Alternative Uses for Pliers

klein tools pliersPart of what makes working with tools fun is coming up with new ways to use them.  While beating the crap out of an old pair of cheap pliers by using it as a hammer can be fun, sometimes there are more uses than you may have imagined for one of your newer tools. 

Pliers have been around for centuries and various versions of pliers have been used throughout the ages for many different kinds of jobs, beginning as devices to handle materials during blacksmithing or casting.  Over time, new designs of pliers increased with the demand for different uses.  While today’s modern pliers have become very specialized, many can be useful beyond the tasks they were primarily designed for.  Here are just a few of the alternative uses for your pliers:

  • Using tongue and groove pliers like our new Klaw Pump Pliers you can easily remove a bathtub spout.  Just stick one handle into the spout and turn the other handle counter-clockwise to remove it.
  • Instead of holding a nail with your fingers, grab ahold of the nail with some long-nose pliers.  You may have the hammer aim of a true marksman, but you never know when that first mishit is coming. 
  • Use Diagonal Cutting Pliers to remove electrical staples.  Carefully clamp the edge of the staple with the cutting blades and pry away the staple while taking caution not to knick the cable.
  • If you come across a nail that just won’t come out, try a pair of locking pliers on it. 
  • If your kid has a loose tooth that is stubbornly hanging by a thread, bust out the pliers.  This is one of the oldest alternate uses for a pair of pliers, and the street cred to be gained by the willing party is off the charts. 

Part of being a professional is using your imagination to solve problems on the job by coming up with new uses for your tools.  Of course, we’d prefer that you save your most creative ideas for older/cheaper tools that you don’t mind abusing a bit.  Do you have any suggestions or alternate uses for your pliers or other tools?  We’d love to hear some interesting ideas you’ve come up with to get the job done.  Send us a note and let us know some creative ways you use your tools.