FlipGrip Condition Flip Project - Restoration

[gerleatherberman]

So recently bought my first older FlipGrip on eBay. It looked bad...really bad. I had wanted one of these for quite some time, but never saw any good examples for a good price on eBay. This one was cheap enough and looked like it may be a good restoration candidate.

Before photo:



The stuff on the handles came off with a 3450rpm brass-wire wheel and some patience. Then I removed the scratches(pliers, tools, and handles) very carefully with a small wheel and maintained the original finish. Then cut little circles out of thin steel for the pivots, since the inserts were missing. Turned out pretty good I think. 

[Dutch_Tooler]

Nicely done GLBM

[gerleatherberman]

Nicely done GLBM

Thank you, D_T! 

Definitely fun stepping back into the less expensive stuff with the FlipGrip. IMO, a very unique design and historically relevant to MTs. Also have the other version with the bit holder in the end of the handle and a wood saw coming that will need some resto work.

[Chako]

You did an excellent job restoring it. Those aren't all that common anymore. 

[gerleatherberman]

You did an excellent job restoring it. Those aren't all that common anymore. 

Thank you much, Chako!

It is now obvious why the more serious collectors, like yourself, tend to have FlipGrips. I thought the FlipGrip was a gimmicky/toy-like MT. Wrong.
I did some gripping and pencil crushing tests with it, and was blown away at how solid it is. The OG SuperTool-style locking mechanism seems to work fairly well also(even though the little tools probably didn't need it). 

[Chako]

Yes. It is a good tool overall. The compromise here is a larger package for better tensile strenght.

[CeHo]

Great work 

[gerleatherberman]

Yes. It is a good tool overall. The compromise here is a larger package for better tensile strenght.

Indeed!

Great work 

Thank you, CeHo!

[Vidar]

Nice restoration!

I got a cheap one based around the same concept here somewhere, but even with mine being new and unused yours looks a lot better! 

[gerleatherberman]

Nice restoration!

I got a cheap one based around the same concept here somewhere, but even with mine being new and unused yours looks a lot better! 

Thank you very much, Vidar!

I get carried away when I get in "the zone" of restoration. I do it for a living and it drives my boss nuts that I get so crazy about making even cheap stuff look as good as it possibly can. I just told him, "don't bring it to me to work of if you think it isn't worth it." 

Would love to see the cheap flip-pliers tool! Some of those are pretty darned good. 

[Vidar]

I get carried away when I get in "the zone" of restoration. I do it for a living and it drives my boss nuts that I get so crazy about making even cheap stuff look as good as it possibly can. I just told him, "don't bring it to me to work of if you think it isn't worth it." 

Would love to see the cheap flip-pliers tool! Some of those are pretty darned good. 

I think the zone is a general thing. I used to be able to work for days and night on end without much sleep or food when I was in the zone. Everthing just flowed along. Sadly it happens a lot less these days. Maybe I've grown too attached to food and sleep? Either way, great that you enjoy your work.

I think it was Raymond Loewy, the famous US designer, that used to say "never leave well enough alone". So you're in good company

I feel certain that "good" is not a term that will spring to mind if I find mine and get a picture. I'll try to do some digging in the dark murky drawers around here. 

[comis]

Great job restoring this tool, the dual pliers setup makes this a rather unique piece to collect. 

[gerleatherberman]

I think the zone is a general thing. I used to be able to work for days and night on end without much sleep or food when I was in the zone. Everthing just flowed along. Sadly it happens a lot less these days. Maybe I've grown too attached to food and sleep? Either way, great that you enjoy your work.

I think it was Raymond Loewy, the famous US designer, that used to say "never leave well enough alone". So you're in good company

I feel certain that "good" is not a term that will spring to mind if I find mine and get a picture. I'll try to do some digging in the dark murky drawers around here. 

Hats off to you!
Days on end is a bit much for me, and I've never gotten that into a project. My hands give out after a while(especially after the biceps tendon removal). 

