I am a big fan of safety wire ? and not just because it keeps all the parts attached to the airplane! I use it all the time in construction, and thought I?d share a few techniques to get folks thinking.
1) It makes an outstanding measuring tool. Because it?s hard to stretch safety wire, it is very useful when trying to make two long measurements identical. For instance, to make sure that your horizontal stabilizer is square to the fuselage, fasten a long piece of wire to a pint on the center of the aircraft up near the cabin (a central rivet hole is good ? leave one open!). Now stretch the wire (hard!) to make it straight, and measure to a rivet near the tip of the stab. Put a kink in the wire with your fingernail. Now pull the wire to the same rivet on the other side of the stab (other side of the airplane), and make sure it hits the same point on the wire ? and you?re done! String stretches, and a measuring tape is hard to fasten to a common central point ? even having an assistant hold it can be dodgy. The wire being fastened to the central point makes it simple!
2) Make centerlines on bulkheads. When jigging the fuselage bulkheads of a slow-build, you can run a taught piece of thin safety wire between tooling holes on the top and bottom of the bulkhead. Stretch it tight, and you have a perfect centerline. Line this up on the jig centerline, and check it against level with a plumb bob, and your bulkhead is straight, centered, and true!
3) Marking the centerline on a jig. Drill a small hole right at the ?bed level? in the tail post of the jig. Run a piece of thin wire through it, and tie it off. Now stretch the wire all the way to the firewall, and mark where it lies on the bed cross-members with a razor knife ? you now have a perfect line on which to center your bulkheads!
4) My favorite safety wire trick when I had tail wheel springs was to run heavy-gauge wire through the center of the spring, then twist the two ends together to compress the spring for easy installation. Use two pieces of wire on opposite sides of the spring, and it will compress fully (and straight). Connect the chains, cut the safety wire, and you have nice tight chains!
Oh yes, and Louise reminds me that it is also a great way to tie turkey legs together for roasting in the oven!
Paul
1) It makes an outstanding measuring tool. Because it?s hard to stretch safety wire, it is very useful when trying to make two long measurements identical. For instance, to make sure that your horizontal stabilizer is square to the fuselage, fasten a long piece of wire to a pint on the center of the aircraft up near the cabin (a central rivet hole is good ? leave one open!). Now stretch the wire (hard!) to make it straight, and measure to a rivet near the tip of the stab. Put a kink in the wire with your fingernail. Now pull the wire to the same rivet on the other side of the stab (other side of the airplane), and make sure it hits the same point on the wire ? and you?re done! String stretches, and a measuring tape is hard to fasten to a common central point ? even having an assistant hold it can be dodgy. The wire being fastened to the central point makes it simple!
2) Make centerlines on bulkheads. When jigging the fuselage bulkheads of a slow-build, you can run a taught piece of thin safety wire between tooling holes on the top and bottom of the bulkhead. Stretch it tight, and you have a perfect centerline. Line this up on the jig centerline, and check it against level with a plumb bob, and your bulkhead is straight, centered, and true!
3) Marking the centerline on a jig. Drill a small hole right at the ?bed level? in the tail post of the jig. Run a piece of thin wire through it, and tie it off. Now stretch the wire all the way to the firewall, and mark where it lies on the bed cross-members with a razor knife ? you now have a perfect line on which to center your bulkheads!
4) My favorite safety wire trick when I had tail wheel springs was to run heavy-gauge wire through the center of the spring, then twist the two ends together to compress the spring for easy installation. Use two pieces of wire on opposite sides of the spring, and it will compress fully (and straight). Connect the chains, cut the safety wire, and you have nice tight chains!
Oh yes, and Louise reminds me that it is also a great way to tie turkey legs together for roasting in the oven!
Paul
