Nine dollar Gerber multi-plier back from the dead!

[ChopperCharles]

I snagged a Gerber Multi Plier in a lot of a bunch of other multi tools, $9 for all five. Two, plus this gerber, were worth keeping. So three total, for $9. That means I actually spent $3 on this Gerber... but shipping was $8. So it ends up being close to $9 anyhow.

aaaaaaaanyhow, when I got this sucker, it was in a sad, sad state. The tools and handles had a lot of rust on them. The file was loaded with rust. The main blade had rust spots and pitting, the lanyard loop was completely rusted to the tool next to it, and the bottle opener was bound to the pivot tube.

I disassembled the entire thing, and then had a go with my bench grinder. I mounted a wire wheel to one side and a spiral sewn buffing wheel to the other side. I attacked each tool with the wire wheel. Some more aggressively than others. The file I hit with a wire brush and a pick, and that got rid of 98% of the rust. Many of the tools I then polished up, but most I left unpolished. While I had the tools out, I ground a scraper blade onto the end of the metal file, and then hit it with a whetstone until it was razor sharp. I ground and re-profiled all of the flat drivers, to make sure they  matched the thickness of actual screwdrivers that are in my toolbox. I also got rid of the overly-rounded corners on the drivers with a file. 


The tools were hit or miss. The dull gray finish on the blades was hard to get through with the wire wheel, and it tended to just get through the rusty area and polish that area up nicely, leaving the rest of the blade a dull silver. Some tools, like the can opener, polished up easily. Then it was time to do the handles. I could tell right away they were going to look awesome The wire wheel cleaned them up very easily and very nicely, leaving a usable finish as-is. But I couldn't leave well enough alone, and I shined them up even further with the buffing wheel and some red compound. I wire-wheeled and polished the jaws too. Then reassembled it all. While there is still pitting on some of the tools, there is no more rust. I think it cleaned up VERY nicely.

Charles.

[ReamerPunch]

Amazing job! It looks amazing! 

[Yadda]

Nice work!

[MMR]

Probs for saving that tool


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Don Pablo]

Looks almost new!

[magentus]

 Nice work CC

[ChopperCharles]

Looks almost new!

Until you look close! There is pitting on the tools where the rust was, and the blades are no longer smooth and uniformly matte. I could probably polish them out to a mirror finish, but the little buggers are sharp and get hot FAST! I just wanted to make it a usable tool again. The handle finish turned out WAY better than I thought it would.

So as an mp600 owner and lover I didn’t really get why anyone would want an original multi plier as a tool to actually use. Until I got one.

The tools kinda suck. They really do. They don’t lock, pulling one out pulls them all out, and there is a spacer instead of a usable tool. The Phillips driver is decent, but the flat drivers aren’t. I’ve seen better drivers on a Sheffield or other similar vintage Chinese MT. I had to grind and shape every driver to match my craftsman screwdrivers.  They were all too thick to slot into screws, and the corners were rounded.

But the tools aren’t what matters. The pliers are great. The cutters are great. And amazingly the HANDLES are great!  Everything is more rounded and smooth. The MP600 has a lot of sharp edges, from the universal link clips and the studs they clip to, to the squared off lock releases, to the edges of the tool. This old Gerber is just smooooooth everywhere. The rounded Allen screws keep it from having sharp bits that protrude, and it just feels like a beefy, strong tool. It’s the same thickness of metal as my modern MP600, but somehow it feels beefier.

The plier extraction is also smooth as butter. Pinch the buttons and the handles just slide down. Or flick it - it flicks easier than my MP600 somehow. It’s just a great tool to hold, handle, and use.

What’s more, I don’t see how this got the “Mr. Pinchy” nickname. At no point is the skin of my hand able to be pinched by this thing. Not my Palm, not my thumb. I can’t figure out a way I could be hurt by this.

Now my Kershaw A100 clone? That thing bites me every third or fourth time I use it. If it wasn’t so damn useful I’d throw it across the garage and sledge hammer it to bits. Man that sucker hurts!

But at least my copy of this tool doesn’t hurt. Maybe it’s not an original multiplier? I do notice there is quite a bit of handle splay... but the jaws are the original type.

Oh another thing. There is something to be said for plier jaws that fully retract. I don’t understand why Gerber hasn’t increased the handle length to hide the pliers fully - at least for the blunt nosed version. It’s nice not having anything pointy to snag or rip a pocket.

Charles.

[Juan el Boricua]

Most excellent resto-rod job there, CC; loving the chisel tip file!  Mind if I copy it?   

[ChopperCharles]

I wouldn’t use it as a chisel though! I find I often need a scraper, and the file is the perfect tool to modify. It will hold an edge nicely. Just don’t overheat it when you’re grinding. I hold the file in my hands and hold it against my large disc sander, and every few seconds dip it in water. It never gets hot enough to hurt my fingers or hot enough to discolor the metal.

Charles.

