"Water Pump" pliers where does the name come from?

[four.cycle]

^ That's what I said above:
The term "water pump pliers" pre-dates the term "Channellock" and "tongue-in-groove" or "groove joint" - catch-all terms for a tool that came into being much later. Nomenclature and its use are products of regional location and what brand of tools your father (and/or former co-workers) used.

As to the etymology of the term, you could probably debate that until hell freezes over. I doubt if it's something a lexicographer would want to tangle with.

 

[rust in the eye]

^ the term "water pump pliers" goes back quite a ways.

"Water pump pliers" are not, by design, "tongue-in-groove" pliers:


Indestro 3400 water pump pliers 1937 Indestro catalog pp 62

It appears Mr. Howard Manning applied for his patent 1950362 for his tongue-in-groove pliers Feb 8 1932, so the design would pre-date that catalog above, although the term "water pump pliers" goes back a bit farther, if I am not mistaken.

This seems to be the definitive answer.
But begs the question: Why not just use the proper size wrench instead.

 

[Yale]

This seems to be the definitive answer.
But begs the question: Why not just use the proper size wrench instead.

Because the nut is often not hexagonal. It looks like this:

Pretty easy to grab with "water pump pliers".

 

[Blueshound_GJ]

Because the nut is often not hexagonal. It looks like this:

Pretty easy to grab with "water pump pliers".

Garden hose fittings also. Too big for most "regular" slip joint pliers.

 

[rust in the eye]

Because the nut is often not hexagonal. It looks like this:

Pretty easy to grab with "water pump pliers".

Makes sense to me now. My lesson for the day, thank you

 

[Garcky]

It comes from long ago and far away is where it comes from. They aren't used for their original purpose much anymore, but they still have the name. "Once upon a time..."

 

[RedneckWelder]

The only places I’ve seen them called water pump pliers is on the internet and in some tool catalogs/websites.

Much like we tend to call all soda “coke” here in the south most everybody in this area refers to them by the by far most common brand found, Channellocks which is the brand almost all DIY and most building trades use. I first heard of Knipex here and encountered Knipex in the shop when I became a professional mechanic.

 

[DAustin]

^ the term "water pump pliers" goes back quite a ways.

"Water pump pliers" are not, by design, "tongue-in-groove" pliers:


Indestro 3400 water pump pliers 1937 Indestro catalog pp 62

It appears Mr. Howard Manning applied for his patent 1950362 for his tongue-in-groove pliers Feb 8 1932, so the design would pre-date that catalog above, although the term "water pump pliers" goes back a bit farther, if I am not mistaken.

Looking at the old Sears tool catalogs. Over the years they called this type-Water Pump, Utility, Mechanic's and Pliers Wrench. The Channellock type was always Arc Joint.

Blackburn Tools - Rose Tools scanned Sears catalog archives

 

[nadogail]

Except that tongue and groove pliers were had the patent applied for in 1932, long after the rotary water pump was introduced, and nearly every car and most tractors had a water pump by this time, as the thermosiphon systems couldn't handle the heat from the higher horsepower engines being introduced.

And the hand pump/windmill were on their way out with the rural electrification act in 1936. There was little in the way of a hand pump packing as it was right on top, nor was it very large. More than likely a monkey wrench would have been used instead of the new fangled water pump pliers.

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/8d/9f/74/109409aee179be/US1950362.pdf

And As we know the channel locks today were a little later in 1947.

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/6d/1c/54/a4c24f450f0f00/US2592927.pdf

I remember from my travels as a very young boy in the 1940’s seeing wind mill driven water pumps.

 

[Firebrick43]

Stupid question, but why wouldn't they just use a wrench on it?

Because a set of large wrenches is heavy to lug around for such little torque when

I remember from my travels as a very young boy in the 1940’s seeing wind mill driven water pumps.

There are some still pumping within view of the 40 in west Texas. I need it get a tower and put up my 1940 aero motor.

