WIRE-TWISTER PLIERS

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 1-33