It’s likely many of you have already discovered this type of device, listed on an ebay source as ‘alligator ear crocodile forceps’ - the supplier hedging their bets on which continent the reptile it resembles comes from! At around a tenner (£10 GBP) it was a bargain, I’d say. It’s handy for those occasions when something’s rattling around in a stove or lamp fuel tank, often solder from a ‘trowelled’ solder repair by a previous owner. With the tank empty of fuel, by tipping and rotating the stove the object can invariably be seen through the filler opening but getting it out can be problematical, since tweezers or scissor-type forceps are restricted in the ability of their jaws to open enough because of the narrowness of the filler opening. No such problem with these and the angled body of the forceps keeps the operating fingers out of the field of vision making it easy to see the object and forcep jaws. John
@presscall Excellent john a great addition to have in a fettling tool box,in fact i think i will purchase a a pair of those, i have had loose solder in a stove rattling about which does bother me, and i have spent a bit of time removing it from a couple of stove tanks
I've had mine for a few years now, comes in handy on an occasion, fishing out odd shaped pieces that can't be shaken out or broken up so they can then be grabbed. Duane
@hikerduane What do you know them as Duane? I think their clinical purpose is for ear/nose/throat, such as extracting objects youngsters can be prone to stuffing in their ears or nose.
Too funny, Alligator forceps I believe. The hinged tip is the weak point, but only intended for small stuff. They were weak when breaking up some large rust chunks, but managed after a bit, twisting pieces to make them smaller. Duane
@presscall Coming from a medical background, I’ve gained a few ideas (and tools) for working down holes. I have some alligator forceps, but found them to delicate/weak and easily damaged. I still have some though. Although not allowing the same visualisation, my “go-to” instrument is a pair of “Ovum Forceps”. Much hardier and good for retrieving recalcitrant NRV’s from the bottom of a pump tube, cleaning out the pump tube with paper towel and (depending on the size of the forcep and mouth of the filler) pieces of lead too - although I’ve managed to shake most of mine out.
@Rodger Willows Those forceps look useful with the pivot sufficiently placed to allow access as you describe and get a firm grip on the object to be retrieved. For stuck NRV’s, unscrewed but held by a deformed lead washer I use an ice pick pushed into the NRV’s air inlet hole. The ovum forceps look the business too though!
@presscall Thanks, John! “Necessity is the mother of invention”! I enjoy when others post their “how to’s”, as the CCS collective wisdom/experience invariably highlights something that hasn’t occurred to me or that I’ve never encountered!
Oh I've encountered this a couple of times. On one occasion I used those long claw like pickup tools (not the magnetic type obviously). I can't remember now how I got the others out but it could have been a lot of rattling or air pressure; not sure now but at the time darn annoying. The tools mentioned seem a good idea.
Well there is a sideline for you "Dr" John. Could recoup your outlay in no time, together with a few beads, buttons, tablets, Smarties or whatever! I'd draw the line at drug removal ..... Don't forget to post up some video clips of these procedures!
I came across a large container full of all manner of interesting forceps etc at a boot sale ealrier this year. I started rummaging then discovered they still retained blood/bodily fluids from whichever veterinary (I hope!) use they had been put to. Having recently had some nasty surgery I went a bit queasy and passed that particular opportunity to expand my collection.