[gregozedobe]

What’s more, I don’t see how this got the “Mr. Pinchy” nickname. At no point is the skin of my hand able to be pinched by this thing. Not my Palm, not my thumb. I can’t figure out a way I could be hurt by this.

I'm sure it has beem described in great detail elsewhere in MTo, but I can speak from personal experience (and I know it has happened to others as well).

It WILL pinch the fleshy part of your palm if squeezing hard to cut some hard wire (eg coat hanger) when it finally cuts through unless you are extra careful in how you position your grip.  Likewise if it slips off a bolt head or nut and closes suddenly.  I had a nice sized blood blister to prove it.

[ChopperCharles]

Okay. I just tried cutting a coat hanger and it snapped the ball of my pointer finger enough to make it sting a bit. Maybe I just have less meat on my hands, but it doesn’t pinch me enough to make a blister. No chance.

So... yay genetics?

Charles.

[Sam Lim]

Okay. I just tried cutting a coat hanger and it snapped the ball of my pointer finger enough to make it sting a bit. Maybe I just have less meat on my hands, but it doesn’t pinch me enough to make a blister. No chance.

So... yay genetics?

Charles.

  yours is not quite the true Mr Pinchy. What u have there is a later version where they opened up the splay a little. The original ones they have the handles that are parallel to each other. I have to agree the Blunt nose is excellent! Wire cutter a little short for my liking though. And the tools are just meh...

[gerleatherberman]

Very good job, Charles. Very very good. You have a fine tool there.

O.K. First, that is a version 3. The version 4 had rivets holding the pliers in the handle. V.4 was the only Pinchy with a widened splay from the factory). I only state this for a reason, and I'll get to that.


Yours probably has typical splay(it just looks widened in the photos, because the screws aren't tightened too much). Cutting wire and stuff isn't where the best bites get you. Grip a 1/2" bolt as hard as you can and slip the bolt. Your hand will be smurfed up big time. BUT!
Once you learn the tool, you won't get bit much. Just pay close attention to how you hold it when gripping hard. Keep your palm away from the handle center. It is arguably the easiest MT to grip with(not including locking pliers and compound leverage pliers) I know I can put more force on my Pinchy than most any other MT I own.

I carried one of those for over 10 years....everyday. It was my only plier MT for over 10 years. Paired with a SAK Explorer. Both in my back left pocket with an incandescent 2xAAA 1988 Maglite. It pocket carried wonderfully.

O.k. I said I would get into the versions. The V.1 & V.2 had button heads on both side of the handles for the tool pivots. They also had an awl(V.2s and later V.1s) and scissors(V.1 polished handles early production run), which weren't good (although they used a screw pivot and could be sharpened and tightened).
V.3, which is what you have, uses button heads on one side of the tool pivots and a "captive nut"(for lack of a better term) on the other side. The V.3. still had button head screws for the pliers slides. It also has the Simmonds U.S.A file, which is fantastic.
The V.4. got rivets in the plier slides, and saw a NN version added. V.4s had slightly widened handle splay. You can widen the splay on the V.3. with washers between the handle insides and plier mounts. The deployment won't be as smooth like that though.
The V.3 has the best plier head of any of the versions. It is precision machined and still has an adjustable pivot. V.1. V.2. V.3. all have adjustable pivots (early ones were bigger). The adjustable pivot is something EVERY plier MT should have. The pliers get loose? Cutters not working well? No problem. Tighten the plier pivot screw.
V.4. Saw the riveted slides replacing the screws and no more adjustable pliet pivots.

The flat drivers are not good new(as you mentioned), but the phillips driver is incredible when new. The flat drivers can easily be remedied (as you did). The multi-plier driver metal is some of the strongest you'll find on any MT. Driver definition doesn't mean anything if the metal sucks.

I personally feel that the Multi-Plier was the best MT made in the early 1990s. It is still a workhorse and very hard to destroy. I did thousands of work-related jobs with my Pinchy. If I had to do all of this multi-tool stuff over again, I would have just bought another Multi-Plier, when my old one started having serious issues. It is a fine tool, regardless of its' inherent problems.

I apologize for my ridiculously involved reply. I just have a big soft spot for the Pinchy. It was the only tool I ever told people was perfect(because I didn't know better). I have bought five Multi-Pliers since I began collecting MTs.
V.1. Polished with scissors.
V.2. Satin with awl.
V.3. (x2) Same as my original Pinchy and same as yours.
V.4. Needle-nose.

All of them are built like tanks. I think the Pinchy is a must have for MT collectors. It was, in my opinion, just as innovative as the Leatherman PST(released 8 years earlier).

[ChopperCharles]

Hey I love this kind of information! Thanks for the heads up.

Also I just realized I never soldered up that LED and sent it to you. I need to rectify that!

Charles.

[gerleatherberman]

Hey I love this kind of information! Thanks for the heads up.

Also I just realized I never soldered up that LED and sent it to you. I need to rectify that!

