Sugru Soft-Jaw Pliers

by mattthegamer463

4.9K1910

Intro: Sugru Soft-Jaw Pliers

Hey folks,

For delicate tasks, sometimes normal pliers are too abusive to use; their teeth mark up soft items and chip paint.  Teeth-less pliers are so smooth they can't hold anything very well, it will just slide right out. 

The answer: soft-jaw pliers.  If you have a old pair of annoying pliers that don't work well for your needs, add some Sugru and make them great!

If you like this project, please consider voting for it in the Sugru Contest.  Voting begins Oct. 10th.  Thanks!


STEP 1: Materials

All you need:
  • Pliers
  • 1x 5g sachet of Sugru

STEP 2: Prep and Place Sugru

Make sure the pliers are clean and not greasy or rusty.  If they do have some rust on them, I recommend sanding them with a bit of sandpaper, then rinse the tip and dry completely with a paper towel.

Cut open the Sugru sachet and knead in your hand until it is warm and soft.  Break off two pieces, about 1/4 of the sachet each.  Mould them around the tip of the pliers, flattening the end, sides and inner face into semi-flat surfaces.  This will help picking up small objects easier.

Place the pliers so the Sugru isn't coming into contact with anything and let dry for 24 hours.

STEP 3: Hold Things With Ease!

Now you can hold tiny things with ease and the gentle touch you just can't get with regular pliers.

Hope you enjoyed this quick and easy project.  Thanks for reading!

10 Comments

marhar 12 years ago

This is great... the sugru has just enough "give" so that it hold things firmly.

muyo19 13 years ago

I think that is an excellent idea. I like to work with electronics, so when I use pliers, I have to be careful not to squeeze them too hard. This sometimes results in me dropping the part. I'll try this as soon as I get some sugru.

ZXR9 13 years ago

Great idea, I'll do it!

jeff-o 13 years ago

I should also add, in the industry I work in, any marks, dents or damage to the leads of a component are considered defects. This mod would prevent that from happening.

jeff-o 13 years ago

Hey, I have a pair of the very same pliers! I never use them because they're useless as-is. Perhaps I will mod them as you have. Thanks!

The Ideanator 13 years ago

Ooh, I'll have to try this, this is nice.

sylrig 13 years ago

I love this--this is something I need all the time. I'm going to go and use up the rest of my open sugru packet on a pair of pliers right now--I may try texturing the gripping surface. Thanks!

waterbaby 13 years ago

Great idea -- will have to try this for working with jewelry wire, which inevitably gets marked or dinged from most pliers. Thanks!