Archive for the ‘Slip Joint Pliers’ Category
Slip Joint Pliers Are A Tool Box Essential
When I’m out on the ranch, there’s always a little of this and a little of that to do. I never know what kind of job I’m going to be fixing until I get there, so keeping the right kind of hand tools around is must.
This is why I always carry around a pair of slip joint pliers in my tool box. Slip joint pliers, also called tongue and groove pliers have an adjustable face making them the right tool for most jobs requiring a pair of pliers. Slip joint pliers also have a long handle for extra tight clamping power. I also find using slip joint pliers to be very useful hand tools specifically for use on water pumps. Keep a pair of these in your toolbox and you’ll find little need for any other pliers.
Looking For A Great Stocking Stuffer? Try Channellock Tools
Winter time is here again, and that means soon Saint Nick will be coming down the chiminy. Not only will the big man be leaving gifts under the tree, but he’ll be stuffing all of those stockings as well.
Let’s make it easy for Santa Claus this year and ask for hand tools from Channellock tools. Also known as “Channel Lock” tools, Channellock makes some of the finest hand tools around. They are well known for their model of slip joint pliers and water pump pliers, which are simply known as channellock pliers. Tis the season for Channellock tools.T
My First Kitchen Sink Project Using A Pipe Wrench
As a young man, one of my first at-home projects was to fix the kitchen sink. Thinking that it was going to be a one-two-three job, I grabbed my hand tools, including my pipe wrench, and took on the job head-first. quickly I discovered that the sink was very old and hadn’t been touched in what looks to be ten years.
Because of the awkward position of the sink under the counter, i couldn’t get a good fit on the pipe with the pipe wrench. Because the handle of the pipe wrench was so long, it was bumping into everything. At that point, I broke out the channel lock pliers, which still gripped the pipe like the pipe wrench, but the handle was much shorter making it at least able to turn. It took a lot more muscle, but I got the pipe off, and didn’t wind up damaging it too much.
Swapping Out the Air Filter With A Pair Of Channellock Pliers
For about twenty years now, I’ve been using the same lawnmower to cut the grass. Until this year, I have never experienced any problems getting it started or running it what so ever. However, I noticed that it started to die on and off and I figured that it was probably just the air filter that need to be replaced, so I grabbed one of my favorite hand tools and went to work.
I took my Channellock pliers, which are a type of slip joint pliers and removed the nut that held in the air filter. I used the air gun connection from the air compressor to blast out the lodged-in dirt and grime that was stuck in the filter. I was careful not to get too close, because the high pressure air could damage the filter. When it was all grime-free, I used my Channellock pliers once again to tighten the air filter back into place. When I started her up again, good as new. Looks like this mower’s going to last another twenty years!
Fixing the Electric Fence With Slip Joint Pliers
Using electric fences are a great way to allocate cattle herds easily and effectively around the property, but it’s not the most durable type of fence, so it’s usually only used inside of the property line, and a sturdier fence is usually constructed on the perimeter. An electric fence is so light actually, that deer and hogs can break it very easily just by running through it.
When I go out there to fix the fence, all I need is a pair of slip joint pliers. A popular hand tools manufacturer named Channellock, makes a good pair of slip joint pliers, which are often referred to as “Channel Lock pliers”, but you’ll find that there are many types slip joint pliers available that will work just as well. All I do is take both broken ends and twist them together enough times to ensure that it’s not going to slip loose when I let go. I then take the slip joint pliers and give them both a few more twists for extra strength, and that’s it! I’m done!
Washing Machine Do-It-Yourself Install
Getting a new washing machine, but don’t want to pay costly service fees to install it? Follow these easy steps and you’ll have a washing machine hooked up in no time.
- Hand tools you’ll need for the job: A pair of Channel Lock pliers. These are also called “Channellock pliers”, and can be found at an online tool store or local hardware store.
- First, unplug the old washing machine and disconnect it’s hoses using the Channel Lock pliers by turning the coupling counter-clockwise. Have a bucket or towel ready to catch the water that will pour out of the hoses.
- Take the old washing machine down to the street and call a service to dispose of it, such as the town, or Salvation Army.
