Fiber Bundling Procedure

Micah Warren | January 8, 2017

Prepare to bundle fibers by using a sponge to wash the oval table with the plastic top in the conference room, or another suitable surface. Don powder free gloves.

Begin with two collars and six strips of copy paper. Unscrew one collar completely. Completely unscrew one of the screws in the other collar, and unscrew the other screw most of the way so the collar is loosely attached by one screw. Lay a bundle of fibers out on the table in six bunches of five fibers. Place a strip of paper beneath each bunch, perpendicular to the fibers. Align the fibers in each bunch as much as possible.

Place the first bunch of five fibers in the bottom of a half-collar, holding it in place by wrapping the paper around it and pinching the paper with your fingers. It helps to put a crease at the corners of the bundle. Use your other hand to stack the next bunch of fibers in the half-collar, picking the bunch up by the paper underneath it. Once it is in place, wrap the piece of paper from the first bunch around the second layer as well, so that you have two layers of five fibers each stacked on top of each other, with a strip of paper wrapped all the way around it. The second strip of paper will be sticking through the fibers between the two layers. Once you have the two layers secured in one strip of paper and are pinching it with your fingers, carefully work the other strip of paper out. Repeat this process until you have all six layers.

Once all the fibers are in place, take the collar that is still partly intact and carefully place it around the fibers. Tighten the screw enough to help hold the fibers in place, then add the other screw and tighten them until the bundle is secure. To add more collars, simply place them next to the first collar and tighten them enough to hold the shape of the bundle, but not enough to resist sliding along the bundle. Then gently slide the collar to where you want it.