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Everyone swears by safety wire pliers but I finally gave up on them after trying for 6 months
I know I'm in the minority here, but I honestly think safety wire pliers are overrated for most jobs. I started using them when I got into turbine work at a little shop near Birmingham, and I figured they'd save me tons of time. But after about 6 months of fighting with them (mostly on engine bay access panels and oil lines), I kept getting inconsistent twists and the wire would snap right at the jaws way too often. I switched back to doing it by hand with a pair of regular duckbill pliers and a little patience, and my twists came out way cleaner and more uniform. My lead mechanic actually laughed at me when he saw me doing it old school, but he didn't say anything when I passed his tug test first try. Has anyone else ditched the fancy tools for the basic method on something like this?
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zarag174mo ago
My first attempt with safety wire pliers ended with me accidentally turning my work into something that looked like a drunk spider web. But hey, at least the scrap pile was impressive.
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paulnguyen4mo ago
Huh, I gotta push back a little here. Are we really acting like twisting wire by hand is gonna save the day? I tried that once on a critical oil line and my fingers were cramping after three wires. Plus it took me twice as long and the twists still came out loose. The pliers have a learning curve but they work if you set the tension right and don't rush it. Did you ever mess with that knob or just rage quit?
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