Baling wire??

[Paddletrucker]

Okay, time for dummy question numero uno. I just walked in from putting hay in for all my livestock. I cut all the baling wire off of the bales and, just as I always do, made an expert toss toward the back of my pickup. Most of it made it into the bed! About once a week (in the "non fishing and kayak hauling season" that is, I do it before every outing where I am going to haul the yaks), I back up to the dumpster and unload all the baling wire.

Well....almost all of it. I keep a certain amount of it for "Oklahoma Engineering" projects around the place. YOu know, fence repairs, tack and saddle upgrades, emergency muffler attachment solutions, the usual. My dad says that if it weren't for baling wire, my place would fall onto my neighbors. :lol: I am somewhat of an artist with a pair of linesman pliers and a doubled over length of baling wire. I use it everywhere. I have plenty of wire, plenty of practice, and plenty of that good 'ol Southern engineering.

So, is this stuff suitable for stitching material for me to begin my home made flotilla? I would hate to think of going and buying a specialized wire or plastic zip ties, all while tripping daily over hundreds of feet of stuff that would work and that I am used to working with. :?

 

[gbinga]

I fear that the answer will be "no", because bailing wire is usually mild steel. The problems you could run into;

-It might be too heavy a gauge and/or too stiff to be easy to work with.

-If you cut off the exposed part of the stitch and leave the rest buried in the fillet, then copper wire can just be sanded down while you are smoothing the outside of the hull. Steel would be too hard to grind down, plus it is liable to rust and dicolor the hull from the inside, even if it is encapsulated (wood always has moisture content)

If, on the other hand you work it so that the wire is completely removed before sanding, it would not matter. (I've seen people do it both ways; some do partial fillets so they can remove the wire, others bury the wire in the fillet and snip off the part that is on the outside)

-Light gauge copper wire is not hard to get, and you won't be using so much of it as to make it a significant expense.

So, there is a free opinion, for what it is worth.

George

 

[oldsparkey]

No idea on this end .

I have used stainless wire but prefer copper (20 ga ) for my work. You could try a chunk on the stitch and see if it works or if t cuts into the wood.

Chuck.

 

[Paddletrucker]

-It might be too heavy a gauge and/or too stiff to be easy to work with.

No problem there, I hope, I am plenty used to it. It takes a little pre-bending sometimes to get it to do what you need it to do.

If, on the other hand you work it so that the wire is completely removed before sanding, it would not matter.

I was planning on doing that, anyway. Aviation has taught me to think of weight savings in ounces rather than pounds. If you don't need it, remove it. The extra time will be worth it. Even if it's only one pound, you just might be able to say, "mine came out lighter than yours." :lol: :lol:

gauge copper wire is not hard to get, and you won't be using so much of it as to make it a significant expense.

Well, except that I already have it lying around. Gas to get to town from way out here in the bojacks is better spent on the way to the fishin' hole or launch point. :lol: [/quote]

So, there is a free opinion, for what it is worth.

Worth lots more than I paid!! :lol: :wink: :lol: I appreciate your time and opinions, sir.

Chuck, if it is pre-bent rather than using the pliers to twist and draw it up, I think I can keep it from cutting into the wood. I guess a test is in order.

Awww crap!! I got the bug!!

 

[Paddletrucker]

Looked at some pics and I think you are right, gbinga. Baling wire is too thick and heavy.

Thanks for the reply. 8)

 

[tx river rat]

Paddle
You can do anything with a piece of bailing wire :lol:
In Nam there were times I would have given 5 dollars an inch for some.
Ron

 

[gbinga]

For fans of bailing wire - -

www.clamptitetools.com

I haven't tried one of these, but it is an interesting looking tool.

I keep copper wire and cheap steel wire and some fine SS wire in my workshop. Like Ron was saying, you can do about anything with it, and sometimes it is actually the best solution.

George

 

[jimsong]

I really like this tool! I use about 1000 feet of soaker hose in my gardens, and there is always a geyser occuring somewhere. The only way to fix them is to cut them out and wire the hose to a section of plastic pipe inserted inside the cut ends. I've been using linemans pliers, and it's a fine line between tight enough, and a broken wire.
However, they should never have let me see a picture of it. I have several boxes of iron junk,and taps, dies, grinders, and a drill press. And a torch and welder if needed. (I wish I had a lathe )

 

[Paddletrucker]

I love that thing!! Thanks for posting it. I will probably continue to use my pliers around the place for most things. However, for lots of stuff around here, it will be great. I am ordering two. I am also going to put one in my tractor/trailer. I can see that thing saving me some real money on road service calls.

 

[gbinga]

Ya'll let me know how it works out. I keep wanting to order one, but I already have more tools than Bearridge has movie quotes, and I just haven't talked myself into it yet.

 

[bearridge]

Friend George,

I got a heap a tools myownself, but then I figgered out I am jest a collector. :wink:

regards
bearridge

Well we don't rent pigs and I figure it's better to say it right out front because a man that does like to rent pigs is... he's hard to stop. Augustus McCrae

 

[Darrells]

You can do anything with duct tape and baling wire.

 

[jimsong]

Baling wire even make a fair to middling filler rod for gas welding, but it sho' takes a lot of it! (But I wouldn't do anything structural with it.)

Darrell, you left out the third member of the southern/country repair kit! WD-40!

 

[gbinga]

We may need to start a new thread - essential tools for emergency repair.

Duct tape, bailing wire and WD-40 is an excellent start. I think we need to add a 20oz calibration tool (more commonly referred to as a claw hammer). You never know when you might need to calibrate your work.

gb

 

[islandpiper]

I've always used 14 ga copper, just scrap off wiring projects , peeled. I have always heated them just a bit with the torch and they come right out. If a copper stitch stays in, no big deal.

No iron wire, thanks.

piper

 

[gbinga]

I have always heated them just a bit with the torch and they come right out.

piper

That's a good trick I'd forgotten about. The heat softens the epoxy. You could probably use a soldering iron if you were patient. But like you said, a little piece of copper isn't going to hurt anything so long as it is buried.

 

[Paddletrucker]

I think we need to add a 20oz calibration tool (more commonly referred to as a claw hammer).
gb

Was that "calibration tool" or "clobberation tool" :lol: :lol: :lol:

Around here, my Dad and I have a running inside joke about a "baaaaaall peeeeeen" (slowest possible southern drawl added) solution to about all problems. Every time something needs a slight adjustment, we say "Hold on, let me get my baaaaaall peeeeeen." It came from my Grandad who was always making minor adjustments to everything using his ball peen hammer. I think he carried it in a holster all the time. :lol: :lol: