Dear Orchid Buddies,
I recently sent three pair of pliers to Rio Grande for their new
reconditioning service. Let me tell you the improvement was just
miraculous. They were demagnetized, oiled, cleaned, and they have
great new handles. They box joints were aligned and perfect. I have
been making jewelry for 31 years so some of my pliers are really old.
It is a pleasure to have someone do a job for you that dramatically
exceeds your expectations. I highly recommend this service for pliers
that are showing a lot of wear.
Cathy Wheless
www.cathywheless.com
@Cathy_Wheless
Cathy hello!
I had no idea that service was available! I have a couple pair I no
longer use, that have become too loose in the joints.
I did want to add some thoughts on plier maintenance. A pet peeve of
mine. I have always maintained my pliers by oiling the joints, once a
year (usually in January). First I put them in an ultrasonic basket
and clean them out and steam well. I then lay them all on newspaper
and oil all the joints at once. I work the joints back and forth and
re-oil until the oil is fairly clear. I have been using motorcycle
chain lube from a spray can. It is a bit greasy as opposed to the
light machine oil I use to clean. My thinking is it keeps dust and
dirt from entering the joints because it is a denser lubricant.
When you buy a brand new pair of pliers, clean them in this way. You
won’t believe the amount of gunk that comes out of the joints!
When you rubberwheel, take the extra care that you are not doing so
right over the top of your pliers and files. Rubberwheel dust is
murder on plier joints over time. My two cents!
Tim