An old mechanic in Tulsa showed me how to safety wire without twisting the pigtail, and I still use his trick 8 years later

Laura Wright · 2026-09-29T12:10:03.602536+00:00

I was working my first real gig at a shop near the Tulsa airport back in 2017 and this older guy named Dale was paired up with me for the week. I was safety wiring a fuel pump and doing the usual twist and cut, and he stopped me and goes, "you're leaving a sharp tail that'll slice a guy's glove off." He took my pliers and did this thing where he makes the pigtail sit flat against the nut instead of sticking out, using the back of the pliers to tuck it down tight. I had never seen anyone do it that way and honestly I felt kind of dumb because it made so much sense. He told me he picked it up in the Navy in the 80s and had been doing it that way for 30 odd years without a single cut glove complaint. I've used that same tuck method on every job since, and last month a new kid asked me where I learned it and I got to pass it on. Do any of you all have a little trick like that you got from someone older that just stuck with you?

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An old mechanic in Tulsa showed me how to safety wire without twisting the pigtail, and I still use his trick 8 years later | Aircraft Mechanics - Opinions Matter