I've learned more about fasteners tonight than I have in the last 15 years.

You know you are a masochist when you get off a 12 hour shift safety wiring inside an APU bay on a fighter and come home to watch videos of some dude safety wiring.

You know you are doing it right when you stop watchign airplanes movies and start watching how fabulous is the work that aircraft mechanics do to make us go safe in the air. Nice job!

Good tutorial of something vital to aerospace but which very few people know about. I've done a LOT of lockwires as a technician on fighters in the RAAF. For short lockwires, very often hand lockwiring is convenient. Keep the wires at 90 degrees to each other and put plenty of tension on. When using pliers, I didn't use the pullout. You get a better result by putting maximum tension on the pliers and hand turning. I concur with hiding the sharp end of the tail. I've worked on jets where dodgy tails and split pins have cut me up badly (not in the RAAF). My tails tended to be more rounded (done with needle-nose pliers) to prevent a stress raiser. Once I was working as a mechanical fitter doing shutdown maintenance in a paper mill. One day we removed a large component that was lockwired. When we replaced it, the supervisor said, "Just try to copy how the wires were before". They hadn't been great but they did the job. Anyway, I did aerospace grade lockwires and when he saw them he said, "Bloody hell mate, where did you learn to do that?" :)

Me: ahh time for bed Brain: Hey, let’s see what lock wire is

This guy is still responding to comments, what an absolute legend.

I love it when things are explained so utterly complete that it leave nothing to ambiguity.

I would never have thought that I would sit through a 20 minute vid of safety wiring... One of the best skills I learned in the AF. I still use it for many things. Nice vid!

I am not an aircraft mechanic or a hobbyist that has had an opportunity to use safety wire however I found this to be interesting and enjoyable. Well done.

easy when youre flat on a bench. I had to do some reaching through a tiny hole, through a head that I cant see without a mirror, one handed, and getting skydrol all over my face and neck the whole time. that was yesterday and needed to be done by 330 pm. lol. best job i ever had!

Love safety wiring. Didn’t like it in school but now that I do it in aerospace I’ve grown to love it 🚀🚀

I used to do that job while working for General Electric on their jet engines in 1970. At least once a year since then I've wished I still owned "wire pliers". You explained the process very well. Thanks for reviving the old memories.

As a 20 year USAF aircraft electrician there's a couple of points that should be made. We don't use loctite because generally you don't put loctite on stuff you plan to take apart frequently. 99% of maintainers call it safety wire not lock wire. The point of safety wire is not really to keep the bolt/nut tight; it's more to keep it from coming off and causing FOD. Torquing the bolt/nut is what keeps it tight. Safety cable doesn't get used in the field as much because the tool doesn't always fit or you have to go get the kit. Safety cable is great for bench work but, on aircraft, safety wire is in the end faster due to convenience.

I would just like to thank you for this very informative demonstration of lock wire. I am a 16 year old who is enrolled in an aircraft maintenance class at a technical school. So far, I've seen that your videos are beyond helpful and very interesting nonetheless. Thanks again; you've definitely earned a subscribe from me.

I randomly watched this video years ago out of interest, with no practical use for the knowledge at all. Now I am modifying my car and having trouble sourcing the right sized locking hose clamps, so what pops into my head? Some old knowledge I had kicking around which was graciously shared by a fellow Canuck. Cheers.

Great informative video. Why did I watch this?!

I remember doing this when I was studying for a technician on (aviation) electrical systems and engine maintenance (an old career here in Mexico) and my final test was to lock every piece on an old 727 engine, using all the lockwire calibers, I had 2 hours to lock everything on that engine, my instructor did exactly what you did with that ruler, and he finally said "you did a good job, you got 10 out of 10" now I'm a pilot and I really enjoyed watching this video, greetings from Mexico.

So weird. I just started safety wiring my motorcycle for the track and then this video pops up from 12 years ago and is getting love from the algorithm...

KZfaq had this pop up in my feed, and I watched all of it. I know nothing related to aviation or engine repair but found this fascinating!

These random bits of logic can be applied to all walks of life. Thank you for the video.

