TIL the old guys might be right about safety wire twisting

Had a talk with a guy who's been doing A&P work since the 80s. He told me my safety wire twists looked like a drunk spider did them. Said I was pulling too hard and not letting the wire lay natural. I always thought tighter was better, but he showed me how a 6 to 8 twist per inch pattern holds way better under vibration. After redoing a test piece on a scrap engine mount, I finally got it. Now I'm rethinking half the stuff I learned from YouTube videos. Anyone else have a moment where a veteran mechanic made you change your whole approach?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugog4323d ago

So did he have you rework the twists with a different tool too, or was it all in how you held the wire?

green.jessica22d ago

Funny you mention that because it's the same with a lot of things. Like cooking, everyone thinks you need some special gadget but really it's just learning the feel of the knife or the pan. Once you get that down you can use a basic tool for way more than it was meant for.