An Electrician's Tools

Question 1

Leather Work Gloves

Answer 1

Made of cowhide or some equivalent, these are used for handling hot lights or dirty cable and hardware. Clip them onto your belt when not wearing them. Leather gloves protect your hands from heat, abrasion, and grime. They cannot necessarily be counted on to protect you from electrical shock. Although they may provide electrical insulation when clean and dry, typically they are moist with sweat, making them a conductor

Question 2

Glove Clip

Answer 2

a clip that loops over a belt and provides a small spring clamp to hold gloves.

Question 3

Screwdriver

Answer 3

carry a flathead screwdriver and a Phillips screwdriver, or better, a single screwdriver with a reversible tip—flathead on one side, Phillips on the other.

Question 4

knife with retractable blade

Answer 4

Knives are used for cutting gels, foamcore, rope, and so on.

Question 5

scissors

Answer 5

Small, sharp scissors are often handy for making more careful cuts of gels and the like.

Question 6

Wire Snips

Answer 6

These are used primarily for cutting wire for practical lamps and making wire splices, but have other important uses (See Box)

Question 7

Crescent Wrench

Answer 7

An adjustable wrench is used to tighten a pipe clamp, adjust the friction of a bail, and perform countless other jobs. The standard 6-in. crescent wrench has a ½-in. maximum jaw opening that is too small to fit the ⅝in. bolt used on many pipe hangers. You can find 6-in. crescent wrenches with an extra wide jaw, which are ideal, or carry an 8-in. wrench, which is bulky

Question 8

Speed Wrench

Answer 8

A ratcheted ⅜in. square wrench is used for securing sister-lugs (square-headed setscrews) onto bus bars

Question 9

needle-nose pliers

Answer 9

used for pulling hot scrims out of a light, small repairs, and so forth

Question 10

Bates Cable Tool

Answer 10

This tool performs three functions necessary for maintaining Bates connectors. It has a pin-cleaner, pin-straightener, and pin-splitter. It comes in its own pouch

Question 11

T-handle Allen Wrench

Answer 11

When using lug cable, you’ll need a 3/16-in. Allen wrench with a long insulated T-handle, which is used for tightening the setscrews on sister-lugs inside a spider bo

Question 12

Voltmeter/continuity tester

Answer 12

used to check line voltage (120, 208, or 240 V), check for voltage drop, and locate broken connections in power cords. A continuity tester tests for burnt-out bulbs and fuses and continuity in wires. Some models have a pushbutton on/off switch, which helps prevent inadvertently running down the batteries.

Question 13

Circuit Tester

Answer 13

Plugs into an Edison outlet and tells you whether the line is hot. Also indicates whether the polarity and grounding are correct

Question 14

Line sensor (voltage tick)

Answer 14

This device indicates whether a wire has current flowing through it by sensing the magnetic field.

Question 15

Flashlight

Answer 15

Electricians frequently find themselves working in the dark. When dealing with electricity, you always need to see what you are doing. Small, rugged, focusable flashlights are easy to carry on your belt

Question 16

Clothespins

Answer 16

Keep several on your belt. an inverted C-47 (a C-74), which is handy to pull hot scrims out of lights

Question 17

Permanent Marker

Answer 17

used for labeling gels, fixtures, connectors, cables, and so forth

Question 18

Ballpoint Pen

Answer 18

used for taking notes, filling out paperwork, taking down phone numbers, and so on

Question 19

Ground Plug Adaptor

Answer 19

when on location, it is good to keep a couple cheaters in your pouch

Question 20

Cube Tap

Answer 20

Keep a supply of two or three on you

Question 21

Gaff Tape

Answer 21

Loop sash cord through the tape and attach it to your belt with a carabiner. If the roll is too bulky, you can make a “tape cube.” Fold about 9 in. of tape onto itself, then continue to wind tape around until about 5 or 6 ft of it is wound onto the strip. The tape cube can go in your back pocket. Also applies to Paper tape