It is good you've slowed down. Being a workaholic is ridiculous, IMO, because it can prematurely insure your demise.

Sleep and food are pretty nice indeed.

Loewy sounds pretty intense. I guess some jobs could drive a person into the ground if there isn't a pinnacle of what is expected. At least restoration work has a peak of excellence, based on the type of restoration(examples: make it look new or make it look clean/presentable while maintaining the character of age). 

Now I'm very curious about the illicit 'good-not-the-word' tool.

[gerleatherberman]

Great job restoring this tool, the dual pliers setup makes this a rather unique piece to collect. 

Many thanks, comis!

I have been fascinated by oddball tools since the beginning of my collecting. But, aside from a junky Sheffield flip-jaw tool, the FlipGrip is my first good example of the concept. The locking implements are a nice and unexpected feature as well.

The other FlipGrip I'm expecting is not looking great as to arrive, since the seller has been pretty shady via messages. Hopefully I won't get an empty box(he actually asked me to mark the tool recieved before it has arrived).

[Vidar]

It is good you've slowed down. Being a workaholic is ridiculous, IMO, because it can prematurely insure your demise.

That is the nice thing with being in the zone. Go with the flow and it doesn't feel like work. And yes - that is true too - but I wont really complain.

Loewy sounds pretty intense. I guess some jobs could drive a person into the ground if there isn't a pinnacle of what is expected. At least restoration work has a peak of excellence, based on the type of restoration(examples: make it look new or make it look clean/presentable while maintaining the character of age). 

Knowing where to stop is indeed important. I think his point was to go those extra miles to get that extraordinary result. From your pictures here on MT it seems you have it down pretty good!

Now I'm very curious about the illicit 'good-not-the-word' tool.

I've dug, I've found, and I've yet again come to regard this as some kind of happenstance art.

The edges are rough, the surfaces scratchy and dirty, the knife is blunter than the edges, and the awl isn't pointy. The plier jaws doesn't line up to each other, and if I ever tried to squeeze  it hard I think something would give in and buckle. The wood in the handle has some nice character to them though.

The edges of flat pieces on tools often tells a story of quality choices and investments made in tooling. Slightly asymmetrical rounded edges on one side usually means the parts were made with blanking - the inexpensive choice, and good enough for many things. Clean sharp edges means fine blanking were used which takes much more expensive tooling - that is more like extruding pieces straight out from a plate. This tool seem to have been made with blanking using worn down, sloppy and or unsharp tools. Anyway, pictures - it is a collectible for all the wrong reasons after all!

[Vidar]

Some pictures of details so you can truly appreciate it:

[gerleatherberman]

That is the nice thing with being in the zone. Go with the flow and it doesn't feel like work. And yes - that is true too - but I wont really complain.

Very true.
That feeling of 'I just got in to work, but the clock shows I've been working 10hrs and it is time to go. Whuuu?" 

Knowing where to stop is indeed important. I think his point was to go those extra miles to get that extraordinary result. From your pictures here on MT it seems you have it down pretty good!

Thanks for the clarification on Mr. Loewy's statement. That being the case, the sentiment is appreciated. Not to sound cliche', but extraordinary deeds result from extraordinary effort.
And thank you for the kind words, Vidar!

I've dug, I've found, and I've yet again come to regard this as some kind of happenstance art.

The edges are rough, the surfaces scratchy and dirty, the knife is blunter than the edges, and the awl isn't pointy. The plier jaws doesn't line up to each other, and if I ever tried to squeeze  it hard I think something would give in and buckle. The wood in the handle has some nice character to them though.

The edges of flat pieces on tools often tells a story of quality choices and investments made in tooling. Slightly asymmetrical rounded edges on one side usually means the parts were made with blanking - the inexpensive choice, and good enough for many things. Clean sharp edges means fine blanking were used which takes much more expensive tooling - that is more like extruding pieces straight out from a plate. This tool seem to have been made with blanking using worn down, sloppy and or unsharp tools. Anyway, pictures - it is a collectible for all the wrong reasons after all!

