safety wire pliers

[5wndwcpe]

I know what they are used for, but I don't exactly know how they work. Do the jaws clamp onto the wire or do you have to feed the wire through the jaws ?

 

[nissan_crawler]

*most* of them work by clamping onto the wire. There are some that aren't really pliers that are used for tight spaces that you feed through. If you're looking at them, I really recommend a reversing pair with the tigerwave teeth. The regular teeth on the cheap ones score the wire and will let it break.

 

[OctaneMotorsports]

You want to wrap the wire around something (usually a hole in a bolt) and clamp the excess wire at the two cut ends. Usually you have to squeeze them pretty hard then there is a sleeve that you slide up to hold them shut. Then you let go of the pliers and pull the knob at the back which makes the whole thing spin and twists the wire tight. Then simply release and cut the excess...

 

[Charles (in GA)]

You want to wrap the wire around something (usually a hole in a bolt) and clamp the excess wire at the two cut ends. Usually you have to squeeze them pretty hard then there is a sleeve that you slide up to hold them shut. Then you let go of the pliers and pull the knob at the back which makes the whole thing spin and twists the wire tight. Then simply release and cut the excess...

There is truly an acquired talent to twisting and tying off safety wire and having it tight, and looking right. Like anything it takes practice.

Nissan is right, the Tiger Wave by Milbar is the best, these are the small 6" pliers. In the large size (9") pliers, I prefer the Robinson Jet twister (now owned by Milbar, but marketed separately from the Milbar line). I use the small reversible Tiger Wave Milbars with the silicone rubber in the cutting jaws (to hold the cut off wire from flying off into a black hole somewhere) on an everyday basis.

Charles

 

[nissan_crawler]

There is truly an acquired talent to twisting and tying off safety wire and having it tight, and looking right. Like anything it takes practice.

Charles

Yep, half the time I get a part from a vendor, I end up re-safetying it, because it drives me nuts how crappy it is. I have the 9" pair of the tigerwaves with the rubber, and need to get the 6" pair.

 

[Merkava_4]

There is truly an acquired talent to twisting and tying off safety wire and having it tight, and looking right. Like anything it takes practice.

Yes it is. I used to see some guys in the Navy that could safety wire beautifully like you couldn't believe, but they did it all day long too.

 

[Merkava_4]

The idea behind safety wire is that if one bolt starts to loosen, it will tighten the other.

 

[planenutok]

I safety wire everyday at work. Every fastener on aircraft must be safetied in some way whether it be safety wire, cotter pins, clips, or locknut's.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I safety wire everyday at work. Every fastener on aircraft must be safetied in some way whether it be safety wire, cotter pins, clips, or locknut's.

Or, if it is Lockheed overkill, three or four different ways on the same fastener. I've seen a self locking castle nut (thats two safeties) with the head of the bolt against a flat tab to keep it from turning (thats no. three) and the head of the bolt had safety wire thru it (thats four) on some flight control bolts on a Lockheed. Boeing largely uses self locking nuts, and if they want extra safety they use a drilled shank bolt and put a cotter pin behind the nut. Safety wire is time consuming and you are seeing less and less of it on the newer aircraft as manufacturers seek to make things more user friendly and still stay safe.

Charles

 

[Rrumbler]

Boy, you folks are dragging up some memories for me. When I learned to safety wire, it was at the elbow of a Navy Chief Aviation Machinists Mate, in 1960; we had the pliers available, but he made us learn how to do it by hand, first, and many of us found that we preferred to continue the practice. I only used pliers if I had to wire a real long opening - over about six inches or so, and even then, I started and finished by hand; got a pretty good set of calluses for my trouble.

 

[nissan_crawler]

in a+P school, they gave us an 8" square enclosed box with a hole barely big enough to squeeze your hand in. Inside, you had to safety 3 bolts with one hand.

 

[Merkava_4]

At A&P school, they gave us an 8" square enclosed box with a hole barely big enough to squeeze your hand in. Inside, you had to safety 3 bolts with one hand.

They tried to get us to start out using duck bill pliers. There was this guy in class that was an AD2 in the Navy Reserves from N.A.S. Lemoore. I handed him a pair of safety wire pliers and asked him to demonstrate the proper use of said pliers. Everyone's jaws dropped to the floor; the guy was very good.

 

[planenutok]

in a+P school, they gave us an 8" square enclosed box with a hole barely big enough to squeeze your hand in. Inside, you had to safety 3 bolts with one hand.

You should see some of the tight areas i have to wire from time to time cant even get a hand in them much less pliers. Thats where i tell the new guys to do it, i love having seniority.