I have no idea why this video was recommended to me but I'm sure glad I saw it. fascinating info

This is a video I watch all of the time and have no idea why as I've never needed too and probably never will need to use any of these techniques. I think it's just a really well made and informative video.

"If i were flying a plane I would want the lock wire done this way" This is exactly how all people should think, If it were we would have infinitely better products, My father is a mechanic and someone dropped of a car to be repaired, their children drive the vehicle as well, And my father said "Well, Personally I would not fix this vehicle for my children, I can fix it, But I wouldn't want my kids driving it" Because it had a warped frame or something like that I don't remember the specifics, And that is how it should be, You should never make a product, Or provide a service, That you wouldn't trust or use yourself.

Not sure why this was recommend for me to watch, but I am always willing to learn something new, which I did.

The algorithm is back at it again.

i dont know why youtube recommended me this, but still watched it

I've been lockwiring all my life (50 years) but i've never seen or even heard of cable ties... Ya learn something every day !!

Set up 4 racing rotors... 24 bolts each to hold the rotor to the base. Went with triplets, thanks to this video. ;-) Looked great, and everything came out very durable.

True of many industries, including aviation..."I think this looks the best"... showing pride in work, rather than just 'a job'. Real workmanship is a work of art.... and although I will NEVER need the skill shown in this video, it fascinated me, thank you!

I have my FAA airframe practical exams coming up, it's been awhile since I did safety wire work as a classroom lab assignment so your video really helped me jog my memory on how to do this correctly. Thank you so much for taking the time to explain it.

Thank you! Very educational. I watched it twice. I used to lock wire the gaseous fuel nozzle caps on inside General Electric industrial gas turbines by hand. There were never any real lock wire tools available where I was. Machines in Taiwan, Bahrain, Colombia, Venezuela, Saudi, Puerto Rico, and Prudhoe Bay Alaska all had my handy work and there was never a failure from loose parts. Everywhere I flew I took a roll of lock wire in my carry on bag. In the Venezuelan jungle there was a 4 hour ride by Jeep just to get new hack saw blades (let alone finding real lock wire). I learned lock wire techniques by looking at and copying lock wired flanges on an old J-79 laying in a field abandoned.....39 years ago! Your video walk around behind your shop reminded me of that place.

Great video. I work as a quality inspector for a company I choose not to name, and the standard of wire locking done by the technicians is abysmal. I'm going to show them your video to prove I just don't have impossibly high standards. The most important rule for me is to check your own work... if it's shit, do it again. Don't wait there hoping the inspector will pass your loose, anti-locked, or neutral lock wire :P

I spent 20 years as an avionics tech then Quality Assurance inspector on Marine Corps helicopters. I used to hate having to lock wire electrical connectors. After a while I developed speed and finesse with fewer mistakes. It was easy to spot the work of a novice vs a veteran. This is an excellent video. The examples would easily pass a Quality Assurance inspection.

Thinking about lockwire reminds me of being in Iraq back when I was an avionics tech: I forget how it happened, but the screw holding one side of my glasses together came out. I managed to fix it a couple times, but one time it fell out into the desert sand, never to be seen again. I eventually went back to my shop, but didn't have anything small enough to replace it. Eventually, I notice the lockwire is thin enough to fit through the hole. I break out the needle nose and diag cutters, then: Bam! Glasses fixed! That lockwire held until I got a new pair of glasses back home in the states...

We always called the lockwire pliers "swipes" in the Marines, it would have been amazing if we had the pliers with the silicon that you showed haha i will never forget losing chunks of safetwire or cotter pins as a new guy and spending hours on the flightline trying to find it.

Hello, In the last 20 years, I've asked many hardware and tool stores for Lockwire pliers and everyone looks at me like I'm Zaphod Beeblebox. I have been looking for a new pair to replace the ones I lost 15 years ago. Thanks for confirming i'm not crazy.

I worked electrical on a-10s for 4 years, why did I watch the whole thing? Lol. Also we weren't allowed to back off more than one twist on safety wire without having to redo the wire. With a good eye you can spot when the new guy tries to pass one off on you, which brings out the side cutters and a grin haha.