Thank you very much for tracking that one down and taking pics, Vidar! It does look 'good not the word' for sure.
The Sheffield I bought(NN pliers and diagonal cutter head) seem to be the same tool. Probably made in the same factory. Definitely not a well-thought-out tool indeed. Though the effort of the makers to produce a flip-jaw pliers tool for very low cost is appreciated, I think even $10 would allow for a vastlt nicer tool.

[Vidar]

The Sheffield I bought(NN pliers and diagonal cutter head) seem to be the same tool. Probably made in the same factory.

It seems to be a sad trend that far away factories of less than optimal quality try to use traditional quality names like Sheffield, Solingen and Swiss. (At least I've seen one that was  pragmatic enough to state "Made Swiss").

Though the effort of the makers to produce a flip-jaw pliers tool for very low cost is appreciated, I think even $10 would allow for a vastlt nicer tool.

I think I paid roughly USD 10 for it back in the day, and not on sale, so I assume production cost is around 1/5 to 1/10 of that. So given USD 1 or 2 production cost it is actually kind of impressive! Still doesn't make it worth it for most - as for me I kind of find it interesting.

I got all inspired by your restauration so I figured I take the worst tool I could find around here and give it a go. It will be a different experience - usually I'm more into the destauration () part of things. 

[gerleatherberman]

That will be an interesting project!  & 

I like restoring cheap tools more than expensive ones, simply because there isn't much to lose if a piece gets pulled into a 3450rpm wire wheel and flung into outerspace. 

It sure would be awesome if those companies raised the price point to $20USD and made something worth having. But, why do that, since a lot of people will buy anything, and not complain about it, simply for being $10.

[Vidar]

I might be in trouble here...  The worst tool around is really bad...

There might not even be a tool in there anymore. It is certainly rusted shut. I don't have much hope here, but I'll give it a shot. Maybe I learn something on the way at least. 

[gerleatherberman]

I might be in trouble here...  The worst tool around is really bad...

There might not even be a tool in there anymore. It is certainly rusted shut. I don't have much hope here, but I'll give it a shot. Maybe I learn something on the way at least. 

That is really bad. I bet the pivot is too pitted for salvage. Though, if it were me, I would soak it in penetration fluid to see if it frees up. It is does, then a little while on a 3450rpm aggressive wire wheel might make it somewhat resembling usable. But, that said, everyone approaches resto differently. Looking forward to seeing if you can do anything with it.

[Vidar]

I'll just remove as much grime as I can and then try to force the pivot open. Hopefully whatever is left there of steel is stronger than the rust - if not no damage done anyway I reckon. I can't think of anything sensible to do with the pitting though.

[gerleatherberman]

If you have a belt sander with a good Zirconia belt, you could grind down passed the pitting, then use tiny files to clean up the teeth.  
Just some ideas. It is definitely what I would classify as a "learning resto." 

[Vidar]

The pitting seems really deep, so if I grind it down I might not have much pliers left - or rivet head at the fulcrum. I guess I'll see how deep once I fish it out of its current spa treatment - there are enough heat and bubbles for sure! 

Yes, I guess some learning experience is that best I can hope for with this one. But fair enough, that should be useful if working with actually okish tools later.

[gerleatherberman]

Should be fun.

Fingers crossed it is a tapered pivot, but not holding my breath.

Now you've got me wanting to get started on a huge antique adjustable wrench I bought a while back.

[Vidar]

So this is pretty much the result. I can move the pivot - with a wedge and a club...  So useless for all practical purposes, and my gentle wedge and club use actually bent the tips apart. So much for restauration.. 

I tried leaving one side as is after rust removal, while I tried grinding the other some. It seems that once you start to grind you have to go all the way for a clean overall look - halfway like that looks worse than the untreated side. (Sorry that the pictures are a bit unsharp - still less light outside here in the evenings).

I didn't really try to clean up the plastic, and the ends of it suffered a bit from my not so museum like approach.

