Pliers grip damaged by thinner

[drummerdimitri]

So just got back from my local hardware store with a retaining ring pliers and a bottle of thinner for cleaning metal surfaces.

Only issue is they were put together in the same bag and the bottle leaked a bit on the drive back from the store and seems to have ruined the red rubberized coating usually found on the gripping portion of pliers.

Seems like the sleeves have swollen a bit and now it wont go back on snuggly and just slip right off as soon as I try using the tool.

Is there a way to fix this? Some kind of chemical, heating or cooling the handles?

***** to have just bought a new tool and have it ruined before its first use

 

[Bogie1632]

I've had similar happen using the wrong chem on the wrong item. On the couple handle covers this has happened on I squeezed a bit of RTV into the handle and slid it back on. Haven't had one come off yet. Worked better than other adhesives I'd tried in the past. YMMV.

V/R
Bogie

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

They sell that rubberized coating in all different colors. Maybe put some adhesive or something under the coating to get them to stay on there. Or RTV as mentioned above.


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[SilverDeck]

So just got back from my local hardware store with a retaining ring pliers and a bottle of thinner for cleaning metal surfaces.

Only issue is they were put together in the same bag and the bottle leaked a bit on the drive back from the store and seems to have ruined the red rubberized coating usually found on the gripping portion of pliers.

Seems like the sleeves have swollen a bit and now it wont go back on snuggly and just slip right off as soon as I try using the tool.

Is there a way to fix this? Some kind of chemical, heating or cooling the handles?

***** to have just bought a new tool and have it ruined before its first use

The acetone in this thinner is the culprit. Notorious for swelling plastics.

I would return both to the store your purchased them at, explain the situation and what happened, and ask for an exchange.

 

[drummerdimitri]

I would return both to the store your purchased them at, explain the situation and what happened, and ask for an exchange.

I am a very good/old customer of theirs and know the people working there personally so that wont be an issue except it was the last one of its kind on display(old school tool) so there might not be another unit to exchange it with.

If that's the case , I will either try the RTV method as mentioned above or just use some heat-shrink lined with glue to replace the original sleeves.

 

[ssdave]

You might try saturating the plastic with rubbing alcohol, slip it back on, and then let it dry thoroughly. Isopropyl often relaxes these "rubbery" grip coatings, and lets them slip on and off easily, and then shrinks them when it dries out. That might rejuvenate the fit on these ones.

 

[Negen]

Depending on the pliers just remove the grips and then get some dip and dip them. The rust oleum brand stuff works good enough. Unless they are nicer higher end pliers. In that case return them.

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[drummerdimitri]

You might try saturating the plastic with rubbing alcohol, slip it back on, and then let it dry thoroughly. Isopropyl often relaxes these "rubbery" grip coatings, and lets them slip on and off easily, and then shrinks them when it dries out. That might rejuvenate the fit on these ones.

We don't have Isopropyl alcohol here, just ethanol but will try this method out and see if works out.

 

[drummerdimitri]

Depending on the pliers just remove the grips and then get some dip and dip them. The rust oleum brand stuff works good enough. Unless they are nicer higher end pliers. In that case return them.

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I definitely ain't going to find that in my hardware store

They're some vintage Harry P Will pliers so will see if they have another unit I can replace it with.

Worst case scenario, I think the glue lined heatshrink will serve me well.

 

[sberry]

All kinds of hose, cut a length, slide over with a little smear of RTV.

 

[bwringer]

You might just need to wait a day or two -- sometimes plastic swollen in this way will shrink back to its former shape.

 

[drummerdimitri]

You might just need to wait a day or two -- sometimes plastic swollen in this way will shrink back to its former shape.

Actually the idea of dipping it in alcohol for some time and them put them back on and wait till the alcohol evaporates worked almost perfectly.

It fits much more snuggly now so will try doing it again and if it doesn't become even tighter, I will just use that RTV adhesive as recommended previously.

 

[Ton ton]

I'm glad you got it figured out.