Pincer

Parts of a pincer
1. cutting edge, 2. pivot
3. handle 4. grip

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

  1. Use and care of handtools and measuring tools (Washington, DC: Department of the Army, 1960), p. 178
  2. "Lever". Dirac Delta Consultants Ltd. Archived from the original on 14 January 2007. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  3. "Medieval Murder". Devillier Donegan Enterprises. Retrieved 26 June 2015.