I am not saying they were not around. I am saying they were on the way out and the internal combustion engine and it’s associated water pumps has far exceeded the windmill by the mid 30’s.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

My fater always called them Channellocks. His father called them water pump pliers. I'm not sure what the modern name is so I just refer to them as adjustable hammers.

 

[d42jeep]

My 1929 Model A Ford had a water pump that took packing and had a gland nut for adjusting the pressure on the packing to prevent leaks. The pliers were slip joint with several adjustments and were commonly called water pump pliers. Channellocks are groove joint pliers and for the most part were produced after 1933, at least that’s the patent date on most of my early ones.
Here are some Dunlap water pump pliers.
Here are some Dunlap groove joint pliers.
Now I’m heading back to the vintage tool discussion where I usually hang out.
-Don

 

[DAustin]

I wonder why pump pliers were not part of the Model A took kit.

 

[d42jeep]

I don‘t know. My Model A didn’t come with any tools. Maybe the pliers were common and it was assumed that they would be readily available. I still have a spool of the packing in the garage. I wish I still had the Model A. I totaled it when I was in High School. The Duro water pump pliers look quite a bit like their Indestro cousins.
-Don

 

[rharman]

I've always called pliers with the tongue and groove channel locks, obviously because of the brand. The ones with the cylindrical lobes (not sure what else to call them other than slip joint) I've called water pumps. I don't know why I consider them to be different.

Funny, I was going to go the opposite direction and say I think people automatically think car water pump instead of some industrial water pump.

edit: Just read the first page and see several others pointed out essentially the same thing.

 

[GCS]

In my personal experience.
Regardless of brand or actually being water pump pliers or actual slip joint pliers they’re all interchangeable.

Living in different places & the Military the most common term I hear is Channel Locks(regardless of brand)

In Oklahoma they’re commonly referred to as Boar Hogs.

don’t ask …..
I have no idea
guessing you can tear **** up like a F’n boar?

Only state/place I have heard that term

 

[finn]

I have a pair of Craftsman "water pump pliers" or that is what I was always told what they were for.

The jaws are totally unique and are for grabbing wire type hose clamps. Work well. Otherwise useless as normal pliers.

Those are hose clamp pliers. That’s what the tag on mine called them when I bought them new thirty years or more ago.

edit. Late to the party. Corbin clamp pliers is correct.

 

[Lassen Forge]

In my personal experience.
Regardless of brand or actually being water pump pliers or actual slip joint pliers they’re all interchangeable.

Living in different places & the Military the most common term I hear is Channel Locks(regardless of brand)

In Oklahoma they’re commonly referred to as Boar Hogs.

don’t ask …..
I have no idea
guessing you can tear **** up like a F’n boar?

Only state/place I have heard that term

Meebee because hog ring pliers have the same basic shape, and these can also be used as hog ring pliers? I know Hog ring pliers can be used on spring wire hose clamps...

BTW, I was raised around old cars, water trucks, and well pumps... So I've not only called them Water Pump Pliers most of my life ("Channellocks" are similar, but actually a different beast), I also have packing picks, screw picks, and packing setting punches...

Reminds me, I need to get some more graphite rope packing... I'm assuming McMaster still carries the stuff...

 

[F-22]

The only places I’ve seen them called water pump pliers is on the internet and in some tool catalogs/websites.

Much like we tend to call all soda “coke” here in the south most everybody in this area refers to them by the by far most common brand found, Channellocks which is the brand almost all DIY and most building trades use. I first heard of Knipex here and encountered Knipex in the shop when I became a professional mechanic.

In my language, they're often called something that'd translate to parrot pliers due to the beak design. Channellock was/is an unknown brand in Europe.

 

[Firebrick43]

Meebee because hog ring pliers have the same basic shape, and these can also be used as hog ring pliers? I know Hog ring pliers can be used on spring wire hose clamps...

BTW, I was raised around old cars, water trucks, and well pumps... So I've not only called them Water Pump Pliers most of my life ("Channellocks" are similar, but actually a different beast), I also have packing picks, screw picks, and packing setting punches...

