A Complete Handy Guide To Circlip Pliers, Their Types, And Uses
Owning a tool or a toolkit is not enough if you do not know how to use it the right way. Here in this post, let us talk about circlip pliers, their types, and their uses to help you identify the various types available and to use them correctly. Also known as retaining ring pliers, snap ring pliers or C-clip pliers, circlip pliers are mainly designed for installing or removing circlips.
What are circlips?
Circlips are a type of fastener that works like a retaining ring and are deployed where it is needed to keep the components fitted on the shafts or housings. Circlips are also used to fix a range of bearings that are used in mechanisms designed to twist, spin, turn, rotate, or pivot.
What makes circlips stand out is that they allow for the easy rotation of shafts and dowel pins when installed. Their unique design does not allow any sideways movement and acts as a self-locking mechanism once installed.
What are circlip pliers?
Circlip pliers are a certain type of hand tool used to install or remove C-clips. They have a specially designed tip exclusively designed to work with circlips. Their tips are shaped precisely to fit between the grip holes of circlips making the tool perfect to manipulate or manoeuvre them into place.
There are different sizes of C-clips available, but the circlip pliers are sold around a more limited range of ‘standard’ gauges. However, it is important to choose the right pair of C-clip pliers for the type and size of the snap ring used. And hence, it is necessary to know the different types of circlip pliers.
Types of circlip pliers:
a. External circlip pliers
External circlips are installed to fit around the outside of a shaft or dowel. Once fitted, they exert pressure inwards towards the dowel. External circlip pliers are used to open external c-clips for installation. This makes the circlips expand slightly and fit easily over the dowel.
b. Internal circlip pliers
Internal circlips are designed to be fitted inside a hollow, cylindrical housing or bore. The spring action pushes outward against the sides to hold the ring in place. When the tips of the internal circlip pliers are inserted into the holes on the snap ring, the handles are squeezed to close the plier tips together, and once they are released, the ring diameter is resumed.
c. Long nose circlip pliers
Long nose circlip pliers are a specialist tool used with longer dowels or bores, for inserting and removing C-clips in harder-to-reach places. These pliers have extended tips for easier operation of the more challenging job to insert a snap ring inside a deep bore.
d. Heavy-duty circlip pliers
These pliers are used typically to manipulate, install or remove much bigger or thicker retaining rings. They are usually made of high-grade toughened materials like heat-treated steel with galvanised tips for increased hardness.
Using circlip pliers
When using circlip pliers, you must know which one is the correct one for the task at hand. Selecting the best circlip plier for a certain job means you must know the exact size of retaining ring you are working with. Also, it is also necessary to identify what type of C-clip (external or internal) you are installing or removing.
Keep the guide handy the next time you are working with circlips or circlip pliers. This would help you to know what precisely you need and how to use the distinct circlip plier for the particular job.
