You are right on. I used to help my dad fix barb wire fence using these exact type Empire pliers. 66 years old now and I will have to get a pair. For the memories. Thanks.
Hello Janetta! You know better then us how great these pliers are! They have such heft and quality to them! I rarely string fence here in NYC 😂 but I love them for what they are!!! Thanks so much!!!! 😃👍
I have learned SO MUCH about classic tools and their use from you - THANK YOU! Having grown up in Wyoming in part, miles of barbed wire on wooden fence posts was normal. To see how they were constructed and repaired completes the picture. And if you remember, back in the 1950s and early '60s, westerns were nightly TV fare. They'd always be out on the range, fixing breaks in their fence lines. Purty cool.
Hello Billy! I guess today most of us will never use these pliers but 100 years ago they were very popular!! That are too cool not to get a pair! Lol. Thanks!!!! 😃👍
Buck apiece can't beat that. Even if there are a few duds in the mix, there are still a bunch of real nice pieces there. I see the potential in all rusted out tools. Little bit of work brings them back to life. I actually enjoy fixing up my tools.
These pliers are very common in the vineyards upstate NY wine country... For the grape arbors. I used a pair for years, and they were probably 80 years old back then
Great video, I really liked the tutorial part, I picked a pair of these up at a yard sale for a buck and didn't know all the functions it was capable of. Very handy. Thanks. Jimmyd in South Jersey
Hello Jimmy! Best dollar you ever spent! They are awesome!! I know we won't be stringing any fence soon but they are just a really cool tool to have! BTW- they are super hard too! The whole pliers are forged not just the head! Thanks very much!!! 😃👍
I just wanted to say thank you. I came across your video's and love your history lessons, lessons about the tools and thier uses, as well as the restorations. You're awesome. Plus the East coast accent reminds me of my beloved Grandpa Jack who recently passed. He was raised in Maryland. I'm in Reno, NV and hardly ever hear it. Keep up the good work!
Hello Mary! That is so nice for you to say! I'm so glad you enjoy the videos and I had to laugh when I think of my accent! I live in Queens NY and my accent is so thick that people have literally dropped their jaws when they hear me butcher a word! I used to be very embarrassed but now it's too late and I just laugh and take the ribbing! I guess your Grandfather was raised outside of Maryland because they don't have this kind of accent! Thanks so very much!!! 😃👍
Great restoration and tutorial. These are a must have for me being a Rancher. I keep them with me constantly. The reason the face gets deformed is if a staple is driven all the way in you take the point and drive it into the post with another hammer to get behind the staple to start it out. I have a pair that 50 years ago I drilled a hole through the handle to put a leather lanyard through to carry on my saddle. Toughest hole I ever drilled. Still remember how it broke bits and took forever to get through.
Hello David!!! That is awesome!!!!!! I'm so glad that there are a few 'fencers' in the comments! Obviously you guys know the tool much better then I do but it makes total sense now why the faces are all beat up!!!!! I didn't put the striations in for just that reason and like you said, this was some of the hardest steel I have ever worked on!!!!! Th whole pliers, not just the face, was hard as hell! It took me longer to polish these pliers then it did for any other restoration!!! I just finished a pair of Cronk's that I will be posting this week! Thanks very much!!!!!!!!
Thank you for the video! I picked up some old tools (mostly auto body hammers) at a flea market this weekend. Watching your videos has inspired me to try my hand at restoring them! Hopefully I can reach your caliber someday! Thanks again!!!
Hello Tim! You can't go wrong! I promise you the enjoyment and satisfaction you will get is second to none! It really becomes almost therapeutic! (until you wire wheel your finger!) lol That snaps you back into reality! lmao Thanks!!!!!
Love it as always. Do the pliers that were shaped like an arrow head immediately to the right of your fencing pliers, and the blue pliers on the far left. And go as all out as you want. Sometimes you apologize for going over the top, but I love when you do that! It's like making a junkyard piece into a garage queen.
Hello Will! Lol- It's funny you said that! I just finished the pair to the right! They are Gronk's! Heavy duty fencing pliers from 1898! I didn't polish those because they were slightly chipped but they came out awesome and work great! Video coming this week! Thanks very much!!! 😃👍
Hello Rusty Gun! The face of this tool is really hardened nicely, the file just skips across the face! I have a Mill and could have added grooves but every plier I see the grooves get mashed up and look terrible. I know grooved hammers are the rage today because of the anti-slip and manufacturers love it because they sell many replacements! Thanks!!!