Reminds me, I need to get some more graphite rope packing... I'm assuming McMaster still carries the stuff...

Yes they do, but isnt there a similar source in Europe?

 

[cannuck]

This is where its at, will do both round and flat clamps

https://www.knipex.com/products/special-pliers/spring-hose-clamp-pliers/spring-hose-clamp-pliers/8551250AF

Awwww shyte. As usual reading a good thread on GJ is going to cost me some more money.

I have had both Corbin and slip jaws forever, but my WP pliers have started to slide (that's a plier's pun if you didn't get it) from blue to red. Looks as if my shiny Corbins will move to the farm tool box too.

 

[cannuck]

Umm, ok. Sort of a broad statement.

While I don't believe that we will ever have definitive proof of how "groove lock" or "tongue and groove" pliers obtained the moniker of "water-pump pliers", I do know that it is ubiquitous term. As such, it is my belief that it derives from the collective experiences of common people and not just maintenance men. I am well aware that other pumps beyond automotive use packing nuts or glands. But, most people don't or didn't work on them.

Almost 125 million automobiles were registered on U.S. roads in 1932, 5 million of which were Model T's. The U.S. population was 124 million, so more than 1 vehicle for every living person - many of which used water pumps with gland type seals that required frequent adjustment or maintenance.

So, that's my reasoning.

Could be wrong though.


Yes, the picture that I posted shows a hex nut but I know that I've seen a different 'toothed' version that there was a special tool for - that nobody had. They look like this:

And the special wrench looks like this:


But, what works just the same and is much more useful over all are these:

I have always heard those called "bearing nut wrenches". You can get them with round or square tips and fixed diameter or swinging jaw.

As the official tool Nazi around "day job" client I dress down anyone who uses wrong or inappropriate tool on fasteners, and the greatest offenders are electricians with slip jaws (mostly used correctly on conduit locknuts).

 

[Lassen Forge]

Yes they do, but isnt there a similar source in Europe?

I sure hope so! Just haven't found it yet...

 

[KenC]

In my personal experience.
Regardless of brand or actually being water pump pliers or actual slip joint pliers they’re all interchangeable.

Living in different places & the Military the most common term I hear is Channel Locks(regardless of brand)

In Oklahoma they’re commonly referred to as Boar Hogs.

don’t ask …..
I have no idea
guessing you can tear **** up like a F’n boar?

Only state/place I have heard that term

The only place I've ever heard that term was in aviation, believe it or not. Every guy on the flight line had a pair, but they weren't the 'normal' 10-12 inch sized slip joint or arc joint, but HUGE. I have a pair that are at least 16" long, maybe more.

 

[dchawk81]

I wonder why pump pliers were not part of the Model A took kit.

Because Henry Ford was a cheapskate.

 

[cannuck]

I sure hope so! Just haven't found it yet...

try a bearing supplier

 

[Milton Shaw]

I have a pair of Craftsman "water pump pliers" or that is what I was always told what they were for.

The jaws are totally unique and are for grabbing wire type hose clamps. Work well. Otherwise useless as normal pliers.

Those are Corbin hose clamp pliers as what I have always known them as.

 

[82355]

I remember from my travels as a very young boy in the 1940’s seeing wind mill driven water pumps.

They are really starting to phase out now in the sandhills of Nebraska due to solar powered setups, but are still common.

A quick Google search for windmill repair shops.

