What are these pliers for

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

Can anyone say what these pliers used for a friend has them and asked what are they for.

David

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

Known as Quickgrips, and are used as quick & easy way of tightening & undoing nuts and/or screws as long as there are two opposing flat surfaces for the jaws to bear on.

Very useful for smallish nuts & bolts, say up to about 10mm across flats.

Peter G. Shaw

[Steve NeighbourParticipant @steveneighbour43428]

More precisely, they look very like a pair of Telephone specific 'GPO' quick-grip pliers, manufactured by GEO Plumpton Ltd around 1965-70

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

I have an identical pair, which is same as I used to have in my PO toolkit, but neither of those had the "longitudinal" slot in the jaw – might that be an "aftermarket" add-on?

[Jim NicParticipant @jimnic]

In my experience they are used to partially round off bolt heads so spanners no longer fit. Also used in the creation of blood-blisters.

Jim

[vintage engineerParticipant @vintageengineer]

Obviously not used by engineers!

[Ian Skeldon 2Participant @ianskeldon2]

Possibly hog ring pliers used by upholsters?

[peak4Participant @peak4]

I've never seen GPO/BT quickgrips of that construction.
Some of the older ones were a box joint, though the ones that were issues by the time I joined in 1979 were a normal lap joint. That said, even the ones used by the old hands then were still of conventional solid jaw construction.
It's hard to tell from the photos, but are these some sort of a double lap joint, hence the slot, or an open ended box construction?

Bill

Edited By peak4 on 15/10/2019 01:34:52

[oldveloParticipant @oldvelo]

Posted by Ian Skeldon 2 on 14/10/2019 22:32:50:

Possibly hog ring pliers used by upholsters?

I have used a similar pliers to fix chicken wire netting to a wire fence.

Eric

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by peak4 on 15/10/2019 01:33:42:

[…]

It's hard to tell from the photos, but are these some sort of a double lap joint, hence the slot, or an open ended box construction?

.

.

Looks like the are box-jointed … but really needs David to confirm.

MichaelG.

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

They are two solid jaws like ordinary pliers, jaws rough hex shape and with a slot machined through. There is a PF logo in a triangle logo embossed on the handle.

David

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

I have a pair of quickgrips which I bought from either RS Components or Maplin – can't remember which. This would have been around 1980 which was when I had to give up my GPO toolkit. They are boxjoint construction.

Looking at Michaels blown-up photo, I would say that they are not boxjoint as the rivet for a lapjoint can easily be seen. Moreover, it also shows that a slight amount of wear is present.

Peter G. Shaw

[LambtonParticipant @lambton]

Searching my 1953 Buck & Hickman I found a picture of some pliers (Fig 2116 page 185) looking just like those in David's pictures.

The item is called Quick-Grip Pliers

" A handy tool for the motorist, cyclist, engineer, plumber, gasfitter, electric light fitter, watchmaker and every trade where nuts are used. Self adjusting."

Two sixes 6" priced at 2/7 and 7" priced at 2/10

Must be about the most universal tool ever made !

Eric

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

Looking at the slits in the jaws I think they would also work to insert a connector on the end of a wire into a receptacle, the wire passing through the jaws – I used these in this manner for car bullet connectors a long time ago.

 

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 15/10/2019 11:42:49

[DiogenesIIParticipant @diogenesii]

I wonder if PF stands for Pepperl & Fuchs.. ..Industrial Sensor Manufacturers.. I think Nick is on the right track..

[Chris SheltonParticipant @chrisshelton11794]

I have a pair of the pliers shown in the first photo, and have always thought they are used to crimp scotch lock connectors on wires, if that's not what they are designed for, they do this job admirably.

Edited By Chris Shelton on 15/10/2019 15:14:55

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