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Showerthought: A bent safety wire trick from a Cessna 172 job saved me hours on a King Air.

I was fighting a stripped bolt head on a King Air 200's nose gear door last week, and my normal picks just spun. I remembered an old mechanic in Wichita showing me how to bend a tiny hook on the end of a fresh safety wire strand, and it grabbed the wrecked threads on the third try. What's your go-to move for a rounded fastener in a tight spot?

3 comments

3 Comments

campbell.evan1mo ago

That safety wire trick is a lifesaver. What gauge wire did you end up using for that bolt?

baker.sarah1mo ago

Went with .041 for most of the 1/4-inch bolts. Anything smaller felt like it might just snap if you really had to crank it tight.

ericp6723d ago

Man, @baker.sarah's point about wire gauge is huge, because a stripped bolt can really test its limits.