.00mm cable jacket outside diameter (OD).

For purposes of stripping, the individual fiber strands are going to be identical from one fiber type to another. As such the trueCABLE Fiber Optical Strip Tool does not care about:

• Singlemode (SM) vs multimode (MM) fiber
• Simplex vs duplex construction
• Loose tube vs tight buffer assembly
• Backbone vs distribution vs patch cord fiber

Which cables trueCABLE’s stripper does care about:

• Jacket OD (some will be too thick and require a different jacket removal tool)
• Metallic armor components (our tool will not cut through metal)

To learn more about metallic armored fiber cable, please see Armored vs. Unarmored Fiber Optic Cables: Determining the Best Solution for Your Network Infrastructure.

Step-by-Step: How to Use the trueCABLE Fiber Optic Stripper

trueCABLE has constructed a visual how-to representation for our fiber optical strip tool. Please see FIBERSTRIP Instruction Sheet. In addition, a full FIBERSTRIP specification is found here.

General fiber preparation steps

1. Cut the fiber cable to the desired length, accounting for service slack required to be stored for adds/changes/equipment relocations in the future at the head end of the installation. With splice trays or equipment outlets, it is strongly advised to keep 1 meter (3 feet) of service slack, tucked away.
2. Remove the outer cable sheath (jacket) with FIBERSTRIP or additional tools if necessary (armored or thick cable or both).
3. Cut away the aramid yarn (aka Kevlar™) reinforcement material, which resembles blond doll hair. The easiest way of doing this is to use aramid yarn shears (Kevlar™ cutters) designed specifically for the task.
4. Remove the tight buffer coating using the 900µm strip cavity. Find an angle technique that works for you. Typically I use a 60 degree angle to the fiber strand. Removal of the tight buffer may have to be done in steps, removing about ¼” at a time. In other cases, the tight buffer can be removed in one simple smooth motion. It depends on the brand of fiber cable and ambient temperature.
5. Remove the acrylate coating using the 250µm strip cavity, again with an angle technique that works for you. Typically I use a 60 degree angle to the fiber strand. Be careful at this step as the glass is easily broken! Removal of the acrylate coating requires a deft touch to remove and takes practice.
6. Wipe the core/cladding glass with approved fiber optic glass cleaner and nonlinting wipes designed specifically for the task. DO NOT use any other cleaners as they may introduce contaminants!

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You will know the fiber is being cleaned correctly when you hear a “squeak” noise like you are cleaning a mirror. You will also be able to feel any residual acrylate coating. If you don’t feel and hear the squeak noise, you are likely trying to clean the acrylate coating, which must still be removed.

Tips to avoid common mistakes (nick, scoring, fiber breakage)

Quite frankly avoiding common mistakes is up to you, the installer. If you have a good tool and still have issues, the issue is your technique. Practice will make perfect! The most critical time for fiber breakage is going to be at the final strip step, which is removing the acrylate coating.

Safety

As mentioned before, preparing fibers can be hazardous. Fiber is most hazardous when loose shards get away from you. Loose fiber shards are extremely sharp, pokey, and hard to see. Oh, and they are glass. This is most risky during the final strip to remove the acrylate coating and also during the next step which is cleaving the fiber core to the correct length (another topic). Here are some safety tips:

• Work over a dark surface if possible to reveal fiber shards
• STOP, find, and deposit any broken fiber shards into a sharps container which should be clearly marked
• Never use a regular trash can to dispose of fiber shards
• Wear safety glasses!
• Use strong tape to pick up fiber shards, avoiding the use of your fingers
• Do not keep food or drink in the area where fiber is being stripped and cleaved, or at least use screw top bottles that can be resealed after every sip

For a more detailed discussion around fiber optic cable safety, please see Comprehensive Guide to Fiber Optic Safety.

Best Practices & Troubleshooting

Inspection before/after stripping

It is a good habit to inspect your tool prior to use. Check that no debris (usually acrylate coating) is stuck in any cavity. Further check for rust; if any rust is present in a strip cavity then the tool should be replaced. The same checks apply to after stripping operations.

Cleaning the tool

There are no special cleaning procedures for the tool, but a soft plastic bristle brush (like for camera lenses) may be useful for removing plastic build-up in the cavities. A light coating of high quality oil to prevent rust for long term storage is not a bad idea. Keep in mind oil will attract contaminants, so use a very thin and light coating and remove it as much as possible from the tool prior to use with a link free cloth wipe--especially from the strip cavities themselves. Less is more! It is also best practice to use the tool lock to help minimize strip cavity damage when the tool is not in use.

Dealing with armored cables

As described above, the fiber strip tool is not designed to strip or cut metal of any kind. Attempting to do so will ruin the high precision strip cavity and should result in tool replacement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can it be used for drop/armored/ribbon fiber?
The trueCABLE Fiber Strip Tool is designed to work with any fiber strand from any cable type, but may be unable to remove thick jackets, armor, or other specialty items such as innerduct.

How do you avoid damaging the fiber?
To avoid damaging the fiber during stripping, develop the correct technique with practice and keep your tool clean and rust free.

What happens if you cut the core or cladding?
You have a bad strip if you cut the core or cladding above it. Same goes for scratching or nicking the core/cladding. Cut off the end and start over.

How often should you replace the blade?
There are no replaceable parts on the trueCABLE Fiber Optic Stripper Tool.

Where can I buy replacement parts?
There are no replaceable parts on the trueCABLE Fiber Optic Stripper Tool.

Conclusion

So there you have it! Now you can see why a high quality strip tool with the correct technique and lots of practice is so important to getting a good strip with minimal frustration. You will develop your own technique over time, and it is recommended to keep in practice. A skill not used is a skill that will degrade over time.

HAPPY NETWORKING!

trueCABLE presents the information on our website, including the “Cable Academy” blog and live chat support, as a service to our customers and other visitors to our website subject to our website terms and conditions. While the information on this website is about data networking and electrical issues, it is not professional advice and any reliance on such material is at your own risk.