electrician band (aka shtalband and fish tape) is a tool to pull electrical cables into pipes

using it is not complicated. you push it in untill it comes out the other end. then you connect the cables and pull . . . .

hey ! how we know how much cable we need ? the length of the pipe can be way more than the distance between the connection boxes we see !

Step 1: Tools

electrician band

permanent pen or better paint

1 m (or 1 ft) size sample

Step 2: A Word About Paint

the signs smudge few mm after some use - especially at the ends

to prevent the band from looking like kid's drawing that was left in the rain - use paint that flakes off instead of smudging

if you dont mind that - just make any lines thick so they remain readable

do not use any mechanical or thermal ways to keep the paint intact or instead of paint. they make a weak spot in the band which may break

Step 3: Measure

place a thin line every meter

Step 4: Write

now we write the actual length from the start next to each line

think of a coding scheme which is easy for you to understand. use different lines and maybe colors (but keep in mind that colors cannot be seen well in darkness like crawl spaces etc)

you can write small digits but they are likely to wipe after few uses