insulation from wire and for twisting wire when
making a splice.
DUCKBILL PLIERS
Duckbill pliers (fig. 1-56, view A) have long wide
jaws and slender handles. Duckbills are used in
confined areas where the fingers cannot be used. The
jaw faces of the pliers are scored to aid in holding an
item securely. Duckbills are ideal for twisting the
safety wire used in securing nuts, bolts, and screws.
NEEDLE-NOSE PLIERS
Needle-nose pliers (fig. 1-56, view B) are used in
the same manner as duckbill pliers. However, there
is a difference in the design of the jaws. Needle-nose
jaws are tapered to a point, which makes them
adapted to installing and removing small cotter pins.
They have serrations at the nose end and a side cutter
near the throat. Needle-nose pliers may be used to
hold small items steady, to cut and bend safety wire,
or to do numerous other jobs that are too intricate or
too difficult to be done by hand alone.
NOTE
Duckbill and needle-nose pliers are
especially delicate. Care should be exercised
when using these pliers to prevent springing,
breaking, or chipping
pliers are damaged,
useless.
the jaws. Once these
the y are practically
Figure 1-56-Pliers; (A) duckbill, (B) needle-nose, and (C)
wire twister.
WIRE-TWISTER PLIERS
Wire-twister pliers (safety wire pliers) (fig. 1-56,
view C) are three-way pliers: they hold, twist, and
cut. They are designed to reduce the time used in
twisting safety wire on nuts and bolts. To operate,
grasp the wire between the two diagonal jaws, and the
thumb will bring the locking sleeve into place. A pull
on the knob twirls the twister, making uniform twists
in the wire. The spiral rod may be pushed back into
the twister without unlocking it, and another pull on
the knob will give a tighter twist to the wire. A
squeeze on the handle unlocks the twister, and the
wire can be cut to the desired length with the side
cutter. The spiral of the twister should be lubricated
occasionally.
MAINTENANCE OF PLIERS
Nearly all sidecutting pliers and diagonals are
designed so that the cutting edges can be reground.
Some older models of pliers will not close if material
is ground from the cutting edges. When grinding the
cutting edges, never take any more material from the
jaws than is necessary to remove the nicks. Grind the
same amount of stock from both jaws.
NOTE
When jaws on pliers do not open enough
to permit grinding, remove the pin that
attaches the two halves of the pliers, so that
the jaws can be separated.
The serrations on the jaws of pliers must be sham.
When they become dull, the pliers should be held in
a vise and the serrations recut by using a small
three-comer tile.
Pliers should be coated with light oil when they
are not in use. They should be stored in a toolbox in
such a manner that the jaws cannot be injured by
striking hard objects.
Keep the pin or bolt at the
hinge just tight enough to hold the two parts of the
pliers in contact, and always keep the pivot pin
lubricated with a few drops of light oil.
MECHANICAL FINGERS
Small articles that have fallen into places where
they cannot be reached by hand maybe retrieved with
mechanical fingers.
Mechanical fingers, shown in
figure 1-57, have a tube containing flat springs, which
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