Well, I don't think I'll ever need to do this, but now I know more than someone else.

Ah, the memories.. I was an aviation mechanic in the Norwegian Air Force, so we had a class dedicated to lock-wire during training.

This video has been showing up on my recommended for literally months, and I've been avoiding it because I didn't know wtf it was about. Today, I finally clicked it. I still have no idea why it's been on my recommended, but I'm glad I did! Super neat, I had no idea something like this even existed. It totally makes sense though, that's genius! I wonder if my engineering friend learned about this "Lockwire" technology... I will probably never have a need for this content, or ever use lockwire myself, but that's okay haha. Thank you for the great video!

OMG this channel exist more than 12 years!

Ah the memories when I was in the aircraft game, getting pricked by the lock wire and feeling the pain. Nice lock wire work is an art form in my mind. I always preferred a very used set of lock wire pliers, a new set just seemed too stiff

As per Navy regs when I got out in 07, no more than 3 fasteners can be lock wired together. Very nice work. I was an aviation structural mechanic on H60's in the Navy. The only time I used the gun for the cable was on primary servos, and bridge bolts. I work as a millwright now, I don't see lock wire much as I don't work on the turbines much, but every time it comes up, I get put on that job. I still have my 9 inch wire pliers from when I ran the tool program for my shop. They also work wonders for cotter pins and even work as a suitable substitute for MIG pliers.

agentjayz, I stumbled upon your videos looking up “how to safety wire for motosports”! After watching your 1st video on Jet Teck lockwire, I hadn’t realize all along lockwire skills was what I needed all these years. I had to watch your 4 lockwire videos right away. I just ordered some 0.032” ss wire and some small size cobalt drill bits, I have cutting oil and a nice small vice, and cutters. So now I’m looking over the lockwire pliers. Many levels of quality among them. Very good ones as you know are expensive. You get what you pay for. Well I plan to practice practice practice. Thanks again fog the great videos. Keep em coming.

Rust works on my old car, i can't undo the bolts after that!

This video went a long way in helping me to understand why air planes are not constantly falling out of the sky being that they are kept in service for so many years and are subjected to so much vibration as compared to machines that are operated on the ground where as if the engine stalls you just come to a stop.

I've wondered for ages how lock wire bolts and this showed up randomly in my feed, thank you so much for making the video!

Man this brings back memories ! I've worked on C5's , B-52's ,C 130's ,OV 10's and other aircraft . Done different skill levels on these aircraft from : electrical , sheet metal & structural sheet metal areas . Done a lot safety wire . Your hands say it all . I went to Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Ok . Good Memories.

Well, well..being a blacksmith and machinist myself I'll probably never get to use lock wiring. However, now I know how it's done the right way and the background for doing it like this. Thank's for a very informative instruction video on this subject. I enjoyed it a lot. :)

Some history The larger tool ( wire twister) you are using my father invented when he was in the Army Air Core during WW II Frank Torres you can look up the patent. His reason was it was all done by hand prior taking a long time with this tool the aircraft could get back in service to fight hours sooner.

I was an aviation structural mechanic in the Navy, and I STILL watched this to the end..... lol

You know what you are doing but you also explain it very easily and well. Thank you. I enjoyed the video.

I’ll never forget installing safety wire on a main rotor gear box my first time as a new guy and still learning. I’d tell him I was done and he’d walk up with a flash light and wire snips.....spent an 8 hour shift doing two bolts lol. Good learning experience but god I had safety wire.

Great Video. Takes me back to my Air Force days of Safety wire on electronic component mounts and connectors. most connectors used .020 wire and mounting bolts used .032. I was super fast with .020 and usually did by hand in tight spaces. twist pliers always broke the .020

My old boss from 20+ years ago was a USAF flight line tech and he showed me how to safety wire properly. This is a good skill any mechanic should know, you never know when you might need it.

working in industrial die-casting lock wire is the bane of my existence. drill a bolt. clime the machine, lock wire, usually hanging or squeezed at a odd angle. rinse, repeat

Why are silicone jaws to capture nipped metal not standard on EVERY wire cutter? I love that idea, and I have never seen it anywhere else

These video helped me a lot , especially the aviation trick, thanks to you I passed my practical exam. ^_^

Such a fantastic, practical video. I find myself spending a large portion of my free time watching your extremely interesting and educational videos, presented in a way to assist learning so it 'clicks' easily. Lucky for me your video library is extensive...

