Speaking of plier brands

[Mike Lang]

How do you guys break in your pliers? Sometimes I'll get a new pair that takes forever to loosen up.

I've tried soaking them in oil for a few weeks before use but that doesn't seem to do much.

 

[ibew501ed]

I worked in a machine shop and the machinist gave me "lapping compound"
to put at the hinge part of the pliers. very shortly after we cleaned them up and.... B E A utiful! lapping is used on a grinder I think

 

[GUNNING]

dirt works, kinda of.

dirt works, kinda of.

Ive seen guys take them and put them in the ground and work the sand into them getting them looser. Then washing them off with WD-40. It gets the heavy cosmoline out and works in a pinch.

 

[bkludecke]

I recently read in a trade publication about using some of the valve lapping compound you can buy at any auto parts store. It is usually used to lap in valve seats ground into the cylinder heads. It's basically an abrasive paste and sounds like it would do the trick.

All I know is when my pliers and cutters get wet and then rust a little, I clean and work them with WD-40 and they are better and looser than before.

 

[mivey]

Ive seen guys take them and put them in the ground and work the sand into them getting them looser. Then washing them off with WD-40. It gets the heavy cosmoline out and works in a pinch.

That has worked well for me.

 

[boboelectric]

P B Blaster

 

[infinity]

I have heard of guys sticking them into a bucket of sand and then working it back and forth. Sounds similar to some of the methods mentioned using an abrasive.

 

[mivey]

We had to walk to work uphill both ways and could not afford the expensive abrasives. The sand was expensive enough.

 

[LarryFine]

All I know is when my pliers and cutters get wet and then rust a little, I clean and work them with WD-40 and they are better and looser than before.

Same here. I squirt the WD in around the sides, between the body halves, and watch the rust ooze out around the pivot pin as I work them open and closed.

 

[iwire]

How do you guys break in your pliers?

Sometimes dropping them onto cement loosens them right up.

Open them, hold them buy one handle and let them fall on the tip of one jaw.

Yeah I know, it sounds weird but mosts times it works in a pinch.

 

[LarryFine]

One more bit of advice: never hammer on the side that pivots. If you spread the pin, it binds.

 

[chris kennedy]

One more bit of advice: never hammer on the side that pivots. If you spread the pin, it binds.

But if you tap with the other side it will loosen them up.

 

[ultramegabob]

I just use mine and oil them with whatever is handy, they usually dont really start to break in until I get them wet and they rust and then I work the rust out with WD40 or PB blaster, I am in the process of breaking in a new pair right now, my last pair were several years old and broke in really nice, now they have a big hole blasted in them thanks to someone who borrowed them a guy I used to work with used diamond dust, I never tried it myself, but he swore by it....

 

[iaov]

This might sound kind of radical but how about putting them to work for a couple of weeks.

 

[mikeames]

I spray a little parts cleaner/ Nuts off in first to clean or dissolve the grease/oil. I work that in and then use WD or Silicone Lubricant.

 

[nakulak]

i have a few different methods to break them in (I use all the methods)

-first I blow a hole in the cutter portion by cutting a live 120 ckt (not 277 !)
-then I drop them a few times off the very highest point at any job, and never over anything soft (like your helper or some dirt), they must hit concrete, steel, (or in a pinch, wet concrete)
-before the next step, its usually a requirement that they are run over by something heavy, like a track loader or a D8
-this step is important, you must lose them for one to three weeks by placing them in some ungodly spot that you would never believe they you could have left them (inside a ct cabinet or live gear, perched inside an acoustic ceiling directly above an extremely expensive and fragile piece of equipment, or left in the dish of a brand new gov super secret satellite dish on a job where the guard dogs get holidays and weekends off but you don't)
-finally, accidently drop them in a bucket of crap that some roofer left sitting by your trailer
-once you clean them off, if they still work, they will be damn fine pliars !
-if you haven't already put your name on them, DO NOT put it on at this point, or you will have to go back to step (lose them again for 3 weeks)

 

[TOOL_5150]

One more bit of advice: never hammer on the side that pivots. If you spread the pin, it binds.

I never really thought about that till you pointed it out - thx for the tip!


~Matt

 

[iaov]

i have a few different methods to break them in (I use all the methods)

-first I blow a hole in the cutter portion by cutting a live 120 ckt (not 277 !)
-then I drop them a few times off the very highest point at any job, and never over anything soft (like your helper or some dirt), they must hit concrete, steel, (or in a pinch, wet concrete)
-before the next step, its usually a requirement that they are run over by something heavy, like a track loader or a D8
-this step is important, you must lose them for one to three weeks by placing them in some ungodly spot that you would never believe they you could have left them (inside a ct cabinet or live gear, perched inside an acoustic ceiling directly above an extremely expensive and fragile piece of equipment, or left in the dish of a brand new gov super secret satellite dish on a job where the guard dogs get holidays and weekends off but you don't)
-finally, accidently drop them in a bucket of crap that some roofer left sitting by your trailer
-once you clean them off, if they still work, they will be damn fine pliars !
-if you haven't already put your name on them, DO NOT put it on at this point, or you will have to go back to step (lose them again for 3 weeks)

This is exactly what I was talking about!!! Put them to work for a while.

 

[George Stolz]

Nakulak - LMAO

As far as breaking them in, I just use WD-40, but am interested to get a chance to try the lapping compound. Actually, come to think of it, I still have my mostly seized older nines that I could experiment with.

My dykes are getting to the point where I either need to sharpen them (not quite sure how, conveniently, to be honest) or replace them. They're like an old friend, nice and loose (yet still tight), so I think I'm going to work them over with a file when I get a chance.