Charles.

You're certainly welcome, Charles. It is one of the few tools I have learned a lot about. Glad it could be shared.

That would be awesome. Thank you! Admittedly, the LED slipped my mind as well. 

[gregozedobe]

I apologize for my ridiculously involved reply. I just have a big soft spot for the Pinchy.

No need to apologize, there's a few of us with a soft spot for old "Mr Pinchy".

I have 4 different variants of the V1, as Gerber progressively "fine tuned it"  (fixed their mistakes):

V1.0  The original with "First Production Run" etched on the handle.  Handle cut-outs didn't align with nail nicks.

V1.1  Same as V1.0 but without the "FPR" etching

V1.2  1 cutout in each handle that aligned with a nail nick

V1.3  2 cutouts in each handle that aligned with nail nicks.

All V1 Mr Pinchies had the not very functional scissors, and the thickest, most robust lanyard ring that I've ever seen (it is obviously a spacer to fill in space in the handles -  it might be strong enough to hold a car, not just an MT)

[gerleatherberman]

I apologize for my ridiculously involved reply. I just have a big soft spot for the Pinchy.

No need to apologize, there's a few of us with a soft spot for old "Mr Pinchy".

I have 4 different variants of the V1, as Gerber progressively "fine tuned it"  (fixed their mistakes):

V1.0  The original with "First Production Run" etched on the handle.  Handle cut-outs didn't align with nail nicks.

V1.1  Same as V1.0 but without the "FPR" etching

V1.2  1 cutout in each handle that aligned with a nail nick

V1.3  2 cutouts in each handle that aligned with nail nicks.

All V1 Mr Pinchies had the not very functional scissors, and the thickest, most robust lanyard ring that I've ever seen (it is obviously a spacer to fill in space in the handles -  it might be strong enough to hold a car, not just an MT)

Thank you for going into more detail here, gregozedobe! 
I am going to go retrieve my V.1 now to see which one it is.

[gerleatherberman]

V1.2. Thank you!

[Don Pablo]

All V1 Mr Pinchies had the not very functional scissors, and the thickest, most robust lanyard ring that I've ever seen (it is obviously a spacer to fill in space in the handles -  it might be strong enough to hold a car, not just an MT)

When I got my LM Kick, I was worried in the beginning that the lanyard ring would bend if I looked at it strongly.

[gregozedobe]

V1.2. Thank you!

Yep, classic Mr Pinchy.  Look at the (lack of) handle splay, it's just waiting to chomp on some poor unsuspecting palm and inflict pain      

[gerleatherberman]

  It is definitely not a tool I'd hand to a friend to use hard.

[ChopperCharles]

Note that my buttons are tight, and there are no shims. That amount of splay is not an optical illusion. That's how it is. The handles never get parallel, neither retracted nor deployed.

I will say, I really REALLY like this design of plier head. Coast Pocket Mechanic tools use it as well, and it's a great design. BIG nut gripping area, but tips still dainty enough to use for finer work. The current blunt nosed pliers are too beefcake to work for any fine stuff, and the needle nose don't have a big enough nut gripping area. This plier head is the perfect compromise, and if Gerber made a current MP600 with this kind of plier head, I'd buy a brand new one in an instant. This type of plier head, with locking tools, u-shank blade holder, scissors, etc. would be perfect.

Charles.

[gerleatherberman]

I have both plier head versions on the Pinchy V.3. One of then does have a little splay to it that I hadn't noticed. Not like the V.4 (NN with rivets on plier slides) I pictured though. The V.4. has a significant splay compared to the V.1, V.2, & V.3.

1st photo: V.1 and my carry V.3.
2nd photo: V.1, my carry V.3, and different plier-head V.3.
3rd photo: both V.3s with the V.4 NN on top.
4rth photo: just because.

[gerleatherberman]

I got a photo showing the minute splay increases from V.1 to V.2 to V.3 (early pliers) to V.3 (later pliers) to V.4.
In my experience, the only one that won't bite like hell is the V.4.

Edit: smurfola. I forgot to pull out the lanyard on the middle one. 

[ChopperCharles]

Okay, that looks about right for my V3.

Charles.

[gerleatherberman]

Awesome. Looks like it should then.

I taped my pinchies together for two last pics.

[ChopperCharles]

I decided to leave my Pro Scout inside today, and use my restored multi plier. It performed admirably and I really enjoyed using it. Here are some action shots!

Charles.

[gerleatherberman]

Very nice, Charles!

If you don't mind, which brand red buffing compound did you use?
I use the harbor freight stuff and it has some mixed results and doesn't seem abrasive enough for some stainless steels.

[ChopperCharles]

 I bought a buffing kit from I think caswell plating around 15 years ago.  Still have the black red and white compounds from that kit. That said, a sisal wheel will do more for getting through tough finishes in a hurry than any change in compound.

Charles.

[gerleatherberman]

Thank you, Charles!