Question about Klein pliers
 

I just indulged myself and bought a pair of Klein 9" side cutting
pliers. They seem very stiff to me. It is quite awkward, difficult
even, to open them with one hand. Is this something that I can loosen
up by working them, or is it a defect that I should return them for?

I know that "stiff" means "freedom from looseness", but this is a bit much.

Thanks,
Bob

Bob Engelhardt wrote:
I just indulged myself and bought a pair of Klein 9" side cutting
pliers. They seem very stiff to me. It is quite awkward, difficult
even, to open them with one hand. Is this something that I can loosen
up by working them, or is it a defect that I should return them for?

I know that "stiff" means "freedom from looseness", but this is a bit much.

Thanks,
Bob

I wouldn't return them (yet).

Did you try some light oil on the obvious joints?

Beating them around the joint area with a soft hammer using a block of
wood as a backstop will help loosen them by flattening high spots in the
joints without leaving any "distress marks".

That's what I do in that situation.

If all else fails you can see if the place you bought them from happens
to have a looser pair.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

In article , Bob Engelhardt says...

I just indulged myself and bought a pair of Klein 9" side cutting
pliers. They seem very stiff to me. It is quite awkward, difficult
even, to open them with one hand. Is this something that I can loosen
up by working them, or is it a defect that I should return them for?

I know that "stiff" means "freedom from looseness", but this is a bit much.

My electrician's pliers from them were that way when new as well.
They did relax a bit after a few months.

Jim


--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

If they're a bit too stiff, here is one solution I have used.

Put the jaws in a vise with the handles up in the air. No need to
clamp the vise tight, just close. Grab one handle in each hand
and twist them clockwise and counterclockwise. You won't hurt the
Kleins. Give them a little lube and try them out. If they are
still tight, repeat. Another thing that would help would be to
cut a dozen or so 16 penny nails, but I don't know if your hands
can take it.

(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
...
I just indulged myself and bought a pair of Klein 9" side cutting
pliers. They seem very stiff to me. It is quite awkward,
difficult even, to open them with one hand. Is this something
that I can loosen up by working them, or is it a defect that I
should return them for?

I know that "stiff" means "freedom from looseness", but this is
a bit much.

Thanks,
Bob

On Sun, 05 Jun 2005 20:45:11 -0400, Bob Engelhardt wrote:

I just indulged myself and bought a pair of Klein 9" side cutting
pliers. They seem very stiff to me. It is quite awkward, difficult
even, to open them with one hand. Is this something that I can loosen
up by working them, or is it a defect that I should return them for?

I know that "stiff" means "freedom from looseness", but this is a bit much.

Thanks,
Bob

I bought a pair of Klein side-cutters myself last week. They are not
stiff at all, and operate very smoothly. Take 'em back to the store, and
compare with another pair.

--
Ron DeBlock N2JSO
If God had meant for Man to see the sunrise,
He would have scheduled it later in the day.

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
...
I just indulged myself and bought a pair of Klein 9" side cutting pliers.
They seem very stiff to me. It is quite awkward, difficult even, to open
them with one hand. Is this something that I can loosen up by working
them, or is it a defect that I should return them for?

They are tight pliers and the slightest bit of dry rust in there makes them
hard to operate. Work em back and forth a bit with oil and they should be
fine. They should drop open when they're working properly.

On Sun, 05 Jun 2005 20:45:11 -0400, Bob Engelhardt
wrote:

I just indulged myself and bought a pair of Klein 9" side cutting
pliers. They seem very stiff to me. It is quite awkward, difficult
even, to open them with one hand. Is this something that I can loosen
up by working them, or is it a defect that I should return them for?

I know that "stiff" means "freedom from looseness", but this is a bit much.

Thanks,
Bob

Any good penetrating fluid, followed by soaking in ATF. They will
loosen a bit when used and are rather nice. The newest of my pair(s)
is at least 20 yrs old, still working just dandy. Even with the
non-standard ( But USEFUL!) wire stripper burned into the side
cutters.

