Pliers modification

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Pliers modification

Some years ago I modified a cheap (no name) pair of long nosed pliers by drilling 5 different sized holes along the joint. They have proved so useful for many tasks that they are always on my bench. i.e. working on small screws, grinding and polishing items, and as I have always made up my own bowden cables they are a heat sink when gripped in the vice for soldering nipples to retain the cable temper. As a bonus they are non marking.
Cheap tools can be useful for some things as they are usually soft enough to be modified.

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Excellent idea. Thanks for sharing.

olderdan,

That is a awesome! This would come in handy so many times. I had never considered doing that. Thanks for posting!

Good idea, so good, in fact, that tool manufacturers sell them...

https://www.amazon.com/TNI-U-TU-346S...e+clamp+pliers

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016XE2CHA...539448856&sr=3

https://www.amazon.com/Park-Tool-Nee...le+nose+pliers

Modifying cheap tools is a frequent job here in Garaj Mahal. I have a pair of long-reach needle nose pliers dedicated to holding stuff in the torch flame. I'm sure the hardening in the jaws, if there ever was any, is long gone but the only function required of them is to grip stuff so all is well.

Over here there's a retailer, Harbor Freight, who issues coupons for free tools in their advertisements. Their free, cheap screwdrivers have been ground into too many dedicated "tools" to count.

olderdan,

This website is a gold mine of ideas. I really enjoy this place and am happy it exists.

Great idea. I’ve got dozens of pairs of pliers that came from a shed clean out I did. Time to make some the same!

Quote:

Cheap tools can be useful for some things as they are usually soft enough to be modified.

Nice that you were able to get 5 holes...lots of choices there. So true about modifying cheap tools. Have to give credit to my dad on that one as he made all kinds of special tools as I was growing up from the 99 Cent bins. He always said if you're going to use it every day, buy one, otherwise make something for a few uses...which sometimes turn into decades. ~¿@

Done similar with needle nose, pliers to Hog ring pliers, screw drivers (made T-Handles and carb bowl scrapers...Lots...even just use the round bar and reshape it for what ever the need), various wrench types, bent, bent at just the right angle, ground, notched...most all from the 99Cent bin at Hardware stores or HFT. Tweaked a HFT 17mm open end awhile back to reach a pesky bolt head changing the window regulator in my car. Had to bend it in two places to keep a low profile and grind it thinner...and still drew blood but got it out and back in.

Thanks for bringing this to the forefront again, OlderDan...It's what this forum is about I think.

:hattip: PJ

If you squint at the picture of your pliers it almost looks like some sort of predator fish. Great idea for putting some old mundane tool to a totally new use.

Thanks olderdan! We've added your Pliers Modification to our Workholding category,
as well as to your builder page: olderdan's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-pliers-modification"> <img src="/uploads/218520/homemade-pliers-modification.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-pliers-modification">Pliers Modification</a> <span> by <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/builder/olderdan">olderdan</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='http://www.homemadetools.net/tag/pliers'>pliers</a>, <a href='http://www.homemadetools.net/tag/modification'>modification</a> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Great idea! I can see a dozen times I would have used this lately. I think I might drill a small hole down the legth of the pliers for added usages i.e. pulling a brake cable, just a thought.

So clever yet so simple. This is one of those awesome,,,,,why didn't I ever think of that moments lol Thank you so much for sharing!!!!!

P.S. You should apply for a patent.

Oloneear,

That is a great idea! Thanks

Congratulations olderdan - your Pliers Modification is the Homemade Tool of the Week!

A simple but extremely useful modification that not only won the most Thanks votes this week, but is a good example of an Egg of Columbus - an idea that, in retrospect (or after just checking Amazon.com!) seems perfectly commonplace and simple. The hard part is figuring it out (cracking the egg) without those prompts.