Hello Emerson! Of all the tools passed down to me, unfortunately fencing pliers weren't one of them. They are really a great tool!! Thanks very much!!!!
Hello Kevin! Yes!! We had great weather here, cool and overcast! Everything is green and sprouting, this is the best time of the year in my neck of the woods... Thankyou very much!!! 😃👍
Hello Christopher! I wish I grew up in a area where there were these type of fences, here in NYC we only have chain-link and wooden... lol Thanks very much!
Its a outstanding tool. Your right it feels great in your hand. Have a Channellock pair at the lake and they get used. Thanks again Great stuff. Enjoy your week.
Hello Leon! I've been turning wrenches for years but you mechanics of today take auto repair to a whole new level! Thanks so much for stopping by!!
6 лет назад
Thanks for the demonstration of the fencing pliers, you showed me some things I did not know. I also use them for tensioning wire as you grip the wire in the jaws and with horn against the post you can lever the wire tighter than just by pulling. If you are using wire fencing these are a must. Nice restoration.
Hello Tony! They were super handy 100 years ago but now only a few people still string fence and have animals... They are really a wonderful design! Thanks very much!!! 😃👍
Great videos!!! Just found you last week. I started restoring some old tools. I am trying to acquire the tools now. Don't forget on those fence pliers that the back jaw is also to grab the fence wire to tighten it between posts.
Great resto on a great tool. I have a newer set of channellocks don't use that often but come in handy when I do. Great deal on the plier lot too. $1 a piece good score buddy!
Hello Bernie! I've been chomping at the bit for those new channellocks! They look awesome! I have most of their line-up already! I am really happy with that lot, all decent stuff! Thanks!!!!!
A gorgeous restoration. I just got my first pair of fencing pliers as they were £2.99 at Homebase. They seem to be worth it as the original multi-tool.
Hello Ryan! I really appreciate the feedback! I'm happy you like the content too! I try to put videos out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday... I've got a killer for tomorrow!!! Thanks very much!!!! 😃👍
I was hoping you would get to a pair of fencing pliers. I've got to restore a couple sets of mine too. Having put up miles of 3-4 wire fence, these pliers are an essential tool. It looks so nice I would feel bad using that in the field.
Hello Absaalookemensch! I'm really glad to hear from you, an actual fencer! That makes my day! You of all people know how awesome these tools are and you probably grew up with one always around! Unfortunately I grew up in the city and always felt like a fish out of water... I think in another life I lived west of the Mississippi on a few hundred acres.. The good news is I just finished a nice pair of Gronk's that will be coming up this week!!! Thanks very much!!!!
The last time we lived in Germany I helped our next-door neighbor fix some fences. He had tools but nothing like fencing pliers, so I ordered him a pair. His mouth dropped, he couldn't believe it, it was such an improvement to using pliers, wire cutter and a hammer. You might do a trial of red paint on one tool to see how it looks. Your red highlights are are eye popping contract to the polished finish. They're works of industrial art. Great channel, love the work you do. You put a smile on my face at the end of a tough day watching the work you do. Thanks
Hello John! I was really shocked at the lot when I opened the box! The jaws are all really nice! Great restoration projects! Ddi you see those red "channellocks" they are made in India but something tells me they were made to German specs... stay tuned for those! lol Thanks very much!!!
i read somewhere that the reason why the hammer end gets mashed is that the pointed end gets driven into the buried staple by hammering on the hammer end and then using the hammer blows to get the staple off.....i wonder if i explained that correctly.....hmmmm......sort of hammering in a wedge....
Hello Victor! I think that's because unfortunately the US has become a throw away society and have discarded their sense of value.. Europeans still appreciate a tool that is useful and will hold on to it until it breaks... I think the US needs to learn more from their grandparents who knew better! Thanks very much!!!!
nice sir! i have a pair that the cutters are damaged probably by the steel not being so hard or cutting super hard wire. The edges have wire shaped deformations. Can these be filed? or maybe metal added to reform the edge?.. haha
Hello Vernon! LOL I wouldn't want to bore everyone with too many Plier videos, I went a little crazy with the wrenches! So much so when I make these videos I keep calling the tools "wrenches" lol There are a couple good videos in that lot for sure! Thanks very much!!!!!!!
