Aviation "Safety Wire"

[captain_john]

Kinda off topic, but not really.

In case you didn't know, we got our first good snow of the year today in Massachusetts. I would say that here in Plymouth we got about 8" - 10" of the very WET stuff.

In an example of true irony, I used 0.040" stainless safety wire to engage the auger drive of my snowblower and override the inherent safety mechanism!

There was NO WAY I was gonna shovel this stuff the old fashioned way!

As far as the on topic conversation, this was the first time I actually had an opportunity to use my safety wire pliers that I got this past summer! I never had an occasion prior to this to use these cool little buggers!

I can't wait to use them again!

CJ

P.S. Bradley, now you know why I couldn't answer the phone! I was out blowing snow!

[bullojm1]

The first time I used my safety pliers was last December right before the Mattituck engine workshop. A few hours before I drove to the end of Long Island, I gave my truck a once-over. I noticed a hose clamp on the top of the radiator kept coming lose, and sure enough it was lose again. A few minutes stabbing my fingers with the safety wire produced a fix that is still going strong!

Since then, the only other time I used safety wire was to safety the fuel pickup tubes inside my tanks.

[svanarts]

Safety wire is great. 1001 uses. Here's one: I use it to twist close really stubborn adel clamps. Once I get the bolt through the holes and the nut engaged by a few threads, I cut the wire off and then tighten the nut.

[RV7Factory]

P.S. Bradley, now you know why I couldn't answer the phone! I was out blowing snow!

I vaguely remember that stuff from my MA days.

Use #985 = I used safety wire to hang a 5' wreath on the front of my house.

[tmbg]

I used safety wire to hang my empennage from my living room ceiling

[1:1_Scale]

I used safety wire as a replacement for the leaky T-bolt clamps on my boost pipes

[captain_john]

I am sooo glad I started this thread. I now see that I am not the only one who has found alternative uses for this stuff. It is pure magic in a cardboard cylinder!

Kelly, Bill H. just told me how he used it as a hose clamp too!

When I was an apprentice, my master told me about how he used to have hot rods in the 50's. I recall him saying how he used "baling wire" to fix alotta stuff. I never understood what he meant. How could you fix anything with baling wire anyways? Well, I understand better now!

CJ