As the key to splicing a good fibre joint is the alignment of the fibre core, it is imperative that there is no dirt or dust on the fibre before it is introduced to the v-groove of the splicing machine. Therefore, cleaning the fibre with a solvent such as alcohol is essential.
Secondly, in order to splice the two fibres accurately, you need two straight vertical ends to align. This is why the optical fibre cleaver is used.

A cleaver must clamp and tension a fibre over an anvil without inducing any torsion so that when a diamond blade is lowered onto the surface of the fibre a crack propagates at 90° to the fibre producing a flat square end.

Have a look at TRITEC's TCA8 and TC II+ cleavers for more detail.

All protective coatings must be stripped from the fibre prior to cleaving. As there are many different cable designs to protect the fibre, a range of specialist hand-tools is essential.

Have a look at TRITEC's FPK I to see our recommended range.