Pincers (tool)

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A pair of carpenter's pincers
Medieval pincers found in Hamburg-Harburg (15th/16th century)

Pincers are a hand tool used in many situations where a mechanical advantage is required to pinch, cut or pull an object. Pincers are first-class levers, but differ from pliers in that the concentration of force is either to a point, or to an edge perpendicular to the length of the tool. This allows pincers to be brought close to a surface, as is often required when working with nails. Carpenter's pincers are particularly suited to these tasks. Pincers are primarily used for removing objects out of a material that they have been previously applied to. Pincers, often red-hot, have been used as an instrument of torture[1] since ancient Roman times or earlier.

Much of the material in the article on pliers applies also to pincers.

References

  1. Example of the use of pincers for torture in mediaeval Italy

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