Gunner

"Considering the events of recent years,
the world has a long way to go to regain
its credibility and reputation with the US."
unknown

"Gunner" wrote in message
...
snip-----

Even with the
non-standard ( But USEFUL!) wire stripper burned into the side
cutters.

Gunner

You and I must shop at the same store. I have a pair like that, too. g

Harold

In article , Harold and Susan Vordos says...

Even with the
non-standard ( But USEFUL!) wire stripper burned into the side
cutters.

You and I must shop at the same store. I have a pair like that, too. g

Some of those *did* have a stripper - on one side of the jaws, that
is. Without spatter marks....

Jim


--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

Please do not try any of the fore mentioned acts of brutality on these fine
tools. Thirty-five years ago when I was a young frustrated apprentice angry
at my new Kleins a old timer told me to sprinkle " Old Dutch or Comet
cleanser " in the joints and work them back and forth. Within five minutes
your pliers fall open and don't stiffen up again.Be sure to do both sides.
This is probably the best tip I learned from that guy!

Pete

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
...
I just indulged myself and bought a pair of Klein 9" side cutting pliers.
They seem very stiff to me. It is quite awkward, difficult even, to open
them with one hand. Is this something that I can loosen up by working
them, or is it a defect that I should return them for?

I know that "stiff" means "freedom from looseness", but this is a bit
much.

Thanks,
Bob

My brother has a pair of those. Mine don't have the wire stripper. I usually
zap my self first and go flip the breaker so I don't mess them up.
Karl
"Gunner" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 05 Jun 2005 20:45:11 -0400, Bob Engelhardt
wrote:

I just indulged myself and bought a pair of Klein 9" side cutting
pliers. They seem very stiff to me. It is quite awkward, difficult
even, to open them with one hand. Is this something that I can loosen
up by working them, or is it a defect that I should return them for?

I know that "stiff" means "freedom from looseness", but this is a bit
much.

Thanks,
Bob

Any good penetrating fluid, followed by soaking in ATF. They will
loosen a bit when used and are rather nice. The newest of my pair(s)
is at least 20 yrs old, still working just dandy. Even with the
non-standard ( But USEFUL!) wire stripper burned into the side
cutters.

Gunner

"Considering the events of recent years,
the world has a long way to go to regain
its credibility and reputation with the US."
unknown

I'd rather not use any abrasives in getting the pliers to work easier.
Abrasives stay in the joint and quickly abrade the joint surfaces until the
pliers to the point of being worse than the cheap Chinese stuff.
The Kleins are excellent pliers and if you need to do anything, it would be
to upset the riveted joint a little to get the freeness that is desirable
than try to miake the surfaces better by abrasive methods.

--
Why isn't there an Ozone Hole at the NORTH Pole?

"Bob May" wrote

Why isn't there an Ozone Hole at the NORTH Pole?



Because there are polar bears there that produce enough methane to
compensate for it.

Ever notice there are never polar bears and ozone holes in the same room?

Think about it.

STeve ;-)

Here what Klein Customer Service said:
begin quote
The most recent issue of the Tradesman club suggested working WD-40 and
kitchen cleanser into the pivot joint to loosen them up. They way they
adjust them in the plant is with a hammer and anvil. If you place the
rivet over a hole in the anvil (about the size of a quarter) and strike the
other side of rivet lightly with a hammer, it should loosen. Be sure to
wear appropriate safety equipment, etc.
end quote

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
...
I just indulged myself and bought a pair of Klein ... pliers.

Ain't those the pliers with exactly one surface?

Tim

--
"California is the breakfast state: fruits, nuts and flakes."
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms

You need one of these to go with it for after work.
http://www.kleinbottle.com/drinking_...ein_bottle.htm
Karl


"Tim Williams" wrote in message
...
"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
...
I just indulged myself and bought a pair of Klein ... pliers.

Ain't those the pliers with exactly one surface?

Tim

--
"California is the breakfast state: fruits, nuts and flakes."
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms

On Tue, 7 Jun 2005 00:11:31 -0500, "Tim Williams"
wrote:

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
...
I just indulged myself and bought a pair of Klein ... pliers.

