Pincer
Pincers are a hand tool used in many situations where a mechanical advantage is required. They are used to pinch, cut or pull an object.[1] Pincers are first-class levers.[2] Pincers differ from pliers in that the concentration of force is either to a point, or to an edge at a right angle to the handle of the tool. This allows pincers to be brought close to a surface. This is often helpful when removing nails from wood. Pincers are often called end-nippers or end-cutters. Carpenter's pincers are very well suited to these tasks. Pincers are primarily used for removing objects out of a material.
Pincers, often red-hot, have been used as an instrument of torture[3] since the middle ages or earlier.
Pliers are a similar tool with a different type of head used for squeezing, rather than cutting and pulling.
References
- ↑ Use and care of handtools and measuring tools (Washington, DC: Department of the Army, 1960), p. 178
- ↑ "Lever". Dirac Delta Consultants Ltd. Archived from the original on 14 January 2007. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
- ↑ "Medieval Murder". Devillier Donegan Enterprises. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
