Adam Savage’s Favorite Tools: Wire Twisting Pliers!
Adam loves discovering new tools by watching other craftspeople at work, even if there aren’t immediate projects or tasks in need of that tool. Having a unique tool like a pair of wire twisting pliers isn’t about having it handy all the time, but it’s part of understanding how things are put together in the world. In this case, the twisted safety wires you may find holding screws in place under aircraft or military hardware. Here’s how those are made!
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Real world use case: replacing the factory bolts that hold the blades onto SDS-Plus and SDS-Max scrapers. All the threadlock in the world is no match for those vibrations when you’re trying to bust the thinset off a concrete slab.
First time I saw one used I was in the USAF in 1973 working on the F-4D as a Weapon Control System Repairman. We called the tool a “safety wire twister”. Only a few screws (or bolts) on the radar package required such a security mechanism. Some of these screws even had to be installed by a QC Tech who would have to add a metal seal to the end of the safety wire. The seal had the QC tech’s ID number embossed in it in order to verify whom had performed the task. If something went wrong with the fastener, the investigators would have a pointer to the last person who had touched it.
They are called Safety Wire Pliers. In most applications you use a stainless steel wire to safety a nut, bolt or both.
I lost count at the amount of times I cut myself with safety wire.
Here is a good video showing how these are used in aviation: https://youtu.be/OwFjUX6SaY8