Some good picks from this week:

Tubeless Tire Repair Tool by Cascao
Panavise Accessory Arbor by mklotz
Indicator Mount Fine Adjuster by jjr2001
Cylinder Square by olderdan
DTI Holder Repair by jjr2001
Swan Neck Mortise Chisel by Philip Davies
Bottle Jack Repair by Don42
Annular Cutter Arbor by jjr2001
Twin Sliding Vise Holder by mklotz
Lathe Indicator Stand by Canobi
Wheel Balancer by tonyfoale

olderdan - we've added your tool entry to our All Homemade Tool of the Week winners post. You'll be receiving a $25 online gift card, in your choice of Amazon, PayPal, or bitcoin. Please PM me your current email address and gift card choice and I'll get it sent over right away.

This is your 7th Homemade Tool of the Week win. Congratulations and well done. :hattip:

Here are all of your winning tools:

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Back in an earlier life, I repaired antique wall and floor [tall] clocks for a clock repair shop whose specialty was doing teeny women's watches and also men's watches. He had no time for big clocks and found them to be little or no challenge. So, he hired me to tear down, disassemble, clean all the parts in an ultrasonic cleaner, reassemble the works, test them for proper operation, replace any worn or egged out shaft holes with brass bushing inserts, probably the most tedious portion of the entire repair, and finally "test drive" them on a clock stand before finally reinstalling the finely tuned clock mechanism back into its case.

When I bought his large clock business, I also inherited a pair of pliers which he said were used to make jewelry. They looked like an end knipping pliers with jaws that came together something like a duckbill pliers with the duck bill bent into a converging circle on the end. But that wasn't all, down the flat part of the pliers jaws there were 3 other assorted sized round holes which I found to be almost indispensable for such jobs as freeing up a wheel shaft on a clock movement which has sat for so many years that the old oil and dust literally stuck the shaft of the clock wheel sic., gear in its bushing on either the front or rear plate of the mechanism. I used those round cut holes to also free up brass screws, nuts, and other parts of clock works and they were always lying close by on my clock bench during repairs.

That pair of pliers somehow disappeared during one of my many moves here in Florida and I never saw them again. Talk about mourning a loss of a " cherished loved one", the loss of that tool almost brought tears to this old clock repairer's eyes. .......... But I recovered and went on to dabble in a craft which I first took up as a teenager, doing leatherwork. Now I build leather sheaths and holsters for outdoors guys who want something a little different to house their treasured camp or hunting knife or personal handguns.

Not getting rich but it keeps me off the streets and out of trouble .....:thumbsup:

Would also work great for crimping tiny rf connector pins on wire, or split-shot sinkers on fishing line.

Alan,

How do you solder your cables? If you were concerned about the wire temperature it sounds like you are using a flame. I think that there are better methods. I always used a large plumber's soldering iron and overheating the wire was not a consideration, but a few years ago I got a solder pot and wondered why I had waited so long. It is far and away the best method that I have used or seen. You can get them on the net already filled with solder.

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Hi Tony, yes I was using a flame as you guessed, not the best way but your reply set me thinking that my father had a couple of tinmans irons, so after a bit of rummaging in his boxes I found these two beauty's.Attachment 27649
fortunately we have a gas hob. Thanks for the tip on solder pots, I tried making one once but those online prices will see me buying one soon.

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Years ago, I needed to weld some eyeballs on hemispheres for some frogs I was making. Modified a pair of pliers to hold them in place.Attachment 28915 Attachment 28916

I started to do just this and only wanted two holes. My pliers - however - are actually well made and the jaws are hardened ! I have made some progress but finding the right drill bit will likely be more expensive than picking up a "cheap" pair and starting over.

Thanks strube1369! We've added your Steel Ball Holding Pliers to our Metalworking category,
as well as to your builder page: strube1369's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-steel-ball-holding-pliers"> <img src="/uploads/255959/homemade-steel-ball-holding-pliers.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-steel-ball-holding-pliers">Steel Ball Holding Pliers</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/strube1369">strube1369</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/pliers'>pliers</a>, <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/holding'>holding</a> </div> </div> </div> </div>