Sargent, whats it for?

[HeelSpur]

This was in a bunch of oddball stuff and not sure if I've seen one before.

[lbgradwell]

Wire-cutters, I believe...

[mikeswrenches]

HeelSpur, LG,  I have a pair of these also, although mine aren't marked.  Never was sure what they were for.

Mike

[rusty]

Yea, those were Bernards patented stamped metal wire cutters, then Sargent bought them, and they started stamping Sargent on them...

I have both, somwhere, they do in fact cut (soft copper bell) wire fairly well...

[HeelSpur]

Found this on ebay, this one has a spring in it, is mine missing a spring or are there different kinds?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Vintage-SARGENT-Small-Double-Jaw-Wire-Cutter-Tool-/111024363911?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d9915987

[mikeswrenches]

I finally found mine.  They have a rather heavy spring and around the pivot on one side are marked "Made in England" and on the other side "Glass Piegel".  They appear to be identical to the ones HeelSpur posted pics of except the decoration on the handles is a bit different.  Maybe the Brits copied them after Sargents patent ran out?

Mike

[JohnD]

I have a bunch of Bernard's patent pliers including one of these. Not sure now if its marked Bernard or Sargent. I like tools that come with a story and this has one I've remembered. An elderly friend gave it to me and said it was issued to him brand new when he got his first paper route as a boy to cut the wire on the bundle of newspapers he was to deliver that morning. It was a thing of pride amongst his peers to have your own paper route wire cutter and proof that you were up to the task! It makes sense that it might have been a low cost tool to fill that specific  need. It's not much of a wire cutter compared to a well made forged diagonal pair with precision ground blades but if you think of a piece of baling wire securing a bundle of papers it would actually work better, not damage the papers, and I'm sure it was the cheapest option.

[Plyerman]

That's a neat story John

[mvwcnews]

Yea, those were Bernards patented stamped metal wire cutters, then Sargent bought them, and they started stamping Sargent on them...

I have both, somwhere, they do in fact cut (soft copper bell) wire fairly well...

When thinking of wire cutters patented over a century ago, don't forget poultry netting & all the other small soft wire applications then in use.  Having a cutter "right up front" rather than "down in the throat" in a pliers can speed up all kinds of work.  I too do like the newspaper bundle story. 
By the time my kids got in the news delivery game (I was a country kid so no paper route opportunities for me), the bundles were banded with plastic straps.

[Bill Houghton]

By the time my kids got in the news delivery game (I was a country kid so no paper route opportunities for me), the bundles were banded with plastic straps.

And now, at least in this area with the two papers both being morning papers, the paper routes are covered by adults with cars; no opportunity for kids to learn basic job skills by delivering papers.  And I can't remember the last time I saw a kid mowing a lawn.  Seems like all the old-time kid's jobs are gone or disappearing, mumble mumble old man grousing about how much better it was back then when the dinosaurs roamed the earth mumble mumble mumble...

[Nolatoolguy]

Found this on ebay, this one has a spring in it, is mine missing a spring or are there different kinds?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Vintage-SARGENT-Small-Double-Jaw-Wire-Cutter-Tool-/111024363911?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d9915987

Mine have a spring, will try to get a photo later.

[Nolatoolguy]

I have a bunch of Bernard's patent pliers including one of these. Not sure now if its marked Bernard or Sargent. I like tools that come with a story and this has one I've remembered. An elderly friend gave it to me and said it was issued to him brand new when he got his first paper route as a boy to cut the wire on the bundle of newspapers he was to deliver that morning. It was a thing of pride amongst his peers to have your own paper route wire cutter and proof that you were up to the task! It makes sense that it might have been a low cost tool to fill that specific  need. It's not much of a wire cutter compared to a well made forged diagonal pair with precision ground blades but if you think of a piece of baling wire securing a bundle of papers it would actually work better, not damage the papers, and I'm sure it was the cheapest option.

I don't know if my grandpas pair came from the paper route or not. I do know he did paper routes as a boy and we found a pair of sargents when we cleaned out his shop.

[dowdstools]

I have a bunch of Bernard's patent pliers including one of these. Not sure now if its marked Bernard or Sargent. I like tools that come with a story and this has one I've remembered. An elderly friend gave it to me and said it was issued to him brand new when he got his first paper route as a boy to cut the wire on the bundle of newspapers he was to deliver that morning. It was a thing of pride amongst his peers to have your own paper route wire cutter and proof that you were up to the task! It makes sense that it might have been a low cost tool to fill that specific  need. It's not much of a wire cutter compared to a well made forged diagonal pair with precision ground blades but if you think of a piece of baling wire securing a bundle of papers it would actually work better, not damage the papers, and I'm sure it was the cheapest option.

The pair I have was given to me by my favorite great-uncle when I was a kid and had a paper route. I still have them. I have since found numerous other pairs, but only one or two with the spring. These things don't cut thin wire worth a flip, but they go through that heavier wire that was used to bundle newspapers like it was butter. This same uncle that gave me the wire cutters also gave me my first whittling pocket knife. I still have it, as well.