A week or so ago I wrote about my experience with a pair of Aven 10826F10826F Flush Cutters
I was very pleased with the response and the way the discussion carried over into the quality of small specialty pliers as well.
In the previous post dougw mentioned having some good quality pliers capable of picking up 40 Ga wire. He asked how many pliers that I have that would be capable of picking up this gauge of wire. Well the answer at the time was none. Most of my pliers would surprise me if they could pick up a piece of 22 gauge wire.
I am not sure if it was the taste I got for a little quality from working with the new Aven 10826 flush cutters or the perceived challenge from Doug but right then and there I decided it was time for this old man to live it up a little and so I obtained three more Aven specialty pliers. Over the years I have developed a habit of working with 4 basic style cutter/pliers. The flush cutter has already been discussed. The second pliers on my list is a round nosed 4-1/2 inch needle nose with a serrated jaw. Next is a round nosed 5 inch extra long needle nose with a smooth jaw and finally I like to use a 4-1/2 inch pliers with a chain nose. Each of these tools serves a special application in the the construction of the things that I repair or build.
To complete the collection I acquired from Aven's quality Technik Series of stainless steel pliers and cutters the following stock numbers: 10307, 10305, and 10311.
All three of the new pliers looked precise and surgical with their mirror polished stainless steel surfaces. These also came with the ESD grips so the components that I handle will be protected from static and as was pointed out in the previous blog by shabaz I will just have to avoid grabbing live mains connections unless I feel like a tickle.
Incidentally I tried to measure the resistance of the material in the ESD grips without much luck. At the voltage level of my ohmmeter the resistance is well above 100 meg but at the minimum voltage of the inexpensive megger that I have the resistance is below its minimum ohms reading.
Since one of my incentives for going quality was to see if I could show up dougw by picking up a smaller than 40 Ga wire I started my experiment with the Aven 10305 with the round nose and the serrated jaw.
A search of the wire room turned up some very high strand wire with individual wires of .002 inch (.05mm) diameter. This should be 47 AWG. The wire was fine enough that I had to use a permanent black marker to paint it and make it visible to my video recorder. I made the wire as straight as I could and I laid it out on a white sheet of paper so it would be visible. I took the 10305 pliers and tried to pick it up. The pliers had no trouble picking up the wire. Here is a video of the experiment. My apology as videoing this experiment is at the extreme end of my camera's capability and slightly beyond the videographer's skill level.
After the successful wire pick up test I continued to play with the pliers. Just like the flush cutters of the previous blog there was no lateral movement or slack in the grips. The manufacturer calls the joint a Box Joint Construction. I studied the joint carefully and I do not know how it was constructed as it reminds me of one of the small metal puzzles that I played with as a child where something large had to be pulled through a too small hole. I will make a note to google Box Joint Pliers when I an done with this blog. This style pliers is used often by me when I am assembling to hold components in position for soldering, removing small screws and nuts, and bending components into place. The stainless steel construction will help with the soldering jobs as it will not allow solder to adhere and the low heat conductivity of the stainless steel will not rob my solder joint of the heat that I am trying to apply.
The next pliers that I wanted to check out was the extra long nose 5 inch needle nose Aven Technik 10311.
As you can see from the pictures it has a smooth jaw. This style of pliers is used by me to make tight bends in wire and also for pressing out bends and kinks in component leads. The longer nose can be used to place and retrieve small components deep in tight places. I also tried and performed the 47 AWG pickup with the tip of this pliers. Having worked so long with inexpensive tools I had to perform the pickup 4 times, each with more glee and delight. I did not video this but I am ready to defend my claim at next years element 14 World Convention in Toronto.
The last pliers in my new collection is the Aven 10307 4-1/2 inch Chain Nose Pliers. These pliers have the same construction and metallurgical qualities as the first two. Over the years I have used the bending and shaping of copper and brass wire to construct small structures and solve small technical problems. It served as my answer for the need of a 3D printer before there was such a thing. I have even ventured into Art though my gallery doesn't extend beyond the confines of this basement.
Amazingly even the chain nose pliers was able to retrieve the 47 AWG wire from the glass surface. Here are a few of the applications that I have for this style of pliers.
Device for holding SMD components in place on small circuit boards prior to soldering Holder for solder station tools
Experiment in copper wire art. Cat lovers please don't get excited, not my cat. Simple brass wire hangers to keep hookup wires in pairs and convenient for hangup.
I am excited to go to work on my next project and use the new tools. Thank you to AVEN for the quality that they have made available in this product and to Doug who inspired me to take the next step and get a full set of my favorite styles of precision pliers.
John
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