"mm" wrote in message
...
I recently got an estate closeout, in a box of tools, a wire twist
tool that looks very much like this one.

http://www.stahlwilleaerospace.com/WireTwist.html

Except mine doesn't have the choice of left, right, and lock. Only
left.

They're safety wire pliers. As others have mentioned, they're used quite a
bit on airplanes, but safety wire can also be used as a tamper indicating
device. If something critical, like a nut or bolt, is safety wired to
something else, and the wire is cut, it means someone has messed with that
piece of equipment. Don't use it until a proper inspection has been done.

Perhaps this is why the alarm guy had them - to somehow seal up the alarm
system box.