Safety Wire Pliers

[tinsnips]

My brother is a pro at safety wiring . He does it for a living on helicopters. It looks like a art forum to me.

[Rcmaveric]

Good thing about it. Once you become good at it, then you will never forget it and it becomes super easy. LMAO we made a safety wire trainer and i can blow through it and i looks amazing. The new guys get all doe eyed and try it. They end up looking like a monkey trying to figure out a rubiks cube. Then i tell them we aren't maintainers, but artisans. Everything should look better than factory work once we are done with it.

[Idaho45guy]

Pretty sure this entire thing was held together with safety wire...

Attachment 220306

[Alstep]

Nicely done! You could work on my Trashauler anytime.

Attachment 220123

Is that a C-119? Got a bunch of jumps outta them.

[EDG]

I saw lots of safety wire holding Bell 47s, Hiller OH-13s and Hughes TH-55s together at Ft Wolters and nearby fields in the late 1960s. I think they must have had over 1000 helicopters total.

[Mr_Sheesh]

As a passenger on various airchines - Better good safety wire than chewing gum and duct tape! Afraid my safety wiring skills are only up to "well, at least that won't unscrew itself" car quality.

[bstone5]

Used the safety wire pliers a lot on offshore drilling machinery. When hoisting over 750,000 pounds all of the hoisting machinery needs to stay together. Common tool for offshore equipment assembly.

[472x1B/A]

Guess my/our application in the Air Force, really wasn't for safety, but for security. ALL aircraft fuel servicing trucks/vehicles had lots of calibration security wires on pressure valves or meters heads. They had to be twisted tight and then sealed with lead smash seals the wires went through. Each mechanic had their own seal pliers and there was NO trading ever. Once your number went on that work order your fate was sealed. I had 191 the whole 20 years.

[Idaho45guy]

Speaking of aviation tools, who else knows what these are?

Attachment 220350

My neighbor works for a company that converts radial engine crop dusters to turbo props. Said they are really hurting for mechanics. Asked me if I was interested in working for them as a tin bender. Told him I hadn't worked on a plane in over 20 years. He said it doesn't matter and is like riding a bike.

No thanks...

[metricmonkeywrench]

Those are the proper pliers for crimping a lead seal on copper safety wire as descibrd by 472x above. Our normal use was on fire pull handles and valves.

Glad you are all enjoying the topic....

[OTShooter]

I have a bit of experience with safety wire, mostly in preparation for avionics work I wound up not getting to do (longish story).

But my most vivid memory was being a “helper” while in training and actually getting to wire ONE connector on a black box after the “old guy” (a buck sergeant) had done everything else. It was cold, and this connector called for small diameter wire. Guess what happened! (Those with experience already know...)

Yep, I had at least three beautiful puncture wounds on my finger tips that I didn’t feel, and that didn’t bleed until after I started warming up. And of course THEN they hurt like crazy.

[Idaho45guy]

Those are the proper pliers for crimping a lead seal on copper safety wire as descibrd by 472x above. Our normal use was on fire pull handles and valves.

Glad you are all enjoying the topic....

Nope. Can't believe I stumped you...

[metricmonkeywrench]

Oops, didn't look close enough, they look like the pliers for the temporary rivet clips used to hold aircraft skin in place while the real rivets are put in. Not sure what the trade name of them are

Could be totally wrong...I was a Armored Vehicle guy.

[2wheelDuke]

I'm another one that only knows safety wire from racing.

I don't think I can call myself an expert, but I got to where the tech guys were appreciative of my work for sure. Having a nice tidy job sure makes tech inspection go alot easier.

I haven't been able to afford racing in years now, but I'm still tempted to safety wire my drain plug, fill cap, and oil filter on the street bike every oil change.

[Idaho45guy]

Oops, didn't look close enough, they look like the pliers for the temporary rivet clips used to hold aircraft skin in place while the real rivets are put in. Not sure what the trade name of them are

Could be totally wrong...I was a Armored Vehicle guy.

Cleco fasteners...

Attachment 220368

And after I got bored working on aircraft, I became a 12B in the Army; Combat Engineer. I drove the AVLBs and AVLMs based on the M60 chassis.

[KenT7021]

When I was in Army Aviation we were not permitted to use safety wire pliers.Smooth jawed ducks were permitted and of course dikes to cut the wire.Mostly done by hand.Every mechanic was issued safety wire pliers.you just couldn't use them.It was possible to overstress the wire with the pliers.

[Joby]

Cleco pliers. Use em almost every day. Or if working on Pilatus products they call them gripper pins. And those 1/8” size look shiny like new. No sealant or adhesive infected.

[Dave18]

the cleco pliers had not seen since 72 when I worked at sea nymph boat company we used those fasteners by the hundreds, probably still have the pliers and some fasteners somewhere in one of my tool boxes,

and the safety wiring, learned on the old bultaco clutch baskets, all the bolts had to be safety wired or they backed out and ate through the side cases, but never got as good as some of the pics in this thread on getting the wire twisted so it looked nice, but I never had my wiring come off or break, on that spinning clutch basket, so guess I was doing something right back then,