Trimming back the flex sheath
1. 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.
2. Use a pair of side cutters to do this. Take great care not to cut through into the insulation of the individual conductors themselves.
3. Pull back this outer sheath and trim off the excess with the side cutters.
Preparing the flex conductors
4. Separate out each of the conductors.
5. Strip the insulation back by about 1/2 inch, or as required for the particular connection terminal you have. 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.
6.Taking each conductor in turn, twist its separate filaments. This will make it easier to insert them into a terminal connection.