Overall though this ended up better than I had expected, and I can see how something somewhat less far gone might be brought back with good results. Thus I'll be more open minded next time I come across some rusty old stuff.

Now you've got me wanting to get started on a huge antique adjustable wrench I bought a while back.

So how do you keep the antique charm while still bringing it back? I figure that must be a balancing act of some kind?

[gerleatherberman]

Interesting result, Vidar!

The pitting actually does look cool, but we know it means the tool is basically toast.

That is cool the pivot moves.

Maybe sharpen the cutters and give it to someone who doesn't have any pliers? Just tell them they need to actuate the pivot a few hundred times to loosen it.
That said, overall, you did a nice job getting the surface clean. Like you said, if it were something less far-gone, it would look good. 


As far as retaining the patina on the big wrench, I am undecided as to whether I'd like one that looks brand new(kind of gives a feeling of having the tools back when they were new) or if I want to just clean it and leave the darkened metal(for preservation's sake). It isn't pitted, so it has that going for it. Decisions decisions....

[Vidar]

Maybe sharpen the cutters and give it to someone who doesn't have any pliers? Just tell them they need to actuate the pivot a few hundred times to loosen it.

The cutters are actually interesting in the sense that they are difficult to sharpen. The geometry of the plier head parts are in the way. It seems like the plier head parts has been made first, and then those cutters have been welded or brazed onto them already sharpened. It guess that helps solve the issue of making a perfect fit at both at the end of the plier and at the cutters. Which actually also happens to be an important challenge with these flipflop designs - those are even more challenging as there are two separate plier head ends and cutters which all needs to hit zero clearing at once. Precision is expensive, so an adapting approach like that might make sense.

Maybe I'll wait until someone else make some spicy dinner, then put it discretely on the floor with some sauce spillage on and let someone else find it... The sauce ate the metal! Very spicy indeed! 

As far as retaining the patina on the big wrench, I am undecided as to whether I'd like one that looks brand new(kind of gives a feeling of having the tools back when they were new) or if I want to just clean it and leave the darkened metal(for preservation's sake). It isn't pitted, so it has that going for it. Decisions decisions....

I think I prefer some patina left to show its heritage. That does sound difficult though.

[Chako]

These are the ones I have in my collection.

[gerleatherberman]

The cutters are actually interesting in the sense that they are difficult to sharpen. The geometry of the plier head parts are in the way. It seems like the plier head parts has been made first, and then those cutters have been welded or brazed onto them already sharpened. It guess that helps solve the issue of making a perfect fit at both at the end of the plier and at the cutters. Which actually also happens to be an important challenge with these flipflop designs - those are even more challenging as there are two separate plier head ends and cutters which all needs to hit zero clearing at once. Precision is expensive, so an adapting approach like that might make sense.

Maybe I'll wait until someone else make some spicy dinner, then put it discretely on the floor with some sauce spillage on and let someone else find it... The sauce ate the metal! Very spicy indeed! 

I think I prefer some patina left to show its heritage. That does sound difficult though.

 
That would be cool to see if someone would salvage the tool from the sauce!

Indeed, it seems precision is the nightmare of cheap & cheerful.
I hadn't thought about the FlipGrip in that sense yet, and your point is a nod to how well the FlipGrip is executed. The blunt side isn't perfectly matched in the teeth(which doesn't hurt the functionality), but the NN side seems to be where the majority of the effort went. The cutters work nicely, the jaws meet fairly well(especially for a C&C tool). The handles are outstanding, and the toolset is fair(and locks). I wish that the company pumping out the versions for the Sheffield stamp would step up to the FlipGrip level. I think they could make something comparable for $25-$30. However, that said, the design isn't very practical, so the $25+ price range would shut sales down quickly.
For $12, the average joe can get a hammer that is ALSO a set of pliers.

Thanks for the patina recommendation!
The way the big wrench is made, I will have to leave patina in some places anyway, so a mild resto to insure its' longevity will be the route to take.