A senior mechanic told me to stop using safety wire pliers on small hardware

He said if you can't twist it by hand under 1/8 inch, you're not feeling the tension right. Made me switch to hand twisting lockwire on all my engine bay grounds and I haven't had a single loose one since. Anyone else ditch the pliers for certain jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

lee6272d ago

Honestly, is that really a 1/8 inch rule though? I mean, I get what he's saying about feeling the tension, but twisting anything under that by hand can be a real pain, especially if you're working in a tight spot. I've had a few come loose on my own stuff when I didn't get enough twists in, even with clean hands. Pliers just guarantee you hit that 6-8 twist per inch standard without killing your fingertips.

elizabethwhite2d ago

You're right that "by hand" is more about feel than a hard 1/8 rule, but I'd push back on pliers being better for small stuff. I've had more trouble with pliers over-twisting thin wire and snapping it right at the bolt than I ever had by hand. On tight spots I just use a needle nose to start the twist then go by hand, keeps the tension real without the risk of chewing up the wire.