Locking pliers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Geöffnete Gripzange

Locking pliers or mole grips are pliers that can be locked into position. One side of the handle includes a bolt that is used to set their size of the jaws. Especially in larger models, the other side of the handle often includes a lever to push the two sides of the handles apart to unlock the pliers. "Vise-Grip" is an eponymous brand of locking pliers made by Irwin Industrial Tools.

[edit] Usage

The jaws are set to a size slightly smaller than the diameter of what is to be grabbed by turning the bolt in one handle with the jaws closed. When jaw is then opened and the handles squezed together, they move a lever over its dead point and lock the jaw of the pliers into around the grabbed object. The original "vise grips" were invented in Caledon, Ontario, Canada in 1914.

small locking pliers holding a pencil

[edit] Varieties

Locking pliers are available in many different configurations, such as needle nose locking pliers, locking wrenches, locking clamps and various shapes to fix metal parts for welding. They also come in many sizes. Leatherman manufactures a Multitool which includes locking pliers instead of regular pliers and which folds together to the size of a regular multitool.