Ain't those the pliers with exactly one surface?

No, no, no, no! Get it right... ;-P

Klein Bottle: http://www.kleinbottle.com/

Klein Pliers: http://www.kleintools.com/

I have several examples of the latter in daily use, but alas none
of the former.

-- Bruce --
--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

On Tue, 07 Jun 2005 16:02:30 GMT, the renowned Bruce L. Bergman
wrote:

On Tue, 7 Jun 2005 00:11:31 -0500, "Tim Williams"
wrote:

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
...
I just indulged myself and bought a pair of Klein ... pliers.

Ain't those the pliers with exactly one surface?

No, no, no, no! Get it right... ;-P

Klein Bottle: http://www.kleinbottle.com/

From German, Klein bottle could just mean "small bottle", which
translates into Xiao Ping in Chinese, exactly the same characters as
the name of the late Deng Xiao Ping, who, of course, was the
instigator of manifold reforms in China.

Klein Pliers: http://www.kleintools.com/

I have several examples of the latter in daily use, but alas none
of the former.

-- Bruce --






Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

"Bruce L. Bergman" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 7 Jun 2005 00:11:31 -0500, "Tim Williams"
wrote:

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
...
I just indulged myself and bought a pair of Klein ... pliers.

Ain't those the pliers with exactly one surface?


I'm still looking for my lost Mobius knife. It was really easy to maintain,
because you needed only sharpen it from one side to get both sides of the
bevel done. And you never had to look for which side was which, 'cause it
only HAD one side!

LLoyd

That's one of the best reasons that I've heard!
Guess that the penguins at the South Pole make something that works against
the Ozone.

--
Why isn't there an Ozone Hole at the NORTH Pole?

Bob Engelhardt wrote:
... a pair of Klein 9" side cutting
pliers. They seem very stiff to me. ...

Thanks to all who replied with suggestions. I went back and tried
another pair (which required cutting open the blister pack) and they
were just as stiff. So the choice was stiff or none and I did want them.

To eliminate the stiffness, I went with the "Ajax" solution. I used
some PB Blaster with the Ajax to get it into the joint. I worked it
awhile with some, but not much, improvement. To speed things up, I used
my drill press: I bent up a crank out of 1/4" rod, with a 2 1/2" offset
(plier handles have a 5" swing) and chucked it up; clamped one handle of
the pliers to the dp table & the other to a rod connected to the crank;
and turned it on! With the VFD at 5 Hz, the spindle speed is 30 rpm -
just right for working the pliers.

I didn't mean to leave it unattended, but I got distracted and did. An
hour later (30 rpm x 60 min = 1800 cycles), the stiffness was gone! Not
so completely that the handles will fall open, but enough to easily
allow 1-hand operation. Perfect.

Thanks again,
Bob

On Fri, 10 Jun 2005 15:53:58 -0400, the inscrutable Bob Engelhardt
spake:

Bob Engelhardt wrote:
... a pair of Klein 9" side cutting
pliers. They seem very stiff to me. ...

Thanks to all who replied with suggestions. I went back and tried
another pair (which required cutting open the blister pack) and they
were just as stiff. So the choice was stiff or none and I did want them.

To eliminate the stiffness, I went with the "Ajax" solution. I used
some PB Blaster with the Ajax to get it into the joint. I worked it
awhile with some, but not much, improvement. To speed things up, I used
my drill press: I bent up a crank out of 1/4" rod, with a 2 1/2" offset
(plier handles have a 5" swing) and chucked it up; clamped one handle of
the pliers to the dp table & the other to a rod connected to the crank;
and turned it on! With the VFD at 5 Hz, the spindle speed is 30 rpm -
just right for working the pliers.

I didn't mean to leave it unattended, but I got distracted and did. An
hour later (30 rpm x 60 min = 1800 cycles), the stiffness was gone! Not
so completely that the handles will fall open, but enough to easily
allow 1-hand operation. Perfect.

Make sure you flush that Ajax out of there so it doesn't
continue degrading the joint, Bob.

---
Chaos, panic, and disorder--my work here is done.
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development