Bend it with your fingers before stripping the jacket, that's the trick. I've seen guys snap off the center conductor because they went straight in, just like you said. A little pre-bend saves a lot of rework and wasted connectors. Still have a couple on my crew who think they're too fast to bother, but they always end up redoing it.

Respectfully, I see it a little different. The whole reason you need to ascend slower is so that gas actually has time to leave your body, not just your tank. If you pop up too fast, that expanding gas gets trapped in your tissues instead of just floating out as expected. There's a huge difference between your body handling normal gas exchange and your body violently bubbling up because you skipped safety stops. Belly pressure aside, that's the real scare factor.

Wait @christopherwilson hit on something there with that mitten thing, was it like a specific tutorial or just something you figured out? I’m still fighting with hands and need that magic key.

Why mess with test pieces when you can just measure twice and cut once like a real pro?

Oh man, I gotta push back on that "tapping on knuckles" thing. That actually sounds like one of those watchmaker tall tales they tell new guys to mess with them, like how mechanics used to send apprentices for a left-handed wrench. I bet your uncle was just showing off and you've been convincing yourself you hear things ever since. With the bookbinder thing though, you're not tasting the leather, you're smelling it. When you lick your finger and rub leather, the moisture brings out that animal hide smell because real leather releases tannins and oils. Faux leather just smells like plastic or nothing at all. Your uncle might have been legit, but tapping watches on knuckles feels like something you do to look mysterious at parties more than a real diagnostic trick.