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HOW TO: Lock/Safety Wiring 101

27K views 122 replies 15 participants last post by  ebags 
#1 · (Edited)
Before we start, I am by no means a lock wiring expert but I thought I'd gather together some information and videos from the inter-webs into one easily accessible place. Since this isn't a school report, there's a great deal of cutting and pasting ( thanks wiki ! )

I recently did an oil change and thought it would be a nice time to fit the Rizoma oil cap I've had floating around for a while. All was cool until I came the the lock wiring. Sure I can do it... but it looked like shit! :yuk: So the search began on how to do it like a pro.

What is lock wire?

Safety wire or lockwire is common in the aircraft and racing industries as an extra precaution to keep vital fasteners from unintentionally loosening and parts from falling off due to vibration or other forces. The use of safety wire is a type of positive locking device. It also allows rapid and easy visual inspection of fasteners to indicate that they have been tightened.There are a few techniques for different applications. Non-proprietary safety wire systems all work on the same principle, which is that the tension of the wire on the fastener prevents it from working itself loose due to vibration or other forces. The wire itself maintains tension and remains in place by being twisted around itself and attached to the fastener to be secured on one end and an anchor point (which could be another fastener) on the other end.



Pre-drilled fasteners

For certain applications where safety wiring is common, fasteners come pre-drilled with holes to accept safety wire. When wiring something that did not come with pre-drilled fasteners stock, however, the more cost effective way (as opposed to replacing all stock fasteners with pre-drilled ones of the same type) is often to drill the stock fasteners.



Lock wire pliers

Come in avrious sizes, 6, 9 or 12 inch commonly. I bought a pair of 6" pliers which I'm quite happy with. I figured the smaller pliers would get into tighter places on a bike if need be.



The wire

Safety wire is commonly .020, .025, .032 or .041" in diameter, but .021 and .051" are also available. It is usually made of stainless steel, but is also available in monel and inconel alloys for high temperature applications and copper for break-away applications.



Safety Wire Washers

Probably a good item to have handy in your pit lane tool box. You don't want to fail pre-race inspection over a bolt they want wired that's not drilled.




Wiring tutorials

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwFjUX6SaY8&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAP1vzOe9AY&feature=youtu.be


How to use the pliers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=CU-NAX7vwfY


How to wire grips (even if you're not into race standard wiring, wiring your grips is a good safety precaution.. for everyone).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=P0NYVJt4G4k


Places to purchase tools of the trade

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/to/safetywiretools.html

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/safetywire.php



Hope this is of use, E.

:thumbup
 
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#2 ·
If any of you guys would like to post some lock wire pics I've seen floating around various threads before, feel free!

And damn it.... youtube vids didn't embed :(
 
#3 · (Edited)
Great post. Safety wire is an art form, for sure. Been wiring helicopters for over 20 years now, love every minute of it.

Statement he makes in the first video is technically incorrect. Lock wire doesn't prevent a fastener from 'coming out'; if done correctly, it keeps the fastener from coming loose in the first place. Lockwire is typically made from nickel or stainless, and is very brittle when worked back a forth a few times. A loose fastener will typically break lockwire after a few rotations back and forth.

Experienced wire techs perform a quick-loop tightening motion with the pliars at the end of the last strand, that snugs the final twist against the bolt. With time and practice, it's easy to do.

Cotter key is much better for ensuring solid retention of a single bolt/nut. Wire is good for joining bolts/nuts in unison.

Tail inboard retention plate on the H-60 has 12 bolts in a 10" deep well. Three bolts are wired to each other, four sets total. Takes a skilled mechanic about 1 hour....takes an unskilled mechanic five hours or more...:scared
 

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#7 ·
Amazing pics! Total art. I'm learning I just ordered some pliers from harbor freight ironically couple days ago. Pretty cool you made this thread:fact:beer
 
#4 ·
Thanks for adding that valuable information :)

I can only imagin how hard it would be to work nickel, I have enough trouble with S/S at the moment, but I'm practicing. Definitely takes some practice to have it not only look great, but do it's intended job also.

And great pictures :thumbup
 
#5 ·
Yeah safety wire is definitely an acquired skill....I remember learning to do it by hand in A&P school..but blue point makes my life much easier at work with the reversible pliers...it's even easier when you use a safety wire gun, you just feed the pretwisted wire through, clip, pull, squeeze, done


Sent from my Motorcycle iPhone app
 
#6 ·
The gun sounds nice Nick. Wouldn't mind seeing some pictures if you could. I tried googling but all I get is.... guns, ones with bullets :lol
 
#9 ·
I use them more for style :lol
 
#15 ·
Honestly I'm not sure of the price because the ones I use are company owned. And yeah it seems like a lot of wasted material but that's safety wiring in general, there's always wasted length of wire. If you get yourself a good pair of safety wire pliers(blue points the best) and just practice while using common sense it becomes second nature....he'll I've probably wired together miles worth of wire...the real fun is safetying turnbuckles and v-band clamps


Sent from my Motorcycle iPhone app
 
#17 ·
Since when are ya'll shy to upload pictures :fact :lol

where's all the lock wire pics lads?






