Pliers; How Many Is Too Many?

[Milton Shaw]

Craftsman 4735 Locking Ring Pliers “P” by Wilde

I have a pair and found them great for detaching pieces of track for model trains. LGB track comes apart great with these, otherwise it's a hassle trying to detach them.

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a pair I received from four.cycle recently. The logo in the circle is hard to make out, probably due to rust.
-Don

 

[Outlawmws]

The logo in the circle is hard to make out, probably due to rust.

Chalk trick?

 

[Mintgrun]

The logo in the circle is hard to make out

Looks like the Mckaig Hatch (MH) circle logo.

 

[four.cycle]

Here is a pair I received from four.cycle recently. The logo in the circle is hard to make out, probably due to rust.

I thought they were McKaig Hatch - that's why I sent them down to you. I think I got those up in Sequim.

 

[d42jeep]

These may be Arc-Joint but they are marked “Pipe Wrench Plier” which seems kind of odd to me.
-Don

Another pair that I found Sunday. Before and after pictures.
No remaining handles.
-Don

 

[Outlawmws]

These may be Arc-Joint but they are marked “Pipe Wrench Plier”

Another pair that I found Sunday.

Straight jaw too. Maybe they are for working on pipe wrenches...

 

[four.cycle]

^ I think that "pipe wrench plier" is made by Wilde:

from Lauver's list:

P-circle = Wilde, ca. 1945 - 1979, perhaps later (mainly pliers & ign. tools)

The Wilde model G299P 13-inch groove-joint, angle-jawed "Pipe Wrench Plier" with serrated teeth was discontinued and replaced with the G289P. The smooth-jaw equivalent was the G295P, currently on a close-out at Cripe Distributing.

I have a smaller pair of "Arc Joints", which lacked any production code.
@LesserSon said he believed the "Arc Joint" was manufactured by Crescent.

I didn't get an opportunity to hit the place in Sequim on my last two trips up there. Hoping to have time to stop by tomorrow on my way up.
Wonder if he found any more weird pliers for me?

 

[Hohn]

This is a special acquisition for me, as I’ve been looking in vain to find a set of the safety wire pliers I used in the Air Force. Not only did I find more than I was looking for, but I at an incredible price. $60 for the full set: milbar 105w!






The smaller wire players have a little bit of rust on them, but some oil and some movement is all they needed. The full-size twisters up top are in a nearly immaculate condition. I’m not sure how old this set is but I would date it to the 1990s or older as the sticker definitely has old-school vibes to it.

 

[MisterEd]

K-D Manufacturing Co., 428 Hose Clamp Pliers

 

[Leviton]

There don't seem to be many MANSCO marked tools on Garage Journal. Found these at a garage sale. The only marking is "MANSCO GERMANY". Searching online (EBay), most MANSCO pliers were also marked just "Germany" for COO, but I also saw "W. Germany", "Germany US Zone", and one pair was marked "England".

Mine are 9.5-inches long with 5 adjustment notches and a wave spring washer under the pivot nut. The handles are painted red with a diamond grip pattern.

 

[Eric Brown]

There don't seem to be many MANSCO marked tools on Garage Journal. Found these at a garage sale. The only marking is "MANSCO GERMANY". Searching online (EBay), most MANSCO pliers were also marked just "Germany" for COO, but I also saw "W. Germany", "Germany US Zone", and one pair was marked "England".

Mine are 9.5-inches long with 5 adjustment notches and a wave spring washer under the pivot nut. The handles are painted red with a diamond grip pattern.

I have a suspicion that the MANSCO name is shortened from Manufacturers Steel Corporation (US Zone) or Manufacturers Steel Company (British Zone). Perhaps when those zones were reunited and became West Germany, they shortened the name. Like you mention, there is also Mansco England.

 

[four.cycle]

HERE is a pair of "MANSCO" branded linemans pliers marked "W.GERMANY"

 

[four.cycle]

Like you mention, there is also Mansco England.

^ Manchester Slate Company, founded in 1927

 

[Eric Brown]

Here are some pictures showing some different Manufacturers Steel Corporation and Mansco names. Notice the Mansco has a large M inside a triangle where the Manufacturers Name is also a triangle with the name wrapped around it with a M inside.

 

[MAD]

The red paint dipped handle on the Mansco pliers reminds me of some of the early Oxwall pliers with red handles that were also made in Germany. Perhaps there is a connection...

 

[Leviton]

Here are some pictures showing some different Manufacturers Steel Corporation and Mansco names. Notice the Mansco has a large M inside a triangle where the Manufacturers Name is also a triangle with the name wrapped around it with a M inside.

Thanks.

 

[Leviton]

The red paint dipped handle on the Mansco pliers reminds me of some of the early Oxwall pliers with red handles that were also made in Germany. Perhaps there is a connection...

Yes it does. Thanks.

 

[Eric Brown]

Thanks.

Thanks. This may help. Question remains: Is the Mansco Tool Company New York related to the Mansco England or the Manufacturers Steel Corporation? I am wondering if this may have been the governments trying to rebuild Germany after WWII? They all use the same basic design for the ratchet, which was the ZT Furbish patent 593157 (Nov. 2, 1897). Stanley had bought North Brothers and was in Germany before the war broke out. Could they have moved equipment in and maybe even helped set up companies to produce these types of tools?

