Author Topic: Miniature locking wire hose clips  (Read 4506 times)

Online Vixen

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Miniature locking wire hose clips
« on: June 16, 2021, 04:14:51 PM »
Most of you will be familiar with this style of aviation locking wire twisting pliers. They are now freely available from e-bay or Amazon for less than £10, dollars or Euro. They are great for locking pre-drilled nuts and bolts and always produce a neat result. The wire tail should always be turned in to prevent stabbing your fingers.








I am sure we all have tried to use locking wire, from time to time, as an alternative to those big unsightly hose clips. The aviation locking wire pliers dont always give the most satisfactory results. However here is another simple wire tensioning tool, which is ideal for making miniature locking wire hose clips, as shown below.





This wire tensioner is very quick and simple to make from a M6 bolt, wingnut and a couple of short piece of steel rod.





The M6 bolt is drilled to a depth of about 15mm, The steel rod should be a loose fit inside the bolt hole and free to rotate. One end of the steel rod has a point to act as a pivot inside the drilled hole; the other end has a Vee notch, like a birds beak. The wing nut has small holes drilled in the two ears. Thats all there is to it.






This is the miniature locking wire hose clamp tool I made this morning. It's small and intended for standard 0.7 mm stainless steel locking wire. I could make a bigger and stronger version, using an M8 or M10 bolt, if I wanted to use 1.0 mm or even 1.5 mm galvanized fence wire for the water hoses on a full size engine.











If anyone is interested, I will do a step by step run through of how to produce these neat miniature hose clams using this simple little tool.

Mike
« Last Edit: June 16, 2021, 08:35:55 PM by Vixen »
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Offline crueby

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #1 on: June 16, 2021, 04:25:55 PM »
Looks great, I would love to see more on how its used!

Offline cnr6400

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #2 on: June 16, 2021, 04:26:45 PM »
The clamps look terrific! I'd love to see a step by step picture set. In the meantime I will make a tool per your pic. I will also try and noodle out the 'round and round over and back and the eel pops up through the hole' - sort of knotting process. Thanks, and cheers!   :cheers:

edit - I think it may be "eels" rather than "eel" in this case, on further study......... :noidea:
« Last Edit: June 16, 2021, 04:30:43 PM by cnr6400 »
"I've cut that stock three times, and it's still too short!"

Offline Admiral_dk

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #3 on: June 16, 2021, 04:41:49 PM »
What a nice little Tool and cheap too  :ThumbsUp:

I think I have figured it out - but a picture or two showing how to use it will be appreciated very much Mike  :cheers:

Offline Roger B

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2021, 05:25:59 PM »
That looks interesting  :) Worm drive clips are unsightly in smaller sizes and I have been using fuel pipe spring clips but they are not the best.

More pictures would be most welcome  :ThumbsUp:  :ThumbsUp:
Best regards

Roger

Online Kim

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #5 on: June 16, 2021, 05:45:30 PM »
Wow!  That is a cute little tool!  I'd love to see some pics on how to use it to make that neat looking wire clamp you have there.
Kim

Offline mklotz

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #6 on: June 16, 2021, 06:07:56 PM »
Diagrams and instructions for the commercial model are here...

https://clamptitetools.com/pages/instructions

My ancient (2012) version of the commercial device is here...

https://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php/topic,384.new.html#new
Regards, Marv
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Online Vixen

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #7 on: June 17, 2021, 12:09:51 PM »
Marv,

I did not know that you had already written something about making wire hose clips. That must have been a while ago, before my time.

As you say, there are a number of over priced (and over engineered ??) commercial tools available, the idea of making wire hose clips is far from new.

My intention was to design and make a very simple, wire tension and bending tool and to make it small enough for use on our model engines. The design can allways be scaled up for use with larger wire sizes.

So how do you use my small locking wire hose clip maker?

I start by cutting a length of standard 0.7 mm diameter stainless steel locking wire. The wire length should be at least 24 times the diameter of the rubber hose. 10 mm diameter hose in my example.





The locking wire is bent double, more or less in the middle.





The loop is bent around the hose and the two wire ends are passed through the loop for the first time.








The wire loop is is tightened over the hose before the wire ends are passed through the loop for the second time. Check that there are no wire crossovers





The tensioning tool is put in place, with the birds beak Vee slot resting on the wire loop. The two ends of the wire are pulled through the holes in the wing nut. The wire ends are then given 4 or 5 twists to secure the ends. Twisting the wire loosely by hand is enough.







The central bolt is now turned to tension the wire ends. It is a good idea to check the lay of the wire around the rubber hose early on and adjust as necessary. Continue applying tension until the wire is slightly compressed into the rubber hose. Dont overdo the tension or you can cut through the rubber, like a cheese wire.





