WHY YOU SHOULD LOCK WIRE AND HOW TO DO IT

Most people don't know what is lock wiring, well this is the securing together of two fasteners together so as to prevent them from falling out or loosening due to a lot of vibration. Lock wiring which is also known as safety wiring acts as an indicator that fasteners have been tightened. Lock wiring can be done in aircrafts due to a lot of vibrations so as to ensure fasteners don't fall out and you can also safety wire your car especially the exhaust hardware on turbo vehicles. The importance of safety wiring the exhaust components is to ensure when the system gets hot the bolts will still be holding the parts together since the bolts tend to loosen when the system is cooling.

Safety wires come in different materials and gauges depending on the area of application. In racing and aircraft its mostly preferred to use stainless steel wire.

Steps to take:

When you want to lock wire you first start with some safety wire and a set of safety wire pliers.

·          You have to decided on the length of wire to be used and the length is determined by the distance between the bolts that are to be safety wired. While cutting the wire you have to cut twice the length.

·         If the part to be fastened does not have a hole you will need to drill holes where the bolts to be safety wired will be placed then take the wire and put it in one hole and pull it back take the other end and put it in the same hole where the bolt is and twist both wires.

The main point of lock wiring is to ensure that if the bolts were to loosen they would be tightened by the wire.

·          Using safety wire pliers pull the two ends together and ensure they are firmly tied around the first bolt. Take the two ends and twist them around the second bolt for a number of times depending on the diameter of the wires you are using. 

·         Take one of the ends and put it through the hole in the bolt and pull it to the other hole and take the other end and pull it through the hole and put the two ends together. The point is to ensure the wires are in such a way that if the bolts were to loosen the wire will clamp them together.

·         The two ends of the wire which are equal in length will need to be joined together so that they can form a loop. Twist the two ends and fold them towards the bolts in such a way that the wires don't become loose and any excess wire can be twisted and cut using a wire cutter. 

With safety wiring it ensures that no bolts will loosen or fall off even when they are under a lot of vibration hence an accident can't happen due to loose parts on your racing car.