- To install new washing machine, make sure the area is clear and clean to install.
- The new washing machine should have included new hoses clearly marked “hot” and “cold”. Making sure the rubber washers, also called grommets, are inside of the couplings, then hand tighten them to the appropriate hot and cold water taps turning them clockwise.
- Using the Channel Lock pliers, give each hose about a half turn, or enough to tighten but not too tight where you damage the fitting.
- Secure the drain hose to the drain using the restraining strap.
- Turn the water back on and inspect the hoses for any leaks.
- If there any leaks, take your Channel Lock pliers and tighten them a bit more. Tighten them as much as you need to, just keep in mind that too much tightening may damage the fittings.
- Once there are no more leaks, plug the new washing machine in, then simply slide it up against the wall and you’re done!
Channellock Pliers vs. Channel Lock Pliers
I would like to clear up a common misinterpretation by hand tools users out there, and that is to refer to long time hand tools manufacturer, Channellock, as “Channel Lock”, separating out the brand name as two words. Both terms though, are effective when doing a search online for Channellock pliers.
If you are unfamiliar with Channellock pliers, when people search this term, or the term “Channel Lock pliers”, they are really looking for a brand name term for a type of pliers called “slip joint pliers”. These particular brand name of slip joint pliers however, have an elongated handle and an angled face, and were originally designed by the Channellock tools company, which is why they are almost always called Channellock, or Channel Lock pliers. I hope this clears up any confusion that anyone may have had on this subject. Channellock pliers are available at most hardware stores and nearly any online tools store.
Basic Care For Your Channellock Pliers
Because their hand tools are so durable, many people assume that no maintenance is needed for their Channellock pliers. This is true to some extent, but after a while the tools become tarnished, dirty and sometime oxidized.
First off, keeping your tools such as slip joint pliers for example, out of any damp storage area is going to be huge for any tools. Moisture is the a one of the main causes of hand tool deterioration. This can cause rust and oxidization on tools that are chipped or have the protective coating scraped off, exposing the bare metal. Keeping your Channel lock pliers out of the way of corrosives or heavy oils such as motor oil is a good idea too. You wouldn’t want anything to damage the nice handles on the tools. Keep all joins and moving parts of Channellock pliers oiled and free of dirt or dust as well. Aside from following these easy steps, caring for your pliers really depends mostly on how much of a beating you give them when they are in use.
Irwin Tools Makes It Easier To Get A Grip On Things
In my workshop, I work with metal a lot. I’m constantly modifying parts of appliances and inventing things that require metal to be shaped into various forms. Of course, to bend the metal to have a specific crease, I would use what’s called a “break” in the sheet metal trade. I can also shape the metal to be curved as well using a sheet metal roller.
Sometimes I need to shape the metal by hand, and a good pounding is what I give it with a wooden mallet or a dead-blow hammer. But, I can never seem to get a good grip on the metal with pliers sometimes. It just seems to slip out of the grip of any pliers I would try, until I found Groove Lock pliers. Irwin Tools (Vice Grip) makes a specially designed pair of slip joint pliers with a locking push-button mechanism at the pivotal point of the pliers. Along with some serious gripping teeth and a specially designed handle to maximize squeeze pressure, the Groove lock pliers are the grandaddy of slip joint pliers.
One day, I was out in the yard running a PVC pipe from the house to the garage. It was about a hundred foot run and the idea was so I could run an audio wire though the pipe, which was to buried under the grass. Everything was all set in place. I had the PVC pipe run, and the wire run thought it to the other side to where there was about three feet sticking out of the pipe. All I needed to do was hook up the audio wire. At that point, the dog runs by the other end of the hose and kicks the wire, to where it pulls back in to pipe, and just out of reach of my fingers, nor could I try to pull it out with a screwdriver.
Luckily, I had my channellock pliers in the truck, where I keep them. I used the channellock slip-joint pliers to break away pieces of the end of the pipe until i could reach the wire, which saved hours of more work. The channellock pliers worked so well because of the long handles and bent head, which allowed for a massive grip and plenty of leverage to break away the pieces of plastic. My Channellock pliers saved the day!