mystery plomb plier

[afterburner]

Hello all! Time for me to come out of the shadows and ask for any help to ID this 7" Plomb plier. Picked it up for a $1 at a tool estate sale last weekend and didn't think much about till I tried to locate it in the old catalogs. All you can see is 23? and made in USA near the hinge, no other markings or symbols to be found. I know Plomb made some special runs but all my searching turned up nothing. Seems to be a factory special as the machining is perfect and symetrical from all angles. My guess is some kind of line or crimp plier but not really sure. Any ideas from the experts?
Mark

 

[crewchief888]

strange lookin indeed, but maybe for the old ring type clamps that were used on radiator hoses back in the day...


could be wrong,,,, probably am

 

[Bolster]

Is the number by chance 227? (The "3" looks hinkey to me.) If so, then very well done, shop-modified duck bill pliers?

I'm thinking there was SOME shop modification, at least, because of the way somebody peen'd out the hinge so it was tight again. Factory was one divot on one side. And the new peening is what obliterated the numbers.

Regarding the 23X hypothesis, the only 23X pliers I see, were a slip joint ignition (235) and two sizes of parrot nose combo (236 & 238). No way you could have modified those to get your pliers. The hinge of your pliers match the 227 pattern of duckbills, and nothing else is even close. So if it was a factory mod, I'm certain they used the 227 as their base pliers.

No idea of use, sorry. Vaguely reminiscent of hog ring pliers, but more complicated.

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

 

[00S4Boy]

They look similar to the channellock hose clamp pliers.

 

[Plombob]

I believe Gopher Boy is correct. It looks like a 227 that was modified. If it works with those hose ring clamps, then it's surely a modification. Those ring clamps weren't in use in the 1940's. The puzzlement is the small groove.

I'll offer you $5 for them pliers - that's got to be a 500% profit! Just ask Bolster.

 

[Bolster]

All I can say is keep your gophers and your pliers away from PlomBob, he's a sharp dealer.

 

[JASTECH]

They look like my hog ring plyers that get used for the rings on chainlink fence too.

Thanks, JASTECH

 

[Lump]

Those pliers almost look like something you would use to stretch and crimp sheathed cables, like the brake/shifter cables on bicycles, or manual choke cables. Hmmm?

 

[afterburner]

Not sure they were ever used as a clamp ring plier. There is no damage to the through holes that you would expect to see from that use. Looking again at the number it likely is 22?
The only other clue was the owner worked at Honeywell starting in the 60's so there's a chance his father was into electronics or phone work back in the 30's or 40's...just another guess. Looked like it sat in the bottom of a toolbox for decades. Thanks for the ideas.
Mark

 

[cheap bastard]

Looks like a modification for crimping lead weights to fishing line. a guy gets a deal on a lifetime size supply of weights so he modifies a pair of extra pliers at work during "government time".

 

[OldToolMan]

they look like upholstery hog-ring pliers to me