CLUNKBUCKET

Everything but the same old cars

Tool of the Week: Snap-Ring Pliers

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snap_ring_pliersFrom the how did they get that thing in there division comes the snap-ring pliers edition of Tool of the Week. Snap-rings themselves are also known as circlips, rotor rings, and retaining rings. These flattish rings are usually found holding in a bearing or assembly by way of being stuck into a machined groove. In this case a pair of snap-rings was holding a piston onto a connecting rod by way of a steel pin. Snap rings can also be found holding u-joint bearing cups in place. Look closely before hammering.  A snap-ring pliers set or a fancy multipurpose pair of snap-ring pliers won’t get used too often, but you’ll be glad you have them when you run into a snap-ring. Attempting to remove a snap-ring or circlip with tools other than snap-ring pliers may have possibly lent these flat clips another name. The where did that damn spring steel thing go clip. In this case, a snap-ring assortment is a good plan.

Comments

  2. Will says

    A friend of mine punctured his cornea with one of those buggers. He was pulling a wrist pin circlip out of a worn out Honda CR500 with a small scribe/dental instrument, and the clip broke in two pieces, and one piece shot out and embedded itself in his eyeball. He ended up having surgery to repair the hole, and had to wear an eye patch for 4 weeks, while it healed. He considers himself very lucky, and whenever I am working around springs or little things under tension, I ALWAYS wear safety glasses.

  3. Mike the Dog says

    Mad_Science: I have a really nice pair that are very similar to the pictured ones from Snap-On (mine have the straight jaws, though). They convert from inside to outside by unscrewing the pivot and moving it to the other hole. They were quite expensive, but they’ve saved me untold aggravation. I ended up getting them at the suggestion of a friend who is a mechanic, after complaining of not being able to find a decent pair.

  4. Mad_Science says

    @Mike: Yeah, next job I do that requires them, I’ll get some really high-end ones.

    I had some crappy Harbor Freight ones, then replaced them with what I thought were good Craftsman ones, but to no avail.