I have a set of pliers from Wolseley B/ham, the jaws remain parallel when opened, they bear the legend WSS 19^45 so I guess they were military issue, I was just wondering what they would be used for, there is a small protusion similar to a Rhino horn on one jaw? kind regards
I have a pair which aren't WD marked and don't have the wire cutting facility...Just basic pliers...
I use them frequently as they have a far superior gripping capability when compared to conventional pliers...See below...Ian
['Since the jaw faces stay parallel, these pliers may be used in a pinch to hold or turn a small fastener without deforming its face. A small groove running down the center length of one jaw lets you use these pliers to tension cable or wire, and many models come with an effective wire cutter on the side']
They look to be a copy of the U.S. Bernard Patent pliers. Brilliant tools. I've seen American-made versions in U.S. wartime packaging so perhaps they were taken on board with WD toolkits for U.S. supplied equipment ?
yes they are similar to those on Ebay, even have the same manufacturer stampings, however there is only the forward part of the wire cutter, the rear could of course, have been broken off but I can find no fracture lines. There are no springs attached to these but the facility is there to do so. It appears to me that the springs would keep the pliers in the open position kind regards
2nd edit! yes there is a small groove running down the centre of one of the jaws.
If the spring works the same way as mole grips, then it acts as an overcentre clamp and gripping the nut or stud causes the pliers to lock and grip, so you can, for instance, lock them on a nut on an inner panel where you cannot reach the bolt and then tighten it by jamming it against a strut....