Shane's Pump & Windmill Service

Shane's Pump & Windmill Service, Grand Island, Nebraska. 525 likes · 2 talking about this. For all your water well and windmill service needs!

www.facebook.com

Nebraska | Great Plains Windmill Service

We are a professional windmill service providing windmill installation, repairs & maintenance, relocation services and pond aerators to Nebraska.

greatplainswindmills.com

Seamann & Son Windmill & Well Service | Nebraska Windmills

Seamann & Son Windmill & Well Service is located in southeast Nebraska. We have been servicing farm and vintage windmills and wells of the Heartland since 1984.

www.seamannandsonwindmillandwell.com

Griffith Windmill Restoration

Dan restores old beat up AERATOR, DEMPSTER, CHALLENGE, or FAIRBURY windmill heads and original company logos on tail vanes.

madeintheneb.com

Martin

 

[Grokew]

Channelock is a brand name that has become commonly used to describe products by other companies that are similar in use or purpose. Sort of like referring to all facial tissues as Kleenex. When I was a young kid I think every refrigerator was commonly called a Frigidaire. Many people confuse copiers and Xerox.

I once tried to wipe sweat from my face with Kleenex tissues. They disintegrated, and I had pieces of paper all over my face. What are they even for?

 

[82355]

I once tried to wipe sweat from my face with Kleenex tissues. They disintegrated, and I had pieces of paper all over my face. What are they even for?

Is that a serious question?

Martin

 

[uart]

Interesting discussion. Just to throw in another regional variation in the naming, here in Australia they're known generically as "multigrip pliers", or usually just abbreviated to "multigrips".

Not sure how far this name goes back, but certainly all of my life I've known them as multigrips, and most shops here categorize them as multigrips or multigrip pliers if you're looking on their websites. Like this one for example : https://www.totaltools.com.au/hand-tools/pliers/multigrip

 

[uart]

Here's a tool catalog from Sydney Australia circa 1938 that describes them as "Multi-Grip Pump Pliers".

Interesting backstory, I've got one of those multigrips (item 199 in the catalog) that was with some old tools that originally belonged to my grandfather. I kept these because I noticed they were some really obscure brand that I'd never heard of. "Ahrem's Goodline", made in pre-WW2 Germany. Surprisingly though, when I googled I found a scan of this long since vansished brand's 1938 catalog online. Kind of neat to find that, like I can imagine my grandfather buying them from an old tool truck like the one in the photo, LOL.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I have a pair of Craftsman "water pump pliers" or that is what I was always told what they were for.

The jaws are totally unique and are for grabbing wire type hose clamps. Work well. Otherwise useless as normal pliers.

I got the exact same ones !

Back in the 60s-70s, Chrysler used to use those heavy gauge round wire clamps. They worked good, but standard pliers just would not hold them open for longer than 10 seconds. People may not like the modern flat equivalent, but they are much easier to deal with. Older washing machines used them before they started putting garden hose fitting on them.

I'll bet my water pump pliers are hanging out with my drum brake spring pliers !

 

[driftpin]

Over 45 years ago, I had a side-job installing wood hot tubs and fiberglass or acrylic spas. I bought a large pair of slip-joint pliers, which I'm pretty-sure were called, at the store 'water pump pliers.' They were Craftsman brand, and I still have and use them occasionally.

Not in an industrial quantity but my local Ace Hardware carries stem nut packing, for gland nuts. I keep a package on hand for the occasional use needed maintaining several homes.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Over 45 years ago, I had a side-job installing wood hot tubs and fiberglass or acrylic spas. I bought a large pair of slip-joint pliers, which I'm pretty-sure were called, at the store 'water pump pliers.' They were Craftsman brand, and I still have and use them occasionally.

When my Dad passed away, my step-mother told me to take anything I wanted in the garage. Most of his tools were picked over by neighbors. Besides, I had a full set of wrenches and sockets (Dad never bought anything metric). The couple of things I did grap were a pair of slip-joint Dunlap (Sears low cost brand from the 50s/60s?) with red insulated grips added on and a Yankee hand drill. They still get used !

Why ? Because when I was a kid, I thought those were the coolest tools !

Segue - Mom and Dad got me my first "set" of tools for Christmas when I was 15. 1/4" and 3/8" socket set. Very basic. Standard depth. No metric. Short 3/8" ratchet, 1/4" breaker bar and a 1/4" hand spinner. I still have and use all of these to this day !