M. Klein & Sons

[alton1911]

I got another pair of Klein lineman pliers. Terrible shape, but they should work fine with a little oil.
Nice logo.


Thanks,
alton1911

 

[bmwrd0]

Huh, that logo is familiar...

 

[alton1911]

Huh, that logo is familiar...

I have other Klein pliers with a similar logo. In my newer pliers the logo is so light that it has almost disappeared. This logo has the deepest lettering I have seen.

Thanks
alton1911

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

I got another pair of Klein lineman pliers. Terrible shape, but they should work fine with a little oil.
Nice logo.


Thanks,
alton1911

Congratulations Alton. You are now an owner of one of the finest tools known to man.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Found these at the flea, nice teeth for 1943! I didn't even clean em.
Nor did I cut any nails, rocks, drill bits, live wires....

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Slightly new set!

 

[SweetD]

I got mine at a hoarder's estate sale several years ago, very good condition and operate as smooth as silk, love them:

 

[alton1911]

These are the first “New England “ style of linesman pliers. I love the way the logo is stamped across the rotation of the joint. The telephone pole is lined up when pliers are in a closed position.
Thanks
alton1911

 

[SilverDeck]

What kind of date codes are inside the handles?

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I was happy to find these flat nose pliers at the flea market this morning. They are in excellent condition. Dated April 1937.

 

[Mintgrun]

Those look quite useful, Lugs. I find I reach for flat tipped needle nosed pliers quite often.

I picked these up the other day, but I'm not sure what I'll use them for.

They are stamped 313-6.

 

[Mintgrun]

Thank you for the clue. Googling images has not been fruitful. I'd wondered if they were a type of fuse puller, or something.

 

[RTM]

Top right

https://archive.org/details/KleinPocketToolGuide1954/page/n15/mode/2up

 

[Mintgrun]

Thank you, RTM. That is an amazing catalog.

Heat coil pliers.

I just went up to the shop to see which model 'combination wire and sleeve clamp' I have, but apparently I've tucked them away somewhere. Thanks to that catalog, I now know that they're for twisting pairs of wires together.

 

[d42jeep]

I went through my Klein tools today to get a picture of the lineman’s pliers jaws and noticed that a couple of pairs have pretty early dating.
-Don

 

[SilverDeck]

I went through my Klein tools today to get a picture of the lineman’s pliers jaws and noticed that a couple of pairs have pretty early dating.
-Don

Nice! Love the very early Klein stuff (anything prior to WW1).

 

[RoninB4]

I worked at Klein Tool in the early 1980's in the tool room. Tommy Klein worked there during the summer break from college. Nice enough kid, seemed rather embarrassed when his father or grandfather would be on the production floor yelling at the workers.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I picked up these need-nose at the flea yesterday morning. Another example of the inscrutable date code (neither the earliest M-YY code or the later MKLEINCORP code), this one apparently "2OJ". The branding is also odd/atypical. The lineman logo appears to be early, but I'm not sure about no "& Sons" and just the bland "U.S.A." COO like that. One of my shortcomings is not buying newer tools, or even tools made in the 60's through the 90's, so I sometimes get fooled by a more modern tool. I want to say this is early, but I could be wrong.

 

[d42jeep]

I found these lineman’s pliers and after cleaning them up I checked the date codes and discovered that they are from 1949.
-Don

 

[MisterEd]

We've had this Klein/Bell System Diagonal Cutter in a cupboard for a couple of years; suitable for crushing, stripping and cutting the twisted pair. LER dates it as 1949.

 

[Mintgrun]

I was happy to come across these duck bill pliers (that must be what they're called).







I don't know what these are meant for, but I grabbed them just because they were different (and very inexpensive).




Tom

 

[bmwrd0]

The yellow ones look like they are to make Scotchlock connectors crush.

https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/313619O/3m-scotchlok-family-brochure.pdf

 

[Mintgrun]

They sure do! 3M scotchlock crimping tool E-9. They do have a faint Klein logo, but I don't see any other numbers on them. They were pretty rusty when I brought them home, so it may have disappeared (if there was one).
Tom

 

[RTM]

This looks like the better place to drop this than in the Klein Addiction thread in the General tools forum.

I found this in a garage sale lot Saturday, last major stop, grampa's shop, yada yada, see it here.

This pair of needle nose pliers seemed to be for gripping circuit boards, but I think its WAY too early for that. The inside of the handle is stamped 4-29, so guessing that's the production date. The outside logo is the M Klein & Sons around the top perimeter of the pivot, ... USA on the bottom perimeter. Center of the pivot is pretty much wiped / worn out. One leg on the logo side is stamped L3041, but that doesn't come up on a search. I can't find a 1929 catalog, next oldest is 1915, newer is 1939, and nothing. Any clues as to usage? Seems like pushing or pulling terminal lugs might be a potential usage, the parallel gap between the closed pliers is 0.22", the thickness of the thing its grabbing is 0.03". The slot is parallel, the camera makes it looks like it closes at the end closest to the camera.

 

[Ricky Joe]

I found these lineman’s pliers and after cleaning them up I checked the date codes and discovered that they are from 1949.
-Don

That “earlier turn of the century “ lasted until after 1937 and before 1941. I have examples with 1937 date codes old style and 1941 new style.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

That “earlier turn of the century “ lasted until 1937 and before 1941.

Haha.