I found a few diagram's that may also be of use :)





 
#18 ·
I need to get the tubing firehawk has on his safety wire. Dumb question what it called? Is there a desirable thickness to look for? I need some as pictured my safety wire will run across my caliper. thx
 
#19 · (Edited)
Good question. I'm pretty sure I remember Carbonar1 saying that his tubing for his rizoma oil cap was iv drip tubing. I noticed redgecko also has it on his oil cap but in black.

I think clear silicon tubing can be bought in various sizes from aquariums, the stuff used to plumb the fish tank pumps.

Also, this just popped into my head, I might try black shrink tube and see how that looks :dunno

Edit: I guess shrink tube would be functional and protect against scratches but the pretty lock wiring wouldn't be seen.
 
#20 ·
What I was going to use was shrink wrap too, but the clear piping or whatever firehawk is using is what I would like to use..:)
 
#22 ·
Your memory serves you correct Mr Bags....I have a roll of fine clear I.V. tube I use for stopping the lockwire from scratching the case. I recommend you fvck a nurse. :thumbup :lol
 
#23 ·
:flex: Memory like an elephant for the weirdest shit :hammer: but don't ask me what I did yesterday.. I'll most likely not remember :dundun:

Fuvked a nurse once for a good 9-10 months, craziest sex of my whole life :fact No IV tube was acquired though :shake

If you're feeling up to it, I'm sure we'd both love to know the aprox. inner/outer & wall thickness sizes of the tube. The size you have is perfect :fact
 
#24 ·
:lol I'm pretty much the same dude...I remembered the model number of a 1951 Matchless I haven't seen for 25 years today....but I'm not real sure if I've been married 18 or 20 years at the end of Jan!...:lol

You'll have to wait till Sunday eve for measurements, sorry. 2nd day helping a mate and his family move house tomorrow. 39 degrees c, I'm like a cherry coloured, sweaty zombie...

At a rough guess it's 1.5 mm i.d. - 3 mm o.d. Clear pvc tube.

I'll get back to you. I'm not really sure if it's I.V. line, it's so thin....but it is sterile sealed medical use tubing. :dunno



It's 18 I think...21 years together! :shake
 
#26 ·
you better remember before the Wife realises you don't :scared :hammer:

All good mate, any time you can will be cool. Even your guesstimate is good :) I know how bloody hot it gets in SA, spent a bit of time there in the dead of summer, such a dry heat, bloody fries the brain for sure :fact

I've been running safety wire on bikes for about 15 years now. I was self taught by reading the regs for WERA and looking at guys bikes. After a while it gets to be second nature. The most important part is indexing the screws properly in order to get the desired retention. Over the years I've become better at it and consider myself pretty decent for a country fvck from Indiana.

All these pics are of a race bike, not a show bike. If it were for show they would look much nicer. No IV tube protectors, nothing for looks, all for fast and dirty. If you will notice in the pics, all fluid tubing is safety wired, even the hose clamps and rad cap are safety wired. Brake lines and banjo bolts, rear axle bolt, oil filter(not shown) are all wired. sorry for the crappy cell phone pics.

Drilling the bolts is the hardest part. I should post a big how to when I do the CBR this winter. It's getting a full WERA vintage build.
:thumbup

Nice to see the 'no fuss' race wire. Goes to show it doesn't have to be a pain staking work of art to do its indented job :fact

I would really like to see how you drill the bolts :fact would be very interesting to see :)
 
#25 ·
I've been running safety wire on bikes for about 15 years now. I was self taught by reading the regs for WERA and looking at guys bikes. After a while it gets to be second nature. The most important part is indexing the screws properly in order to get the desired retention. Over the years I've become better at it and consider myself pretty decent for a country fvck from Indiana.

All these pics are of a race bike, not a show bike. If it were for show they would look much nicer. No IV tube protectors, nothing for looks, all for fast and dirty. If you will notice in the pics, all fluid tubing is safety wired, even the hose clamps and rad cap are safety wired. Brake lines and banjo bolts, rear axle bolt, oil filter(not shown) are all wired. sorry for the crappy cell phone pics.

Drilling the bolts is the hardest part. I should post a big how to when I do the CBR this winter. It's getting a full WERA vintage build.
 

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#29 ·
I drill all the bolts out on the bike. Can be a pain but it's doable. Just takes patience and a steady hand with steady pressure. Have to loosen some of them to get the holes on the right face of the bolt. And you need to go slow with the drill speed so you don't break bits. I'm actually slowly replacing all possible bolts with Ti race drilled now since the stock steel bolts are showing signs of rust around the drilled holes and some are wearing out from getting wrenched on often.

Is it possible to drill out Ti bolts at home? Not sure if a standard drill bit would work.
 
#30 ·
I'm quite sure there are jigs used to hold the bolts for drilling off the bike ;) that's what were waiting for meister to show us.

You'd go through a lot of drill bits drilling Ti. Would be cheaper to just buy the race spec Ti I'd imagine :fact
 
#34 ·
Nice :)

I'm curious to see some more pictures of lock wiring the hose clamps. I'm having trouble seeing how it's done.
 
#35 ·
His are done an odd way

Run a piece of wire through the second to last hole on the tail of the clamp, twist it long enough to be wrapped with the tail to the bolt and not have any sag. Take each and of the wire around the sides of the bolt, twist again for snug and wrap the tail.
 
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