Strong but small pliers?

[chx]

When I travel I need to remove https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51uGDTYniGL.jpg this screw often and it gets stuck hard. Very, very hard. The Leatherman Style PS slips on it. The Knipex 86 03 125 and the Irwin Tools 1002L3 4WR doesn't but they confiscated my expensive Knipex at an airport security checkpoint    and I am not into losing a 40 EUR tool per trip -- especially because if it happens on the route out I am toolless. The Style PS is fine with security but useless for this particular purpose. I didn't test the Irwiin with security yet because it arrived today but I can't see how it would be judged more favorably than the Knipex so I'd hesitate to attempt to carry it on.

So it needs to be folding so that security that doesn't get caught up on it and it needs to be a bit thicker than the Style PS. Any ideas ?

[Vidar]

If that particular part is the only reason for needing a plier then maybe just drill a hole in it and bring a hole spanner instead. Hard to imagine one of those being confiscated. (Or a hole all the way through if that is an option and a pin)

[chx]

If that particular part is the only reason for needing a plier then maybe just drill a hole in it and bring a hole spanner instead. Hard to imagine one of those being confiscated. (Or a hole all the way through if that is an option and a pin)

I don't have a drill like that at home but yes, I could visit a hacking space nearby they have open house on Tuesdays and get it done. Maybe even all the way through, hrm, could be tricky but perhaps doable.

Nonetheless, pliers are useful in other situations like fixing dripping taps and such so I am still open to good ideas

[ColoSwiss]

Would a small needle-nose pliers work? Been years since I bought one, but doubt they're very expensive.

[chx]

Thinking more, if I drill through it then the female thread will get damanged and it won't work ... I am afraid and a small hole won't offer enough leverage.

As for needlenose pliers... I have NFI, really. I was told at the Budapest airport no tools allowed on the flight but I never had a problem with the Style PS so that's why I am looking at something folding but with thicker pliers. It's crystal clear why the Irwin works and the Style PS doesn't: the Irwin is more than twice as thick as the Style PS so it can grab much stronger.

So the question mutates into: what multitool has much thicker pliers  than the Style PS?

[zoidberg]

Could you file a little flat bit on each side for the PS to grip?

[zoidberg]

 

[Vidar]

The drill part will be just fine - ask a workshop to do it for you. Most likely they will make the hole with a screw inside to minimize initial thread damage, and then clean up the thread afterwards with a tap. As for the leverage a hole wrench provides plenty - it is their sole purpose for existing.

But of course, a plier can be used for so many other things too

My personal favorite when all other pliers fail, various Knipex included, is the old Kongsberg 92 design pipe wrenches:
http://www.hitachi-powertools.no/mediabank/store/2244/61050702---Rortang_print.jpg

The hardened jaws will bite straight into steel nuts if necessary to make grip were there were none.

That part of yours look like an adapter for photography stuff - those tend to get real stuck.

Come to think of it you might want to look at small locking welding pliers too; the small are cute sized but will still has plenty of grip.
 

[rivercity]

Could you file a little flat bit on each side for the PS to grip?

This is what Im thinking as well, file or mill flats 180 deg apart, then a small crescent wrench would work just fine. 

[chx]

The drill part will be just fine - ask a workshop to do it for you.

Pardon for me being an idiot but what's a workshop in this context and where would I find one

Google is https://www.google.ca/search?q=vancouver+workshop&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBCA742CA742&oq=vancouver+workshop&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.4002j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 no help.

[Amedio]

If you have enough room around it, Pocketwrench II will do a good job.

[theonew]

The SOG CrossGrip might work. It has thicker pliers and the pliers section is more rounded, which might allow for more contact area and a better grip. Also it has compound leverage which adds a bit of grip. It isn't the most comfortable to bear down on but with a glove on or even a bandana you can exert a surprising amount of force for its size. They are discontinued but can often be found on Ebay for $20 - $30. It does have a knife blade but that can be easily removed.

http://www.multitool.org/tools/sog/sog-crossgrip-and-crosscut-review

[chx]

If you have enough room around it, Pocketwrench II will do a good job.

confiscate that! And at 17mm tops it's just big enough. And yes, there is a ton of space around it.

[dbnyc]

What about a small strap wrench?

[Vidar]

Ah, I thought you needed access from the side as it might be was stuck in both ends.

A workshop in a hole making setting would be a place with a minimum of mechanical tools. A hole is not difficult. Any place with a drill press, a V block and a tap could make it to perfection, and most could make a good hole even without all those. (IE pretty much any place involved with making or repairing any physical items or equipment). Two flats as also suggested would also work for sure - I was just thinking a single hole would be easier to make.