I’ve been working with an old Space Shuttle Main Engine component and it’s got some lock wire on it. I always assumed it was to make it tamper-proof. I enjoyed seeing how it’s installed!

KZfaq recommendations never disappoint

AgentJayZ thanks for best practices video on lock wire. My chevy header bolts don't come loose anymore because of lock wire. Originally saw video about 3 years ago. U came up in suggestions again. Wanted to say thanks even though u may never see comment.

4 o' clock and i'm watching a video about tightening bolts ... living the life guys ...

An ancient classic tool for safety wiring where pliers cannot reach, and which is gentler to wire than any plier is a length of round mild steel rod with a hole (twice safety wire diameter plus comfortable clearance) drilled sideways through the end about 1/4" back from the tip. Radius the hole entrances slightly for convenient wire insertion and remove any burrs. This has also been done by modifying long screwdrivers but you must anneal the tip before drilling unless using carbide bits. "Cross" your wires through the hole as you would in pliers then slide the tool to desired depth. It was old when I first saw it at Moody in the '80s. Some users made theirs like a speed handle. Practice a couple of times on the workbench and you'll see how useful it can be for those bitch jobs where there's no room to spin pliers and you don't want to pull (or can't remove) the obstacles.

I never really looked into lockwire even though I have flown aircraft with it as an intrinsic part. Like most simple looking things, there is a lot more than you think from a casual glance.Thanks for taking the time to educate!

Im a 1st year AMT student. I failed at my Aircraft powerplant lab when my teacher made me do some safety wire twisting. So yeah helpful for me thank you

Thank You for taking the time to share this! Yes those tight spaces are crazy, I had my share of it with F-4's and RF-4's. Those RF's don't break as much as fighters for obvious reasons. Again, Thank You for your contribution to a help us improve. I KNOW I NEED IT! I will bee checking out your other vids!

future AME here, just stumbled on your channel, this video is excellent. Looking forward to checking out the rest of your material.

The most lockwire I do now is on Harley-Davidsons! Mostly with 0.032 stainless. I was an Aviation Electronics Tech in the Navy, but did safety lockwiring on UH-1N helicopters as a Crewchief. There were some tight places to work in. After I got out I worked on Navy Target Drones with lockwire on electronic module bases, wing mounts and flight controls.

have i studied today ? No. Do i know how to lockwire ? Hell yea

I am currently going through my Aviation Maintenance classes at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. This video is outstanding. Thank you. I learned a lot

I work in steel mill maintenance and some of the process rolls have this on flange bolts,coupling bolts.Its not everyday we work on those few rolls.I came here for a refresher course.Its been a couple years since I've done this so thanks for the video.

Thanks youtube, now I have to go do this to my lawnmower lug nuts for practice.

Lockwire is not just for securing hardware. It doubles as my third hand. I can't count the number of times I used it to temporarily suspend a hefty component for hands free mounting and installation.

Appreciate your instructional video. I do maintenance in the Navy on the MK 15 CIWS and lockwire during our gun teardown was the biggest pain. So many jabbed fingers

Great video.Well explained, nice and clear image, no irritating music or commentary. I learned a lot from it and found out what I do wrong. Thanks!

I followed up a brake rebuild for an old punch press and the dayshift guy finished the rebuild, all I had to do was lockwire all the bolts. There were 24 bolts in a circle about 18". I spent four hours locking all of them with one single wire. It was a masterpiece when I got done. The only problem was that all of the bolts were left hand threads and I locked them as right hand. They all got a good laugh at my expense. From then on I always verified the torque so I will catch things like that.

