This must be what they used before Vise Grips came along? It's a set of pliers - or call them tongs maybe - with two different pivot holes available. And at the end of one handle is a plate with eleven holes, which the opposite handle can fit into. So I think in practice you were supposed to pinch down on whatever it was you wanted to clamp, and then poke the free handle into whichever hole was closest so as to maintain tension on the jaws. It works, kinda clumsily though, but would suffice if there were no vise grips around.

Any ideas about when it was made? By whom? And if it was intended for a specific trade, or just general usage? Thanks!

Hmmmm.... I've seen similar somewhere......

Also reminds me of the Plierench Clamp.

 if you moved the bolt/nut to the other 2 holes, would the jaws open wider ?  and how wide will they open ?

Quote from: turnnut on June 22, 2017, 09:38:05 PM
if you moved the bolt/nut to the other 2 holes, would the jaws open wider ?  and how wide will they open ?

With the bolt/nut in the "front" hole as pictured, the jaws open to about 2-1/2" wide. Using the "rear" pivot holes, the jaws open to slightly more than 4 inches.

I'm calling this as to be for a special trade.  To lock the pliers to something,  be for dipping in hot water?    Hold two items together while it cooled?   Is too light to hold something while grinding I am thinking.  Sure are a lot of combinations with that lock plate.    It would be tempting to use that lock plate to lift, but wouldn't be enough tension to hold more than a couple of pounds.   Those jaws are so non standard, had to be a very specific use.  Probably find it if you had time to peruse some old catalogs. 

Okay, that makes good sense, thanks! So the lock plate is pretty common then? It's the first time I've seen one, but I really haven't been looking at tools like this before.

Medical?

Was in an ACEhardware today,  while searching for something entirely separate from this, I spotted  a pair of new Vise Grips with exactly these shape of jaws.  Pipe holder wrench.    To clamp to a well pipe to prevent it from slipping back down the well.   New I'd seen it but had brain lock, a lot of that recently.   Sorry I did not record the number on the Vise Grips.  It was new because it did not have the DeWitt Nebraska stamp. 

you mean like these? 

yup,,, and the multi hole plate would lock the handles for any size pipe, yep?

Quote from: john k on June 28, 2017, 12:50:13 PM
yup,,, and the multi hole plate would lock the handles for any size pipe, yep?

I can envision that usage.