On Sat, Jul 17, 1999 at 12:42:48AM -0500, nogera@juno.com wrote:
>
> Could someone advise me of the proper way to tie the ends of the wire
> when safety wiring two bolts . Also is a special type wire used ?
> Thanks
> Bob
>
You should use a 'soft' wire which does not work-harden. Usually
stainless steel wire is used. Stainless safety wire comes in
three common diameters- .023, .032 and .040 (or is it .042?).
I prefer the .032 stuff for most motorcycle uses- the heavy wire is
hard to work (and requires that you drill a larger hole) and the
.023 stuff breaks too easily from over-tightening.
When you safety-wire fasteners, you need to wire them such that
the wire pulls them tighter. It's not really pulling them tighter
but it should prevent the fastener from loosening. So the wire
needs to prevent the fastener from turning in the loosening
direction. A simple loop that's not oriented to prevent
the fastener from loosening won't pass inspection.
Most people twist the wire (about 6 twists per inch) for a neater
appearence and greater strength. Safety-wire pliers make this
easier but are not required. You should twist off the ends
and then use needle-nose pliers to bend the sharp end so that
you won't stab yourself if you happen to run your hand over
the wire. That hurts.
--
Eric Murray N*Able Technologies www.nabletech.com
(email: ericm at the sites lne.com or nabletech.com) PGP keyid:E03F65E5
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