Red Devil pliers

[Tool Pants]

But, for what purpose?

http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/smith-hemenway.html

[skipskip]

Glass pliers

[Branson]

Glass pliers

Jaws look right for glass pliers, but I've never seen any that are off-set like these.  Got any idea why the off-set?

[Mac53]

Is there a bump on the jaw that is opposite of the handle?  They could be Running Pliers (Runners) for getting enough leverage to break a large sheet at a factory?  My mother has run a small glass business for 40 years and I've never seen or used a set like these...

Skip, when you say "glass pliers" are you referring to Runners or a Breaker (grozer?)? Grozers seem most likely to me.

[Tool Pants]

Because of the Red Devil name I also thought glass pliers.  From what little I know you score the glass then snap it with pliers.  The offset handles and hefty design made me uncertain.  Then I thought maybe for floor tiles.

Smith & Hemenway has an interesting history per AA.  They merged around 1916  but the plant is associated with Hemenway in Irvington, New Jersey, as the Irvington Manufacturing Company.  My pliers have IRV NJ on them.  Red Devil was a name used by S & H.  Smith and Hemenway apparently knew each other for a long time.  If you look at the 1899 design patent for Smith, Hemenway was a witness.

S & H was sold to the Crescent Tool Company in 1926, but Smith apparently did not sell the Red Devil name as he would use it for glass repair tools.

Red Devil is still in business as a family owned company and traces its roots to S & H.

http://www.reddevil.com/index.php?l=page_view&p=about_us

[rusty]

They are glass pliers, inside nippers, for heavy plate (for cutting out holes)

[wvtools]

 I have a 1950 or 1960 catalog cut of those pliers, but I have to go out of town and do not have time to post it right now.

[couchspring]

Rose antique tools has the 51 cat.
offset glass plier no. 310

[Tool Pants]

Catalog says it was so glass could be broken of chipped in upright position.  So that is the reason for the offset handles.

[rusty]

>Catalog says it was so glass could be broken of chipped in upright position

But only the wildly insane do this. When a piece of plate is held vertical, and runs out where it isn't supposed to, it has a nasty habit of cutting your leg off...

[Ietech]

Just the name "Red Devil" kinda indicates that all of you are correct.