Had a chance to get up close to the biplanes while parked at Flabob TROG. Really geeked out on the safety wire techniques and badging. Thought I’d share.
I bought a pair of HF safety wire pliers on a whim once when in the store. They actually work pretty well. I only used them 3 or 4 times, no idea if they’d last through a lot of use or not.
Ah, yes... Nothing like cutting/removing/re-saftieing all the boroscope plugs and EGT probes on a CF6-80.after Inspection. Oh. the first example I would have rejected. Twisted too tight. Pic for reference.
We had a lady at work that did the best safety wire work I have ever seen. She did the EA-6B Band-1 assembly-transmitter assembly which was loaded with safety wire.
General Wiring Procedures Procedures for installing safety wire include the following (with quotations from AC 43.13): Safety wire must be new upon each application. (This seems fairly obvious until you catch yourself trying to redo a short run using the same wire.) All safety wires “must be tight after installation, but not under such tension that normal handling or vibration will break the wire.” Twists should be “tight and even, and the wire between nuts as taut as possible without over-twisting.” (Six to eight turns per inch.) A “pigtail” of 1/4- to 1/2-inch (three to six twists) should be made at the end of the wire run. This pigtail “must be bent back or under to prevent it from becoming a snag.” When castle nuts are safetied, “tighten the nut to the low side of the selected torque range, unless otherwise specified, and if necessary, continue tightening until a slot aligns with the hole.” The wire must be applied “so that all pull exerted by the wire tends to tighten the nut.” The wire should always “be installed and twisted so that the loop around the (bolt) head stays down and does not tend to come up causing a slack loop.”
Beside being safe,if done right, I also thought it looked cool. My Dad showed me how in the 1950s,in WW2 he worked on XP77 for Navy & Bell. Used it on my hotrod a little too,in the 1960s. Some of my race car buddys called me Spider, among other things ,do to all the safety wire on my race cars.
Engine badges and information of various components have always been cool. When is the last time, you saw a 3 banger radial engine, with duel, "EDISON-SPLITDORF" magnetos.
Years ago, I worked with an older gentleman who had been a B17 mechanic during the second world war. He would safety wire by hand and never used wire pliers to twist it until the end. It always came out tight and beautiful with no nicks or scrapes.
May have. Been awhile since I was into a early V8, but seem to recall safety wire on the flywheel bolts? I think the rod cap nuts too?
Never have seen one of those. Does the whole assembly rotate around the crankshaft like the LeRhone 5 cylinder?
It's one of those things that if done right, it's beautiful, but done wrong sicks out like a sore thumb. Even with the safety wire tool, I can't make it look good.
If you look at the examples shown, you will see that the wire is designed to keep the fastener from loosening and coming out of the hole or nut. For left handed threads, these illustrations would be reversed.
https://www.aviationhunt.com/safety-wire-locking/ There’s a lot of folks in the Aviation business that can’t wire to save their life so don’t feel bad @woodiewagon46
Worked as a A&P in A/C engine overhaul shop in 1960's , never used safety wire pliers , to bulky between jugs (cylinders) here's my 1960s Snap On , learned to rotate (twist) these light weight plies in your palms of your hands . Looked up what Snap offers now for "Duck Bills"= its a POS..
Is there a proper wire gauge for safety wiring? I've been using stainless steel wire and when I get it looking right and give the pliers another little tug to tighten it up the wire breaks and I have to start over. Am I using too light a wire?
Depends on the application. They make .020-.081 . For most applications .032 is sufficient. .051 is what you see on props etc. it’s harder to twist but it’s like a wire rope when you are done. You should have 7-10 twists per inch. There’s a book out there used by a lot of aviation folks called the 43.13-1B. It has a lot of good info in it that cross over to hot rods. You can access it online for free.
Yep. In the end stages of buttoning up my C59A Ford flathead. There is also a safety wire used on the sump oil pump pressure relief valve nut and the bolt that mounts the pump to the block.
Thanks Rootie, I just googled and found it, I believe I have a hardbound copy of it, very old, that is where I learned the proper methods, tools, calculation etc to rivet. I had forgotten all about that book, I'll go look for it this evening. Thanks again. Oj
FAR 43.13-1B. The Federal Acquisition Regulations. @Roothawg has it right. Lot of useful stuff to know.
One post in 5 years and when you do, it is a beauty. Waxed linen lacing done right is beautiful. Thanks for showing this .
The Jalopy Journal