When you have achieved adequate tension, simply flip the tool forward though 180*to lock off the wire.







Cut the two wires to release the tool. Trim the wire ends shorter, if necessary, and press both ends down neatly, between the wire loops.







Thats it, job and finish. It actually takes less time to do, than explaining how to do it.


It's also possible to make three wire passes through the loop, which makes for an even prettier wire hose clip and a more even distribution of pressure on the rubber hose.





It is also possible to lash two solid metal rods, tightly together using this little tool.





One word of caution. the wire ends are sharp and you can easily puncture yourself, thereby releasing endless quantities of the red stuff.

Make one and have fun.

Mike
« Last Edit: June 17, 2021, 07:32:05 PM by Vixen »
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Offline cnr6400

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #8 on: June 17, 2021, 12:40:09 PM »
The instructions are great Mike, Thanks very much for posting this!  :cheers:
"I've cut that stock three times, and it's still too short!"

Online Vixen

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #9 on: June 17, 2021, 12:56:18 PM »
You are more than welcome.  :ThumbsUp:

Knowledge and techniques which are not shared, can be lost forever.

Mike
It is the journey that matters, not the destination

Sometimes, it can be a long and winding road

Offline crueby

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #10 on: June 17, 2021, 01:10:35 PM »
Great photo sequence, pretty clever tool, thanks!!

Offline tvoght

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #11 on: June 17, 2021, 01:19:48 PM »
Another thanks. I have needed this tool (and method) in the past. The pictures are very clear.   --Tim

Offline RReid

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #12 on: June 17, 2021, 03:19:46 PM »
Simple, slick, easy to make, and useful. My kinda tool. Thank you!
Regards,
Ron

Offline bent

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #13 on: June 17, 2021, 04:29:47 PM »
Very neat description, thanks!

Online Kim

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #14 on: June 17, 2021, 06:35:01 PM »
Thanks for taking the time to make the write up, Mike.  Very clear and concise!
I'll be filing this one away for future use for sure.
Kim

Online Vixen

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #15 on: June 17, 2021, 06:41:21 PM »
Kim,

Dont file the idea away.

:Director: Make the tool and put it somewhere safe.  :Director:

You can then have hours of fun, trying to find where you hid it, when the time comes to use it.

Cheers

Mike
« Last Edit: June 17, 2021, 07:19:27 PM by Vixen »
It is the journey that matters, not the destination

Sometimes, it can be a long and winding road

Online Kim

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #16 on: June 17, 2021, 06:45:48 PM »
Yes, that is exactly what would happen!   :lolb:

Kim

Offline Roger B

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #17 on: June 17, 2021, 07:07:22 PM »
Thank you, something else to make  ::)  :wine1:
Best regards

Roger

Offline Admiral_dk

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #18 on: June 17, 2021, 11:30:21 PM »
Thank you for the laugh Mike and Kim + for the instructions  :praise2:

Sorry that I completely forgot yours Marv - memory isn't what it use to be .... and that's only improving with age ....

Per

Offline tangler

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #19 on: June 18, 2021, 08:21:02 AM »
Mike,

Thank you very much, I shall make one immediately.

Cheers,
Rod

Offline Mcgyver

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #20 on: June 18, 2021, 11:58:20 AM »
great little tool and very well done write-up, thank you!

Offline nj111

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #21 on: June 18, 2021, 02:40:11 PM »
Thank you Mike!
That's fabulous, I shall copy!
Nick

Offline deltatango

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #22 on: June 22, 2021, 02:25:16 AM »
Mike,
Many thanks for the tool idea and for the instructions for use. This was all very timely as I'm tidying up (finishing off?) the Mastiff and Wyvern engines.

The new tool looks like:


and my first go at a clip:



Thanks again, David
Don't die wondering!

Offline steamer

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #23 on: June 22, 2021, 03:05:08 AM »
Thanks for that MIke.....I like it!!

Dave
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Damned ijjit!

Online Vixen

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #24 on: June 22, 2021, 10:26:04 AM »
Hello Dave,

I am pleased you found the little wire wrap hose clip tool useful.  :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:

They are very quick to make and very therapeutic to do. The finished wire hose clips look very neat and tidy.

They are also easy to remove, simply cut the wire loop and pull the two sides apart.

Mike
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Sometimes, it can be a long and winding road

Online Laurentic

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Re: Miniature locking wire hose clips
« Reply #25 on: April 08, 2022, 10:36:50 PM »
Just come across this Mike - I like it, I like it lots!  Simples!  Must go and make one ASAP.  Solves a hose clamping issue on my beer pipes very nicely!

Chris

 

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