A lead mechanic in Dallas told me I was over-torquing my safety wire, and my pliers have felt different ever since | Aircraft Mechanics - The Community Guide
A lead mechanic in Dallas told me I was over-torquing my safety wire, and my pliers have felt different ever since
Two years back I was doing safety wire on a fuel pump and one of the old guys at the shop in Dallas watched me twist for about a minute and then said, "you're pulling it tight like you're mad at it." I had no idea what he meant, so he grabbed his own pair of pliers and showed me that I was putting so much twist on the pigtail that the wire was getting nicked right where it matters most. He made me redo the whole run and hand him the cut ends so I could see the tiny stress marks I'd been leaving behind. I started counting my twists per inch instead of going by feel, and I switched to a lighter pair of pliers with a return spring so my hand stops clamping down so hard. Now I run my finger along every twist before I finish a job, and if it feels rough I start over from that point. Took me about 3 weeks to break the habit and my forearms hated me for it. Anyone else get called out on their safety wire technique, and did switching pliers actually help you or was it just the habit that mattered?