Leatherworking Pliers and Nippers
Sections below include -
- Saddler Pliers
- Pad Screw Pliers
- Pad Nut Pliers
- Lasting Pliers
- Nippers
Please click on the small thumbnail pictures to open them up in a larger size and read the description.
Saddler Pliers - have corrugated jaws and are used to stretch or pull leather. The "anvil" on the bottom of the jaws can be used to provide leverage. Cantle and horn pliers have smooth jaws and used to crimp together layers of leather for saddlery work, as well as being useful in some other crimping needs.
Pad Screw Pliers - have two opposing round semi-pointed jaws. They are used to tighten some fasteners in leather strap work and also on machinery. One of the handiest uses is to change the punch tubes in rotary punches, single tube punches, and replaceable tube round drive punches.
Pad Nut Pliers - have square jaw tips and are used for tightening nuts on some harness hardware and also on equipment. Not easily found and handy to have around.
Lasting and Shoe/Bootmaking Pliers - are used for stretching leather around shoe lasts and some other specific shoe making applications. These pliers are also listed on the page for shoe tools.
Nippers - are used for a few purposes in leather working. The nippers with hardened jaws can be used to clip metal and commonly used to clip excess length from the shank of copper rivets. Other types of nippers can be used to pull and pry and useful in repair work, especially in the footwear repair trade.