Hello Qlimax! Lol! I will be doing quite a bit of them but I don't want to bore everyone with the same type tools.. I have to try to mix it up a little!! Thanks very much!!! 😃👍
Hello Blackie! Lol, you bet! No way am I going to do a nice restoration on all of them but half of these were really nice.. You can get some decent deals on eBay if you bid on lots... Thanks very much!!!!!
Hey ScoutCrafter! I just picked up a pair of these Empire 291’s. Can’t wait to restore them and put them back into service. Any clue how old they are? Having trouble finding information online. Thanks!
Hello Scott! That is awesome! These fencing pliers I believe were made by Utica Tool and Forge somewhere around the mid 1920's... I think that's when the horn on the rear of the pliers became popular. One note, these things are hard as stone!!! The whole pliers are forged! Nice weight and feel right!?!?! You are going to love them!!! Great stuff!!!!!
So my wife comes in as you talked about buying THE 35 pcs. LOT on eBay and she said "Why do you guys buy that junk?" "What will you ever do with them?" In return, I told her... Preserve them and treat them like our children. I will now be busy moving into the doghouse...
David- The best part about this hobby is how cheap we can get our projects! Where else can you buy a $2 wrench and have a blast restoring it and returning the value to it?! Believe me she will start to enjoy the hobby after you take her to some outdoor flea markets! =)
I like it! I like to use Plasti Dip on my tools for the handles. I re-Plasti Dipped some of my tools. It's pretty tough stuff and brake cleaner works like a charm on rubber without melting it.
I recommend lining up a few tools to plasti dip as if you do one tool, the rest of the can dries up quick. I think you can thin with mineral spirits but don't quote me..... I have a pair of needle nose I plasti dipped 30 years or more ago and still hasn't peeled off. Clean it good and follow instructions on how to "dip".
I got the same or near the small pl... Left of the pipe wrench they are really nice vs the chinesium ones I bough while ago 3 at once they bend broke and the rest is good joke u can't even use em to put a nail in a wall it gets big marks xD but those ones are lit I put em my old wire cutting ones the gum handles cause my hands start hurt when I use em but they feel really nice
Hello Mihail! Lot's of farmers take two pieces of rubber tubing and slide them on the handles to protect their hands when working all day! Other people wear heavy gloves so they don't need anything on the handles... I don't like wearing gloves all day- My hands get too hot!!! =D Thanks very much!!!!!!!!
Hello David! When you string a lot of fence you quickly develop a favorite fencing plier! I haven't had enough fencing time to really know what I like or don't like... You need hours and hours of using something before you know what works best for you! Also different areas have different preferences on tools, like in Australia they have a whole different attitude in tools! Thanks very much!!!! 😃👍
ScoutCrafter , thats true. One thing I've learned in life, is one size fits all generally doesn't fit anyone very well. That's why I'm not a fan of multi-purpose tools. They might work, but a hammer works really well as a hammer, etc. A quality pair a long handled pliers work awesome for fencing, the handles are great for twisting wire, and they cut great. Lots of ways to make/fix fence. Lots out west without a single pole in the ground
Another great video. I tried looking for a way to message you. I picked up something I think you would find interesting and would like to send it to you. Could you message me with a place to ship it too?
Hello Chrysny413! I thought the same thing at first, but a lot of wheel weight pliers have long thin jaws to pluck the weight off the rim and I never saw wheel weight pliers with top pinchers! Maybe it's another pair of foreign fence pliers? We will find out together! Thanks very much!
Hello Jusb! For some I can leave as is but I've always wanted to try that handle dip solution and see how that holds up, Channellock dips their handles and they hold up great but Plasti-Dip is not as heavy duty I think. Ever try it? Thanks!!!!!
Awesome video. I tried Plasti-Dip to make plier handles about a year ago. Took way more coats than I expected and stopped before I got the thickness I wanted.
nope the stuff is super expensive, i use silicone fusing tape, i used to use self amalgamating but certain chemicals like wd40 affect it, they hold up really well as that tape is very tough, shrink tube, (need a few layers) is tough but cannot get the ends neat