Well, some have serrations that sound like a zipper when tightening them, other do not. I use them where needed. That said, I think if I had the ability to build a car I wanted in the GNRS/or any type of show-car, I'd not use them where they'd be seen. Basically what I mean is, I'll never stop using them
I like to get the colored ones in the jug at Walmart. If I'm running a set of wires, say tail lights, I can use the same color all the way back. Most of my wires go into flex loom, but some areas it's better to just leave them exposed so they get the color coordinated treatment. I got a big bundle from the telephone company when I bought one of their old trucks. They were definitely single use, they had a steel gripper in them, you pull them tight and they weren't coming off unless you cut them off. They were about 3 times as thick as the others, too. Over the years I used them in places where I had something heavy I didn't want moving around.
Installed a ton of those over the years at American. Used a Ty-Wrap gun most of the time. We were only allowed to use them in the pressurized areas. Non-pressurized areas (wheel wells, wings, tail) had to be secured with wax chord.
Having a brittle problem??..........Look hard for the made in the USA ties! Harder and harder to find, but I've not had the brittle problem with them I have with the made in China crap. I think the last USA made ones I found were at Tractor Supply, or Gebo's. Like everything else those farm/ranch supply stores sell, much better quality than the Home depots and Lowes. I've also used a lot of the stainless steel ones. Harbor Freight sells them, but in one size only. 14"(?)
Panduit makes an excellent ty-rap gun. I have used them when I worked aircraft and still do on my wiring for automobiles. Ty-rap guns are adjustable for the size of the wrapp and cut right at the lock, keeping from jagged edges caused by using wire cutters. I only use Panduit because the tool trucks sell the plastic one that break. I find used Panduit guns on Ebay, usually at good prices. Over the years a couple of mine mysteriouslyrics grew legs and dissappeared.
You can fix that. If the ties are made of nylon the water in them out gases as they get old. Soak them in water for a couple days and they are good as new.
NASAs wiring harness workmanship standards. Page 30 or so. Its a big PDF. https://nepp.nasa.gov/files/27631/NSTD87394A.pdf
Guilty. I probably use more than I need to. Quite often to hold something temporarily until I get it set up he way I want it.
Unfortunately, the site is from the UK. https://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product_list/65 They actually have lots of nice stuff. The "original" car I want to recreate used many buckle clips as seen in the pic below. Richard Scaldwell really tried hard to keep things "period" correct on his GN JAP recreation.
Zip ties hold all kinds of stuff together quite well. You can make them 1000 feet long if you needed to. Panduit makes some nice accessories too. Like stick tabs and There’s ties with labels, ties with screw hole mounting tabs, big ones, little ones, long ones and short ones. I really thought Everyone knew the plug wire separator trick, like the sun comes up in the east and sets in the west- nope. It seems a black art to those who’ve not seen it.
Sometimes I put the steel tie wire inside clear plastic hose. They had that back in the 60s.. I remember this old timer using it on his Willy's Gasser back in the 60s... It had a nice Olds mill with a racing Hydro built by a local called Sweeny..
I use 'em. I try to avoid using them to hold important things on like transmissions and bumpers and they make lousy exhaust hangers. Lots of times I make my own wiring harness or modify the original to suit me. I will often use wire ties (I remember buying Ty-raps and that was what my dad called them) to bundle specific groups of wires before I *tape my harness. *many people consider a tape wrapped wiring harness to be my trademark. I do it because the cars I started with had tape wrapped harnesses.
HF stainless ties. I use them for stainless brake lines from frame up to MC. Keeps the two lines close together. Round the tip off after cutting...razor sharp. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Like 'beaner, I tape harnesses. Usually I use non-adhesive vinyl tape, like GM used for a few decades (50s-80s). but sometimes for fun I use friction tape, when I'm feeling real traditional.
I used to use plain old black vinyl tape, then I found some old looking perforated split loom. It looks like the old cloth covering, but it stretches and retains it's shape. Doesn't look like that ribbed modern stuff, either. This place has it, and the old asphalt covered loom as well. https://kwikwire.com/loom-and-shrink-tube/
I have a roll of black, flat string that my father-in-law gave me 15 years ago. It's what he used to tie wires when he was doing radio repair for the Navy in WWII! (He was not a rodder, but like a lot of us he never threw anything away.)
Instead of cutting if you twist the end off with a pair of pliers you'll end up with no sharp edge. We used them everywhere at the olde satellite factory.
One other use here in Oklahoma, land of the circular winds, I have used the 24" long "heavy duty" ones to put a panel of privacy fence up temporarily after a blow down. Had to keep the varmits out and the pups in. I probably should check to see if I ever fixed it.
The Jalopy Journal
