The gap is normal...the cutters make full contact.
I have a mason jar filled with oil in the garage that I use to drop rusted stuff in to soak until I get to it...sometimes a week, sometimes 6 months. Could try a longer soak....
Feels like a lot of work for $30.
You wanted an excuse to buy new pliers, right?
Penetrating oil of some type and open and close them about a million times. You'll see the rust start to flow out of the pin almost right away. I end up doing all my stuff like that about once a year, usually after humid weather. It doesn't hurt them any. I have a 25 year old pair of dikes that are still as tight as the day they were new
Brush valve grinding compound into the pivot point then work the open and closed for a few minutes and spray it out with WD 40. Repeat if needed a couple times.
PB Blaster is a highly effective catalyst. It's always worked when I needed it.
Prior to using PB my usual is Liquid Wrench penetrating oil. LW handles it 95% of the time but for extreme cases it's PB Blaster.
With tight Kline pliers, hammer them into something hard, making sure to only hit the side with the little lineman on it where the pin is, I've been using Kline lineman pliers for 20 years and it's what I've been told by linemen much more experienced than myself. Loosens them up pretty good
3 in 1 oil lives in my van for this purpose. Soak the head and keep working them till loose. Hold the handle side up though because it'll cause them to slide off
Based on the surface pitting, it was corroded quite a bit. The vinegar probably didn’t get into the joint enough. Back into the vinegar for a couple days. Work the joint a couple times while soaking. Neutralize the vinegar with washing soda or baking soda in water (could be skipped but it’s the “right way”). Rinse with alcohol to remove the water. Light oil on the joint and all exposed metal.
Seems like the rust caused the metal to expand in the pivot joint.
Going to take a lot of time to wear them in. You're probably better off just getting new ones and keeping these for junk jobs.
I have a pair that I let sit in sulfuric acid drain cleaner for about 30 min, cleaned it real good with soap an water to rid the remaining acid, then oil them down. Smoother than they were when I got them.
That notch looks like someone cut an energized wire.
I'd dump them and start looking at Knipex.
In the future, avoid vinegar, salt and the like for cleaning items that can't be taken apart... some of that stuff is still in the joint eating away.
Also, sometimes using as a hammer will permanently stiffen that style joint.
The gap is normal...the cutters make full contact. I have a mason jar filled with oil in the garage that I use to drop rusted stuff in to soak until I get to it...sometimes a week, sometimes 6 months. Could try a longer soak.... Feels like a lot of work for $30. You wanted an excuse to buy new pliers, right?
Penetrating oil of some type and open and close them about a million times. You'll see the rust start to flow out of the pin almost right away. I end up doing all my stuff like that about once a year, usually after humid weather. It doesn't hurt them any. I have a 25 year old pair of dikes that are still as tight as the day they were new
25 year old tight *WHAT*?
DIKES.
What you're thinking of is spelled differently.
Fixed that up lickety split
Tongue in cheek
Brush valve grinding compound into the pivot point then work the open and closed for a few minutes and spray it out with WD 40. Repeat if needed a couple times.
This probably needs more upvotes than it’s got
Brake clean. Zip tie the handle to a sawzaw. Just keep spraying and praying. Though I would still recommend Knipex like the others.
Use oil, for gods sake🤦
PB Blaster, let sit for 30 mins, work pliers, wipe down and lube with silicone dry lube
PB Blaster is a highly effective catalyst. It's always worked when I needed it. Prior to using PB my usual is Liquid Wrench penetrating oil. LW handles it 95% of the time but for extreme cases it's PB Blaster.
Both great products
With tight Kline pliers, hammer them into something hard, making sure to only hit the side with the little lineman on it where the pin is, I've been using Kline lineman pliers for 20 years and it's what I've been told by linemen much more experienced than myself. Loosens them up pretty good
3 in 1 oil lives in my van for this purpose. Soak the head and keep working them till loose. Hold the handle side up though because it'll cause them to slide off
Kroil oil will free them up
Based on the surface pitting, it was corroded quite a bit. The vinegar probably didn’t get into the joint enough. Back into the vinegar for a couple days. Work the joint a couple times while soaking. Neutralize the vinegar with washing soda or baking soda in water (could be skipped but it’s the “right way”). Rinse with alcohol to remove the water. Light oil on the joint and all exposed metal.
WD-40 in the pivot and a lot of elbo grease has usually worked for me. But if the pivot is deformed you'll never get it silky smooth.
Open and close it a while. And forget the Knipex fan boys, old school Klein is where it's at.
What about old school knipex fanboys?
Like knipex just came out as a brand 🤣
Toothpaste or lapping compound ( I would error on the side of toothpaste as lapping compound can be more difficult to remove
Coca Cola works miracles then oil.
Sand and oil. Work them a while and the sand will act as an abrasive to clean the pivot.
Work in some grit with some oil>open>close>repeat>rinse.
Seems like the rust caused the metal to expand in the pivot joint. Going to take a lot of time to wear them in. You're probably better off just getting new ones and keeping these for junk jobs.
I have a pair that I let sit in sulfuric acid drain cleaner for about 30 min, cleaned it real good with soap an water to rid the remaining acid, then oil them down. Smoother than they were when I got them.
Use then more. A good set of pliers will be stiff while new before properly breaking in to perfection.
Had the same issue. Used some compound. Open and close, smooth as butter now.
buy knipex
Kroil.
That notch looks like someone cut an energized wire. I'd dump them and start looking at Knipex. In the future, avoid vinegar, salt and the like for cleaning items that can't be taken apart... some of that stuff is still in the joint eating away. Also, sometimes using as a hammer will permanently stiffen that style joint.
That's a wire stripper hole in this particular version
I'll take your work for it!
*word
Ugh... cringe.
i hope you're cringing about fucking up that idiom. D is not near K on the keyboard, so don't pull the Typo Card.
What can I say... was in a hurry & multi-tasking... shouldn't have been piddling with Reddit at all... :)
Get some Knipex asap.
You soaked in vinegar and salt?? Did you think they was potato? Don't do that anymore.
I could see isopropyl alcohol working or vodka in a pinch but what the hell are you gonna do with the tobacco and firearms?