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[Grumpy]

Has anyone else found these yet ? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/THREE-JAWS-3-JAW-PRONG-WIRE-BENDING-DENTAL-ORTHO-ORTHODONTIC-PLIERS-PLIER/190530287242?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D38661%26meid%3D9fb5dbc3406d40c98389678a346fbf85%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D331648720315. These pliers have the ability to form bends (and curves) in wires such as melodeon keys without placing any forces one other parts. I have a handmade pair from my apprentiship days of misspent youth and have just recieved these from Ebay. For anyone tinkering inside a melodeon or concertina they are a gift at £6:99

[John MacKenzie (Cugiok)]

I had a look on a dental tools website last week. There are dozens of different types of pliers available.

Sir John

[Grumpy]

All Agreed Sir John, but these particular pliers bend the wire only, by pressure of the single middle jaw forcing the wire against the two outer jaws. No force or twisting is imparted anywhere else on the mechanism whereas normally bending means either trusting to luck or finding space to get two pairs of pliers in while balancing the instrument on your knees.

[Broadland Boy]

Had you also seen these hollow chop contouring pliers which have a nesting concave and convex jaw ? I discovered these through one of my wifes jewellery tool catalogues and being a cheapskate have now made several of my own for different jobs which need a very gentle change in bend (more often on arms of spectacles but great on boxes too) amazing how much less the mark-up is for medical tools in stainless compared to 'hobby' stuff 

I find the three prong type a little less controllable, mind you, mine were made from some old railway ticket clippers so possibly not a direct comparison.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Orthodontics-Hollow-Chop-Subtle-Contouring-Ortho-Pliers-For-Arch-Wires-Lab-New-/272283494807?hash=item3f655c6997:g:Ln0AAOSwzJ5Xa81J

Cheapskate & Co of Bogside on Bure have no shares in the above trader !

[Grumpy]

Thanks for that Richard, I had indeed missed them (now on order). Strange you should say your original pair were made from a ticket collecters snips, so were mine !!. Modified in early 1960's and still marked G.W.R. Maybe there is a story/trend developing here.

[Broadland Boy]

There are those that buy tools just to have them
There are those who buy tools to use them
There are those who make / adapt tools to use them
There are those who make / adapt tools just to have them

Have I missed any Chris?  always reckoned three occurences constituted a trend so we really need another* heartless destroyer of valuable railway artifacts

I find the converted ticket clippers are good for putting repeatable sharp bends into wire or strip, never quite got round to drilling and tapping the handles for a depth screw, tend to just whittle an ice lolly stick to suit as a distance piece - well you can get at least 3 mixings of two part epoxy out of a whole stick so they don't go to waste!

Have also plastic or leather lined various pliers so they don't scratch or bruise the workpiece

Dad was in telephone / timeclock servicing during relay / contact days so have always had available a range of (probably GPO designed) contact and spring benders - mostly slot ended for those days when you need two turns of a helical shaft between hand and target to miss all the lies between, such simple tools and on odd occasion when someone has needed a delicate adjustment and have either fetched my set out or hacksawed and bent something to hand in their workshop, the jaw has dropped as they have never seen anything like    We live in high tech times where low tech can sometimes baffle even the experienced tinkerer 

* my money is on a gentleman who knows his way around Luxor

[hickory-wind]

I use pliers from the eyeglass repair field. First pic shows one that has concave-convex jaws and shows a wire with two bends. Outer smaller bend was done by simply squeezing hard near the tip of the jaws. Inner larger bend was done in the middle of the jaws where the radius is more pronounced.

The 3rd and 4th photos are pliers designed to grip eyeglass temples (arms that go over ear). They have round grooves that grip Hohner bass rods perfectly. I use the pair in concert to make larger bends.

Scott

BellingersButtonBoxes.com

[Psuggmog Volbenz]

Here are a few that I use. The pair with the black jaws have a compound pivot so that the jaws remain parrallel from closed to fully opened. I have several pairs of smooth jaw, and some which I have custom ground, also some with bent jaws which facilitate use in restricted locations, but no photos of.

[Kimric Smythe]

I ended up recently with a large pile of typewriter repair tools. Some of these are awesome for key bending and i have ones for bending metal edgeways (amazing!) and flatwise. Some are like pliers and others are various bars and rods with groves cut into them for doing bending in place. I Have a few extra I may sell on my ETSY page but I will post pics.

 A few of the tools are mysterious and I have no idea what they do.