What is the trick to removing rings from a concentric knockout? Often when I try to remove them I end up damaging the next ring too.

There is no trick I know, other than careful patience with pliers and screwdriver. Accurate blows of the driver tip and gripping close to the chad with a small but strong tip pliers helps.

The problem is exasperated by poor metal stamping of the KO's at the factory, and it happens to most manufacturers. Many have converted over to an easy priout for the small ones, but multiple sized concentrics will always be a pain when the stamp out is poor or almost nothing left..

Reducing "donuts" are the fix. They make every combination of sizes as KO reducers.

There is probably an invention here waiting to be found, I sure won't think of it. Or if I do,I think it's silly, and then find it on the market years later.Happened twice so far.

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Originally Posted by tkrussell

There is probably an invention here waiting to be found, I sure wont think of it. Or if I do,I think it's silly, and then find it on the market years later.Happened twice so far.

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Haha, me too.

Funny you should mention the "donuts", I just got back from the hardware store, where I bought an assortment of sizes.

Anything from Siemens seems to be poorly stamped. A lot of times the center knockout practically falls out and then I spend 15 minutes trying to get the ring(s) out, only to be left with a mangled mess of metal and a hole with huge burrs on it. Hmm, "hanging chads", where have I heard this before?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tkrussell

There is no trick I know, other than careful patience with pliers and screwdriver. Accurate blows of the driver tip and gripping close to the chad with a small but strong tip pliers helps.

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Crap. I was looking forward to a good solution. I guess you could plan ahead and clamp a pipe in a vice and use a punch before installing the box.

Check this out: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5937695.pdf

See? What did I tell you? Did I not call it?

I will say thou,I have never seen this available on the market.

Just one more special tool for the tool bag, we electricians perform miracles with a lineman pliers and a screwdriver, or so we think. They fit perfect in our back pocket.