Repairing a wire mesh fence used to take all day and was a hard work. However, many wire fences today can be mended in much less time with the use of fencing sleeves. These sleeves act as a permanent band-aid for broken fence wires and save landowners precious time when completing fence repairs. Fencing sleeves can be used to repair both barbed wire and smooth wire mesh fence .

1 Loosen the staples that are holding the wire at the posts on either side of the break with the forked side of a hammer.

2 Use a wire cutter to remove all of the barbs on the wire fence for five inches from the break point. This will help prevent accidental scratches during the repair. Skip this step if the fence is a smooth wire fence without barbs.

3 Use a wire stretcher to stretch the broken piece of wire and make the wire long enough on both sides of the break so that the wires overlap by two inches. This may sound difficult, but fence often stretches over time and will become loose, enabling the wire to be stretched again.

4 Slide a fencing sleeve over one end of the broken wire and slide the other side of the broken wire through the fencing sleeve. Position the sleeve so it is covering the point where the two sides of the stretched broken wire overlap.

5 Use a pair of pliers to crimp the fencing sleeve down on the overlapping fence wires to secure the fencing sleeve.

6 Separate the twisted ends of the wire that are protruding out the sides of the fencing sleeve. Twist each of the separated wires around the repaired wire, one at a time. Wrap the first wire counterclockwise around the wire and the second one clockwise. Repeat this process until all four of the wire ends have been wrapped around the wire.

7 Hammer the loosened staples back into the fence post to secure the fence wire to the post.