What Is This Mystery Tool?

[beamjockey]

Years ago, a departing colleague bequeathed his toolkit to me. It contained a peculiar tool, like long-handled diagonal cutters, but with an additional cylinder attached to one handle. The cylinder sprouts a knurled knob on a barber-pole shaft.

Do you recognize this widget? I've been mystified for years.

Comments

[fmsv.livejournal.com]

Do any of the parts attached to the cylinder move? The barber-pole shaft kind of makes me think of a mechanical powered screwdriver, but it doesn't go well with the rest of the tool. I could understand it a bit more if the cylinder could move so it was outside of the inside part of the diagonal cutters, but even so, I'm afraid I'm as mystified as you are.

[bigblued.livejournal.com]

Those are wire twisting pliers. This video will show you how they are used. I will happily take them off your hands if you don't want them.

http://www.eurotool.com/video1.html

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

Seventeen minutes. Impressive. My previously-baffled family thanks you.

[bigblued.livejournal.com]

They are used in both jewelry making and stained glass work, so I had run across them before. The 17min was because it took a while to figure out the correct name for them, and then find some kind of image/web page/video that would best explain how they worked.

The hive-mind knows all.

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

Ah--a cool toy!

[johnridley.livejournal.com]

Damn, beat me to it. Bill's fault for posting after I went to bed :)

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Safety wire pliers.

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Here's Wikipedia on safety wire.

[bigblued.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the alternate name. I can now pick up a pair from harbor freight for $12 instead of $20 from Rio Grande. And can anyone explain why McMaster wants $88.00 for the same darn tool?

[chaos-israel.livejournal.com]

I've had really bad experiences with Harbor Freight. I only buy from there if I need a specific item *now*, and I expect said item to be broken by the end of the week.

No experience with the other two companies, so the reason for the 440% price jump is anyone's guess.

[johnridley.livejournal.com]

I buy a fair amount of stuff from HF and in general I've had decent luck, especially given the price. I wouldn't try to be a professional mechanic with their tools, but I've been using HF (and KMart from way back) tools alongside the Craftsman stuff I've bought in shadetree and DIY mode for a few years and the HF stuff has been fine.

I'm speaking of hand tools. Their pneumatic stuff stinks. There's a HUGE difference between a HF pneumatic chisel and a craftsman, and a huge difference from craftsman to snap-on.

When my $120 Milwaukee 3/8" electric drill fell apart (yes, even the best stuff breaks), I just bought a $12 replacement from HF. It's pretty much identical in use. I have no doubt the Milwaukee would, on average, last longer, but mine was a lemon; I burned out 3 switches and finally the shaft simply broke in half. And I am NOT a heavy user.

But for most people's day-to-day DIY use, a set of Harbor Freight hand tools will probably be all they ever need. And even if the odd ratchet breaks, you can buy one every few years and still pay way less than even Craftsman sets. But I have yet to have one of their hand tools break.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

When a company is charging an especially high price for tools or equipment, it's usually because they serve an exclusive community. Stainless steel tubing sold for liquid helium transfer costs about 3x what the same tubing, made to the same standards, sells in dairy supply stores.

[bigblued.livejournal.com]

And that's why Rio Grande tends to be overpriced, they are the biggest supplier to the jewelry trade in the country. Known for high quality, but also known for high prices.

But McMaster Carr is like the Sears catalog for manufacturing engineers. They have every screw/knob/metal stock/motor/tool you could ever want to supply or maintain a manufacturing plant.

Being a generalist, they should be cheaper, and in most cases they are. Being the go-to supplier for everyone, they are sometimes a little more expensive because they have everything and it's easier to just buy it all in one place. This particular case is way out of whack, even for them.

And I am now astounded that 2 different friends of Bill don't know about McMaster Carr. Go now. http://www.mcmaster.com/

[were-gopher.livejournal.com]

Cool! Want!

[dave-ifversen.livejournal.com]

Steve and I used a set of those when we tagged every single valve and sensor in the PS4 cryo system - we must have done hundreds (if not thousands) of tags, all held on by safety wire.

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

When you and Steve were loaned out for this kind of work, I tended to get loaned for software-type or office-type tasks.

I have never had the privilege of applying safety wire to anything, hence my ignorance of the basic tools.

Nor have I ever had the pleasure of re-hosing a Trans-Rex; if God is good to me, I will live a long and happy life and end my days without having done so.