Safety wire pliers length?

[mhorowit]

I see safety wire pliers for sale at 6" and 9" long.
Any bene of one over the other? - Mike

[Armstrong]

Re: Safety wire pliers length?

I like the 6'' pliers better, just gives a little more room in tight spots.
Rob

[VictorBravo]

Re: Safety wire pliers length?

The bigger issue is whether they have a little roller bearing on the back end. That bearing allows you to push the twister shaft back and and have it "re-load" easily. Without that little bearing, you have to push the pliers down on the ground or something. Spend an extra ten bucks on a set of those pliers with a bearing on them and you iwll thank me for the next 30 years on yearly intervals!

[mhorowit]

Re: Safety wire pliers length?

The bigger issue is whether they have a little roller bearing on the back end. That bearing allows you to push the twister shaft back and and have it "re-load" easily. Without that little bearing, you have to push the pliers down on the ground or something.

Bill, This is what I"m looking at. As I'm not famililar with what you are calling a roller bearing, can you tell from the pic if that knurlled thing that you pull is what you are talking about? - Mike

[Armstrong]

Re: Safety wire pliers length?

Those dont have a bearing .Its worth it to buy a good pair , the cheaper ones let the wire slip as they wear( very frustrating) Aircraft spruce has Milbar (automatic type ) and they are worth the extra money.

[d.grimm]

Re: Safety wire pliers length?

I'm not sure if it is Snap-On, however someone has a pair that is left and right twist with a spring return. I like 9in until I'm in that tight spot, then the 6in come out.

[3Dreaming]

Re: Safety wire pliers length?

I have a pair of the Milbar reversable pliers, and they never come out of the tool box. I just don't like the way they work. I reach for my cheap ones every time. They are both 9", and I don't have any 6" pliers. Tom

[NY86]

Re: Safety wire pliers length?

Real men don't use safety wire pliers...

[mulwyk]

Re: Safety wire pliers length?

John's right...the old timers keep a duckbill pliers in their back pocket and use it to twist safety wire, bend cotter pins, quickly straighten bent aluminum parts and a dozen other little tasks.

Bob

[Howard Wilson]

Re: Safety wire pliers length?

A little electrical tape on the duckbill jaws keeps the wire frome being scratched.

[Armstrong]

Re: Safety wire pliers length?

John's right...the old timers keep a duckbill pliers in their back pocket and use it to twist safety wire, bend cotter pins, quickly straighten bent aluminum parts and a dozen other little tasks.

Bob

Oh come on! Real men use their teeth!

[VictorBravo]

Re: Safety wire pliers length?

When I went to A&P school 20+ years ago, they taught us to use our hands, pulling the wire ends out from the work, and 45 degrees apart. At that time there was a debate raging about whether you could safely use the special safety wire pliers, or whether it cut into the wire too much.

[high time cub]

Re: Safety wire pliers length?

Real men make their own safety wire tool!

1) Blunt grind the end of a 1/4" shaft Phillips screw driver.

2) Drill two small holes (parallel to the shaft) into the blunt end approximately 1/4" deep. Size the holes to accept wire used.

3) With a hack saw, make two shallow cuts (90 degree to the shaft). One on each side of the shaft just deep enough to bisect each hole.

4) Grind / file a 60 degree taper (one inch long) from each cut back towards the handle.

Insert safety wire ends into each hole. Hold wire with one hand, twist handle with the other.

Real men made theirs with a 20 inch shaft so they could reach (through a small inspection cover) deep inside a P-39's engine compartment. (Thanks, Dad!)

[high time cub]

Re: Safety wire pliers length?

This is the "home built" safety wire tool my dad used on P-39s when he worked at Bell Aircraft in the early 1940s.

[dewhitaker]

Re: Safety wire pliers length?

What a great idea! My thanks to your Dad also, I will make one someday. Thanks for the picture!