Wilkinson pliers

[leadblaster]

can anyone tell me what these were used for, made by WILKINSONS england. Very similar to starrett piano wire cutters in that they have replaceable tips, but the tips on these are rounded and opposing each other. Ive tried looking online for WILKINSONS tools from Warrington england uk but cant find any mention of them - or vintage catalogues to look through. I was wondering if they might be used for imprinting on leather edges or possibly glass work. You can also adjust the replaceable tips in or out, just like you can with the starrett piano wire cutters as they are on a sawtooth mounting.

there doesn’t seem to be any literature online or catalogues - does anyone have any possible links or information relating to WILKINSONS tools in general, and more specifically, this tool pictured.

Thank you - Dave.

 

[four.cycle]

I have no clue.

Wilkinsons / Wilkinsons Tools, Kerfoot St., Warrington, Lancashire, England / http://progress-is-fine.blogspot.com/2014/05/gripping-tales-wilkinsons-tools.html /

you could also check gracesguide.co.uk and see if there's any info there.

@Dave455 or one of the other guys across the pond might know.

In the meantime:

keep this link handy at all times

and this one

welcome to the site!

 

[Dave455]

Wilkinsons were, fairly well known plier manufacturers.

They got bought out by Record, and their tools were sold as “Record Wilkinsons” for a while, before being badged simply “Record”.

Most are of good quality. I have Wilkinsons pliers that belonged to my Grandfather which I would struggle to date, but certainly pre war.

I was still buying Record pliers into the 1990’s, when Record was sold and the factory closed.

I’m pretty certain that the pliers you have started out as “Piano Wire Cutters”. This is an old pattern of tool, and is common in the aviation world (for control cables, and bracing wire on biplanes) as well as the musical instrument world.

Starrett still make these, and a decade or so back were still making tools very similar to yours.


My gut feeling is that at some point, a pair of piano wire cutters were modified by fitting substitute jaws, for a purpose now unknown. Whether these were modified by Wilkinsons, or subsequently, I couldn’t say.

This was common practice at the time, and still goes on today. Maun, for example, will still supply customised versions of their compound pliers for all sorts of purposes, typically assembly aids.

The Piano Wire Cutters were popular for this, partly because of the compound leverage, and partly because the jaws are removable.

Personally, I’d try and obtain a pair of replacement cutter jaws, and turn them back to cutters. You’d be surprised how impressive these are, or how costly new ones are!

 

[JradM]

When I try to imagine what they're for the shape of the jaw confuses me. I'll do my thinking out loud:

Instead of cutting, like Dave455's example, they're rounded. At first I was thinking they must crush something - but then the edges are sharp. That doesn't seem appropriate if you're forming some kind of crimp.

Maybe if it was to crimp an electrical or wire rope connector, it wouldn't matter so much if it created a ridge (as opposed to a fluid line where you might accidentally cut through). Leather also seems incompatible since it might cut it - unless maybe it's to press something into the leather.

It doesn't look like it opens very wide either, before the handles would spread quite far. That suggests its for something thin.

Could you use them to bend something by twisting the pliers? Not something round obviously, or it would crush it, but maybe something flat...

They're spring-loaded. That might suggest it's used a bunch of times quickly. Maybe to crimp a seam?

That's all I got.

 

[leadblaster]

It’s quite puzzling to say the least, first of all - thanks for the input so far, much appreciated. Yes I’ll keep the links handy too.

The tips are rounded, but not sharp - you can alter the amount of gap at the tips from touching to quite wide, there is also a adjustable stop screw on the handles which forms part of the spring retention. Ive tried it on 5mm card and it leaves a deep semi circle almost like a woodruff key imprint (on both sides) this obviously works through deformation or material displacement due to the pressure of the jaws coming together. Ive seen others on ebay which suggests it’s a made item rather than modification. Im just not convinced thats its intended use.

Ive got a number of old tool catalogues but not Wilkinson - I used to live just a few miles from where the factory was in Warrington which is ironic too.

 

[neophyte]

One of the advantages, and reasons certain styles of pliers are still sold, such as the Starrett wire nippers, and parallel jaw pliers, is that it is easy to remove the jaws, to modify a jaw set fir specialty niche work.
Musical instrument adjustment is a common modification reason, but so are a bunch of other tasks.