But it seems you found a good portable solution already  

[Vidar]

Ok, I'm bored today, and since this is a multi-tool forum I thought a more bespoke solution might be interesting for a change. Hence, a 16mm grip wrench - I added in a 3/8" and 1/4" hex while I was at it, and did little a picker gripper thing at the end. It just so happens to be sized similar to a Victorinox (91x23,8mm). And finally Grant get something with more than one tool that doesn't have a cap opener! Blasphemy!

(If you actually want to cut it PM me for the files - a laser cutting shop (many online) should do it quite quickly. 3-4mm steel or titanium should do fine, aluminium likely not so good as it has to spring a bit).

[chx]

Ah, I thought you needed access from the side as it might be was stuck in both ends.

No, the 3/8" end never gets stuck the 1/4" end always and so hard that much stronger people than me couldn't get it out with the Style PS alone. For sheer craziness: It gets stuck in a keyboard which I use vertically See https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=79810.0 this topic, the quick release plate in the first post has been replaced by this screw and when I move from place A to place B I need to tear down the whole thing so it can be packed in a small place

I will ask Vidar for his files and see whether https://www.sculpteo.com/en/lasercutting/laser-cutting-materials/stainless-steel-material/ or http://lasergist.com/discover/ could cut it for me

[Vidar]

Laser cutting does introduce a tiny bit of taper along the edges, but I put in a tiny bit of tolerance for that. The hole is a tiny bit oversize as the gripper should close down on it anyway. If adjustments to spring stiffness or size does need to be made a round file is your friend

[gregozedobe]

I'd be inclined to look for something like this (or get a tool made with similar functionality):

https://circuitousroot.com/artifice/fitting/mechanics/tools/pin-wrench/index.html (scroll down to # 490)

That looks so innocuous I don't think even the most officious official would want to confiscate it from you.  You would have to machine/file a groove into the fitting to give it somewhere to grip (and remember to backcut a little to allow the "tooth" to grip properly under tension rather than slip out).

[Etherealicer]

Would a Pocketwrench II work?

[chx]

Would a Pocketwrench II work?

Yes, see #10 and #12 I already ordered one

[chx]

What about a small strap wrench?

Do they even make strap wrenches with four inch or smaller handles?

[chx]

Swiss+Tech ST50022

Sorry but no, that has practically zero grip in this situation. I just tested it

[zoidberg]

Swiss+Tech ST50022

Sorry but no, that has practically zero grip in this situation. I just tested it

[chx]

I want to report that the strap wrench won. Although not as small as some other tools (the one I found is 6 inches long and some 2 inches wide at the head) since it's all plastic it's not heavy at all and works very well. It also helps opening stuck lids in the kitchen It's "Performance Tool W54059 2-Piece Strap Wrench Set" , I gave the normal sized away. Since I do not have a car before this thread I never heard of these things

Security at YVR and YLW airport didn't care (does it even show up? I have NFI) while the previous tools were always scrutinized before let through.

The Pocketwrench II also works but I needed to figure out it needs to be flipped to loosen the nut vs tightening.

I have an eBay search warning me when an SOC Crossgrip comes up for sale, eventually I will get one but for now I am set.

[gregozedobe]

I have an eBay search warning me when an SOC Crossgrip comes up for sale, eventually I will get one but for now I am set.

You could ask the seller (Chrysta) of this CrossGrip if she is willing to post to Canada.  I've bought several tools from her in th epast and she has been quite helpful (but I do have a US address)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/152624618165

[surfdaworld]

Couldn't you grind two of the sides down flat, and just use a small crescent wrench or something like the Leatherman Croc?
I have what looks to be the exact same part which I use to connect a metronome to part of our drum frame for a click track in live shows, and it seems to me that there should be enough metal to mod it this way without weakening it too much.

[Syncop8r]

Looks like that piece is designed to be tightened/loosened by hand. Are you doing it up too tight in the first place? Or does it need to be fairly tight to be secure?
I wonder if putting some sort of soft washer on would enable it to tighten enough but make it easier to loosen (just a thought)?

[MusicMen]

Looks like that piece is designed to be tightened/loosened by hand. Are you doing it up too tight in the first place? Or does it need to be fairly tight to be secure?
I wonder if putting some sort of soft washer on would enable it to tighten enough but make it easier to loosen (just a thought)?

Thinking along these lines,    how about a rubber washer. It would let it be tight without it being over tight. You could make one out of an old innertube.

Or mabe something like this? https://www.parts-express.com/km-replacement-parts-032116155-40mm-x-3mm-rubber-disk-washer-for-210-9-211--242-7801

[Syncop8r]

Maybe a rubber tap (faucet) washer.