Great Video! I was a comm nav ecm tech on F16's many moons ago, (I worked on tail number balls one quite a few times!) Much of my lock wiring was on cannon plugs for wiring. Haven't done it in years until I built a Harley powered dragbike, pretty rusty but it came back to me.

Very informative. Thank you. You have to respect a man that works on giant jet engines for a living:)

Just came across lockwire a couple days ago outside of KZfaq. Further proving that we're all of a hive mind! 😂 Awesome video btw

Wow!! The more I watch you showing me how to apply this wire the more I'm hypnotize. Maybe someone told you before, but you are really a Bob Ross of mechanics for jet engine. We can feel you enjoying what you do, the way you explain the technical you use to us express lot of patience and you seem to really enjoy sharing your knowledge! In this pandemic Covid 19 period we salute you !! :-) Cheer Agent Jay Z

Footpound per square inch of freedom You guys are crazy

Learned how to lockwire turbine engines at Ft Eustis School of Aviation in 97. Great stuff!

can't believe i watched all 22 min of this, why was this so interesting? lol. Nice work.

I landed here by ...mistake. But I really really enjoyed this. Thankyou sir ! Great work. I will try to remember this. Really interesting. Thankyou !

i work in aviation, I don't recommend the single strand with the crimped ferrule even with Boeing saying it is acceptable alternative. we always tend to twist lock, Crimp is easy yes. However, we tend not to use it as it is a single point a failure. if the line breaks then every fastener in the series is compromised. Furthermore, crimped, they do not take anywhere near as much force to break. try backing a crimped lock fastener out vs a twisted wire lock wire, the crimped one will break free with a fraction of the force.

Thanks for posting this, I knew the basics of locking wire but never knew the technical part of installing it, this has made it easier if I ever have the need to do it.

Nice to see multiple ways to get basically the same result. Even for us backyard mechanics.

Really cool, kind of strange why yt is just now trending this lol but still a good video with a lot of helpful information 👍👍

When I road raced motorcycles it was mandatory to have all drain plugs lock wired. At Ohio one year the tech inspector ordered me to remove the .051 stainless aircraft wire and replace it with some "nass thick bailin' wahr". It was pointless to argue with this moron so I replaced it as instructed, got my tech sticker and promptly put the .051 back on! I had most of the fasteners on my bike drilled; it was a useful calming exercise before a big race to get all the lockwire perfect.

I'm glad to hear that. This is one of my true instructional videos. That's the purpose of the Jet Tech series.

Used to race laydown enduro karts... Lockwired/Safetywired everything... becomes a Zen thing... Really nice explanation!

You should mention that the direction of the wire between the bolts is important. Could get a half turn out of the bolt if you string em backwards.

oof- watching this video gave me PTSD flashbacks of a rather nasty injury I suffered as electrician on B-52's: I was lockwiring the connector for the heater blanket of the main aircraft battery, and while pulling the wire tight for the first twist- the wire bounced around and brushed across both pins of the Battery connector posts.. and with the 24V, 40 amp/hours of that rather serious battery, the entire length of wire promptly lit up like a lightbulb element, while tightly gripped in both hands... Yeahh.... melted right into both palms... the peeling of the wire out of my hand callouses still haunt me [shudder]

Agreed, It so refreshing to see an informative video on here that doesnt look like its been filmed by someone standing on a wobbleboard

Man, this stuff was hard to get down, but when you get it right it feels so good.

We used to send newbies to the tool crib for fun stuff like flightline, cable stretchers and a fallopian tube. Every now and then they'd cross paths with a tool crib newbie and come back with a safety wire twisting tool that neither knew the purpose of.

I use to do this at tinker air force base back in the 70's on landing gear and steering mechanism and gear boxes on kc35s. Also did all buddies wiring on race cars and motorcycles. A requirement on motorcycle racers at Daytona 200 and other various races. Enjoyed the video very much brart back old memoirs.

This is really quite an art form of tradecraft. Very pleasing to watch it done right.

I don't know one bit about aviation mechanics nor machining nor almost anything to do with any of the skills demonstrated here. This was absolutely fascinating.