 

[four.cycle]

Men with money went all in on getting manufacturing up and running in both Britain and Germany after WWII, so I would say your speculations are entirely possible.

Completely unrelated anecdote:
Several years ago, there was a set of wrenches on ebay. I never grabbed a screen shot. They were identical to the early Indestro box-open-end wrenches that were sold in sets, but lacked any branding other than "GERMANY".
Whey I say identical, that's not hyperbole.
So... did they move some stamping equipment and dies from Chicago over to Germany at some point after WWII?
Or did some die maker in Germany cut that die and stamp it out on his own drop forge (after the entire country had been leveled)?

War is a big money maker: before, during, and after.

 

[RTM]

did they move some stamping equipment and dies from Chicago over to Germany at some point after WWII?
Or did some die maker in Germany cut that die and stamp it out on his own drop forge (after the entire country had been leveled)?

I keep pushing option 1. I see a lot of Millers Falls look alike tools. I was thinking the MANCO stamp, (some other thread), looked like a MF derived logo.

 

[Eric Brown]

Here are a couple Mansco pliers, both from Germany, U.S. Zone along with a Mansco obstruction screwdriver. The pliers are #60-6 and 186-7. The screwdriver is 2640 Germany.

 

[d42jeep]

Additions to the plier hoard, accumulated Thursday at an estate sale.
Red Devil
Champion deArment
Plomb
CrescentCee Tee by Crescent
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

@Eric Brown

^ I just found a tiny pair of diagonal cutters with that same fancy handle pattern as in your last photo there ^

 

[Leviton]

Here are a couple Mansco pliers, both from Germany, U.S. Zone along with a Mansco obstruction screwdriver. The pliers are #60-6 and 186-7. The screwdriver is 2640 Germany.

Oh. Nice offset screwdriver!

Additions to the plier hoard, accumulated Thursday at an estate sale.
.
Plomb
-Don

 

[Leviton]

Additions to the plier hoard, accumulated Thursday at an estate sale.
.
Crescent
-Don

Ooooo! An S&H grip pattern on Crescent marked pliers. @Private Lugnutz might appreciate that photo.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Ooooo! An S&H grip pattern on Crescent marked pliers. @Private Lugnutz might appreciate that photo.

Indeed. I already commented on it when he first posted it on the Crescent thread a few days ago. To their credit, Don and @misterbill arrived at the Smith & Hemenway post-1926 acquisition production conclusion on their own, without the aid of my Handle Patterns Infographic.

You might recognize the picture of the handle grip pattern in the S&H section of the Infographic as the S&H Model 950 side-cutting slip joints you first posted on the S&H thread way back in 2023, linked here.

 

[d42jeep]

Additions to the plier hoard, accumulated Thursday at an estate sale.
Red Devil
Champion deArment
Plomb
CrescentCee Tee by Crescent
-Don

The early patent #420 Channellocks were too unpleasant to look at so into the evaporust they went. I forgot them for a couple of days and they came out pretty well. I chose not to disassemble them.


These have plain handles. —Don

 

[d42jeep]

Speaking of rusty, these Oxwell (Oxwall?) German pliers replaced the Channellocks in the evaporust. I imagine the after shots will be an improvement but the handle pattern is interesting.
-Don

 

[jeffmoss26]

These are most of the ones I use daily at work.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Just picked these up at the restore

 

[d42jeep]

Speaking of rusty, these Oxwell (Oxwall?) German pliers replaced the Channellocks in the evaporust. I imagine the after shots will be an improvement but the handle pattern is interesting.
-Don

They look a little different today. The brand markings are much clearer. There is some looseness in the pivot area. They would not be my first choice as users.

-Don

 

[d42jeep]

These look like K-D or Cal Van but the only markings are a stamped Made in USA in the area around the rivet on one side and Not Insulated on the other. Possibly for pulling spark plug wires or light bulb removal?
-Don

 

[Mintgrun]

If you use Google Image Search with that photo you'll see more examples. Most of them are marked Blue Point and they're described as spark plug wire pullers.

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks. I guess they were made by whoever was supplying them to Snap-on. I should probably use the Google image search more often.
-Don

 

[LesserSon]

I didn’t buy these PEXTO pliers today, but I thought they were interesting - especially the bypass wire cutters. Not sure what “D&H Hand Forged” can mean.

 

[Outlawmws]

Very cool LS! Being Pexto, unless real stupid $$ I'd have bought them

 

[four.cycle]

^ there is a pair of "D. & H. Hand Forge" pliers on a Worthpoint page, but they are marked "D. & H. Plier", not "Pexto".

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Not sure what “D&H Hand Forged” can mean.

1915 The World's Advance Volume 31 Page 345

 

[LesserSon]

Thanks, guys; made for or by multiple manufacturers around 1915.
I still wonder: who was “D&H,” and how are they “hand forged,” when they have all the marks of die forging.