Why do I own retainer ring pliers?
September 3, 2023 4:53 PM Subscribe
I seem to own these retainer ring pliers and a kit of different tips for them. I do have a bunch of electronic components, some motors, tabletop fountain pumps/hoses, woodworking stuff -- but I cannot figure out why I would have needed (or will in the future need) this tool. Any ideas? Should I keep them?
Retainer rings are definitely part of autowork, but I don't seem to remember where?
posted by kschang at 5:52 PM on September 3, 2023
posted by kschang at 5:52 PM on September 3, 2023
Spring rings attach plastic/rubber hoses to barb fittings on pumps. Retaining rings attach things to shafts (like motors).
posted by muddgirl at 6:01 PM on September 3, 2023
posted by muddgirl at 6:01 PM on September 3, 2023
Handy for household appliances. Maybe they were a gift?
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:04 PM on September 3, 2023
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:04 PM on September 3, 2023
Best answer: I am a woodworker and the other day I had an issue with my router. I tried to remove the collet but it had a retainer ring on it. All my old tricks I used to remove these rings when I fixed dot matrix and laser printers, using a flat blade screwdriver and a pair of needle nose pliers, failed this time. The only thing that would have worked would have been a pair of retainer ring pliers, exactly the kind you have for unknown reasons. I was shit out of luck. Luckily I found another way to fix things without removing the collet.
You may never need those pliers. But it's very likely you will need them ONCE in a situation where nothing else will work. If your question was "should I buy retainer ring pliers" I would probably say no. But your question is "I already have a pair of these. Should I keep them?"
Yes. You should keep them. You should put them in a drawer or box with the rest of your seldom-used tools. Remember that you own them. One day you might need them. They don't take up much space, they are not currently costing you money, and they just might be the thing you need to one day fix another tool.
I say this as someone who is currently working hard to slim down my tool collection. You have them, keep them.
posted by bondcliff at 6:23 PM on September 3, 2023 [12 favorites]
You may never need those pliers. But it's very likely you will need them ONCE in a situation where nothing else will work. If your question was "should I buy retainer ring pliers" I would probably say no. But your question is "I already have a pair of these. Should I keep them?"
Yes. You should keep them. You should put them in a drawer or box with the rest of your seldom-used tools. Remember that you own them. One day you might need them. They don't take up much space, they are not currently costing you money, and they just might be the thing you need to one day fix another tool.
I say this as someone who is currently working hard to slim down my tool collection. You have them, keep them.
posted by bondcliff at 6:23 PM on September 3, 2023 [12 favorites]
Best answer: Should I keep them?
The number of things that unexpectedly have retainer rings in them is ridiculous. Locks, plumbing attachments, toys, the hoses in household devices, mechanical bits in blenders, mixers or whatever, there's probably at least fifty of these in your car, two in your blender, the list goes on.
One way or the other at some point you're going to need these and exact instant you need them, you will remember this post for good or ill. But if your life is anything like mine, it will work like this: if you keep them, you may not need them for years. If you throw them out, you'll need them within a week.
posted by mhoye at 6:28 PM on September 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
The number of things that unexpectedly have retainer rings in them is ridiculous. Locks, plumbing attachments, toys, the hoses in household devices, mechanical bits in blenders, mixers or whatever, there's probably at least fifty of these in your car, two in your blender, the list goes on.
One way or the other at some point you're going to need these and exact instant you need them, you will remember this post for good or ill. But if your life is anything like mine, it will work like this: if you keep them, you may not need them for years. If you throw them out, you'll need them within a week.
posted by mhoye at 6:28 PM on September 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I wished I had a pair of these when fixing my dryer, so maybe some sort of appliance or the pumps?
posted by brilliantine at 6:34 PM on September 3, 2023
posted by brilliantine at 6:34 PM on September 3, 2023
someone who is currently working hard to slim down my tool collection
What kind of person does that?
These pliers are also known as Circlip Pliers. They are one of those tools that you may need once in a blue moon or you may never need them but, if you need them, absolutely nothing else will do the job no matter how many bad words you use. I agree with bondcliff - keep them because you already have them and they're easy to store. Keeping them will almost guarantee you'll never need them, which is a good thing in itself.
posted by dg at 8:09 PM on September 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
What kind of person does that?
These pliers are also known as Circlip Pliers. They are one of those tools that you may need once in a blue moon or you may never need them but, if you need them, absolutely nothing else will do the job no matter how many bad words you use. I agree with bondcliff - keep them because you already have them and they're easy to store. Keeping them will almost guarantee you'll never need them, which is a good thing in itself.
posted by dg at 8:09 PM on September 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: If anybody who needs them is near me in Durham/Chapel Hill, NC, USA, I'll lend them to you :)
Thanks. I _do_ have an organized storage spot for them, and I think I'll probably need them based on what you guys have said.
posted by amtho at 8:09 PM on September 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
Thanks. I _do_ have an organized storage spot for them, and I think I'll probably need them based on what you guys have said.
posted by amtho at 8:09 PM on September 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
Another vote to keep them, since they occasionally come into use for something weird where nothing else in the toolkit will work I once used a pair of these to help someone remove captive-bead ring body piercings before a medical procedure, for example.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:58 AM on September 4, 2023
posted by Dip Flash at 5:58 AM on September 4, 2023
I'm late to the party but also a woodworker. Removing or placing circlips isn't common but is an absolute pain in the arse if I'm without my pliers. There are many other tools I'd get rid of first.
posted by deadwax at 5:12 AM on September 5, 2023
posted by deadwax at 5:12 AM on September 5, 2023
The laws of the universe state that if you keep an unusual tool around, you will never need it. If you get rid of it, you will find a situation for which it would have been infinitely useful within a week, and several times over the next year.
If you have space, keep it.
posted by SquidLips at 6:15 PM on September 5, 2023
If you have space, keep it.
posted by SquidLips at 6:15 PM on September 5, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
If the answer is no, then I ask the question you're asking. If the answer is yes, I always keep the tool.
To your specific question, retaining rings are one of those things that show up because some engineer somewhere decided it was the best way to hold something onto a cylinder. I've seen them in electronics, I've seen them in motors of various sizes. The tool you have is very convenient when the need arises, but maybe you know someone who would be likely to have that same tool, should the need arise? Or better yet, someone who would appreciate receiving said tool, and who also has an organized space to keep it?
posted by AbelMelveny at 5:37 PM on September 3, 2023