henry29
Well-known member
Anyone recognize this logo? It's on an older pair of pliers my brother picked up in a lot of tools and I was just curious, didn't recognize it.
https://imgur.com/a/f1ofgC7
https://imgur.com/a/f1ofgC7
V logo vintage pliers
- Thread starter henry29
- Start date
4xdog
Well-known member
Do you think that's a company logo? Given its position and faintness, I'd have guessed it was simply some tooling mark in the forging dies.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Vlchek
No figured it might be a company logo or forge marking, no other markings on the pliers.
Couldn't find anything here,
http://alloy-artifacts.org/trademarks-and-logos.html
Couldn't find anything here,
http://alloy-artifacts.org/trademarks-and-logos.html
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
They didn't brand everything they made on contract. Just the forge mark.
woody 73
Well-known member
You guys must have better eye glasses then me and I have bi-focals on! Getting old *****.
This. The shield around the V in the logo is often very poorly rendered on the auto kit pliers. If it has the full Vlchek name, it's for the retail market. If not, it's for an auto kit, probably Chevy. Some of the kit pliers have that logo, some have forge numbers, some have no branding at all. All prior to the 1964 Ingersoll-Rand buyout should have a forged in "Forged in USA" or "Drop Forged" on the inside surface between the pivot and grip. It's unmistakable once you know what to look for. The late IR-made post-1964 kit pliers I've seen have a noticeable drop in quality, no more forged-in characters, stamped model number (PR206 for the 6"), and what appears to be cadmium plating, very cheap looking like you'd see in a tool set or erector-type set made for youngsters. All Vlchek kit pliers have the same basic geometry with those curved-out handle ends.
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d42jeep
Well-known member
Here are some pictures of my various Vlchek pliers. Mostly they all have the gull wing configuration. The pliers with the “Flying V” emblem are rare.
-Don
-Don
Attachments
Very nice collection! A great sampling of a number of variations for people to study. It's also useful in showing the characteristic geometry of these Vlchek pliers--once you know, you can spot them on a flea market table 20 feet away.
I've seen a couple of those black-finished pairs too, but could never figure a date for them other than being made during the 'classic' Vlchek years.
I have never encountered a pair with the 'flying-V' so I'd agree they're rare. I believe these were made for the retail store market, not as a tool for an auto kit. One of these flying-V in your photos has turned-in handle ends--I've never seen one of these before either, and bet they're even rarer still.
From what I've observed, I think all the retail-destined versions (having the full mfr name) are rare compared to the auto-kit versions, at least in the wild. Funny thing about them though, is that I think they're less in demand than the auto-kit versions that people want to complete a tool set. Without the auto-kit connection, they're more like just another pair of old pliers.
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
The gull wings with the Flying V have been found in unmolested NOS WWII Dodge truck toolkits, along with other Vlchek kit tools, including a ball-pein hammer and DOE wrenches. We've discussed these pliers before on a few different threads if anyone is interested in reading further.
I know very little about WW2 tools, especially compared with your expertise. Because of where I live (Florida), there's very little available from before the 1950s. Up north there's all kinds of old stuff that isn't down here--you Yankees don't know how good you have it. I don't know if these flying-Vs were used in consumer auto-tool kits post-war, though. I'm only going by the quantity I see in the wild down here with no brand name compared to those that have, and in all of these have never seen a flying-V.