A very bizarre choice of words from M. Klein & Sons, exacerbated by the examples for the letter codes they provide being in the 50's and 60's, leaving a huge vague gap in between. I also have 1937's (see post #10), but your 1941 info is very helpful in narrowing down the switchover that M. Klein & Sons not only fail to identify, but very misleadingly imply to be much earlier than 1938 to 1940.

For those who may not recognize it, that image in Don's post is an excerpt from a 2013 contest M. Klein & Sons ran. Believe it or not, a GJ member (Man of Many Vices) claims to have been the guy who won it. On a couple of the many other short-lived Klein threads, he said his lineman's pliers had a 4-4 (April 1904) date code and that they flew him to Chicago, gave him a tour of the plant, and handed him his $5,000 check. Not that I have any reason to not trust him on his word, but he never posted a photo.

 

[Provincial]

RTM, Klein was a major supplier for tools in the telegraph and telephone industry. Those pliers could be for working on switchgear.

 

[RTM]

For those who may not recognize it, that image in Don's post is an excerpt from a 2013 contest M. Klein & Sons ran. Believe it or not, a GJ member (Man of Many Vices) claims to have been the guy who won it. On a couple of the many other short-lived Klein threads, he said his lineman's pliers had a 4-4 (April 1904) date code and that they flew him to Chicago, gave him a tour of the plant, and handed him his $5,000 check. Not that I have any reason to not trust him on his word, but he never posted a photo.

I just went there yesterday. Obviously before my time here. Does his background match up? Avatar?

Oldest Pliers Offer (2013) | Klein Tradesman Club

Klein Tools set out to find the world's oldest pair of Klein side-cutting pliers and ended up finding them via a swap meet at the Sky Village Meet in Yucca Valley, California for only $10. Dan Schmidt is the winner of a Klein Tools promotion that started in March of this year. His submission of...

www.kleintradesmanclub.com

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Does his background match up? Avatar?

I don't know what these questions mean, sorry. I wasn't suspicious/skeptical of his claim. I'm saying "claims to have been the winner" because I simply don't know that to be the case. We use usernames, I've never seen an announcement of the winner's name even if I knew Man of Many Vices real name, and I have no interest in actually investigating it. It was just a general notification for those who may not have seen the older threads without me actually endorsing the claim. He hasn't been around for a long time - at least a year, but maybe he'll return and post more about it.

 

[txlonghorn1989]

I was wondering what the codes were on the inside of the 7" linesman pliers I recently found. Looks like "0-K-EN" so 2Q 1946. I noticed the code on a small pair of M. Klein & Sons dykes (diagonal cutting pliers) I have were 3-34. Always fun to learn new stuff!

 

[Ricky Joe]

I don't know what these questions mean, sorry. I wasn't suspicious/skeptical of his claim. I'm saying "claims to have been the winner" because I simply don't know that to be the case. We use usernames, I've never seen an announcement of the winner's name even if I knew Man of Many Vices real name, and I have no interest in actually investigating it. It was just a general notification for those who may not have seen the older threads without me actually endorsing the claim. He hasn't been around for a long time - at least a year, but maybe he'll return and post more about it.

I enthusiastically support skeptical thinking, in any endeavor.

 

[RTM]

Background: were both from outside Palm Springs, Indio to be specific? Did he have an avatar which was a face shot?

Oh wait, he did post the results, and put his name in. Or at least a name that matched the winner. Maybe he carried the façade off very well.

Klein Oldest Pliers Contest

Thank you all for your kindness and support during the recent Oldest Klein Pliers Contest. It was this forum that first brought the contest to my attention in early March. I got caught up in the frenzy as Garage Journal members described their own searches in toolboxes, workshops, basements and...

www.garagejournal.com

Oldest Klein pliers $5k contest

I have some from 39 and you guys got me beat

www.garagejournal.com

Help with Klein linesman dating

I’m stumped on th date of these pliers

www.garagejournal.com

 

[Ricky Joe]

I enthusiastically support skeptical thinking, in any endeavor.

This is a new in the box 1942 linesman pliers

 

[Private Lugnutz]

There are Klien codes that have NOT been cracked.

 

[txlonghorn1989]

I went through my Klein tools today to get a picture of the lineman’s pliers jaws and noticed that a couple of pairs have pretty early dating.
-Don

Don,
What size of those smallest linesman pliers in the pic? I don't believe I've ever seen any that small.

 

[d42jeep]

It’s a 6” pair. In order to take pictures I dug out the Klein box plus I needed to add a couple of recent additions


Here are three Bell System marked tools
The Bell System longnoses are pretty old.
Here are some other oldies.
-Don

 

[Cleave]

I have a couple old pairs of Klein lineman pliers with the dark blue rubber on the handles, and they are an amazing tool.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Back in January I picked up a pair of modern Klein wire-strippers, shown in this small haul shot at the flea market.



I had no interest in the tool. It seemed cheaply made (extruded steel) and it was ravaged with rust.



But I had a little lightbulb going off in my head about the grips.

Fast forward to this morning when I was bored and tired of looking at all the mess and unfinished projects in my basement.

I guess you would call this a restomod? Or would it be a retromod? Either way, I kind of like it.

 

[four.cycle]

you didn't think that pair of strippers was salvageable?

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a Klein 8” adjustable with a plastic grip that I found on Friday.
-Don