(no longer unknown) combination pliers

[Plyerman]

Boy it's nice when the light bulb finally comes on. I've been trying to identify these unusual combination pliers for awhile now, with no success. They have a hammer on one side of the jaws, with a weird spike sticking up from it. There are no markings whatsoever on the tool, which is frustrating. And nobody I showed it to had any idea who the manufacturer was. Speculation was that the pokey spike was for pulling cotter pins, but that was only a guess.

Well the guess turned out to be correct! While looking through some old MVWC newsletters toight, I found this clipping in the Dec. 2006 issue. Looks like an exact match to me. (Too bad there isn't a date on the old advertisement.)

[lptools]

Nice!!!!!!  Love that Syracuse connection, too. Regards, Lou

[Bill Houghton]

They left out, "inadvertently stabbing yourself."  Another interesting multi-purpose tool.

[Yadda]

Wow Bob!  Another neat combination plier.  Blows away any entry I have for "Odd Multi Tool of the
Month". Kudos on the identification!

[Plyerman]

Thanks! And Lou, I was thinking of you when I saw the Syracuse name. According to Stan Schulz the MVWC News editor, the logo matches that of the Syracuse Twist Drill Company. They apparently also produced pliers in the late teens / early twenties.

[Northwoods]

I'll bet that putting the hammer and spike on the same side led to some broken spikes.