Any idea what this is ?

[Steve Cavill]

Hi has anyone got any idea what this was used for ? Looks hand forged, about 8" long. Jaws only open a small amount and don't touch or overlap when closed. There's a groove cut into the face of the jaws making them look like a stripping tool ? Bye the way it's not a one off as I have three of them in slightly different sizes and handle designs although the jaws are the same on all three.
Thanks in advance
Steve c

 

[Jacob]

Looks like they clip tight and lock on.
Other than that - no idea!

 

[Phill05]

I think they for holding hot metal over a blacksmiths anvil.

 

[dickm]

Dunno, but if I was a ram/bull calf, I'd run like heck!!

 

[Bod]

Glass blowing tools?

Bod

 

[doctor Bob]

removing porcupine quills from Rhinos feet

 

[Orraloon]

Got a blacksmith made look to them. They look like they are meant to lock on so the question is what did they hold. When you look at blacksmith's tongs the variety is almost endless. Tongs for every item and if they did not have the right ones then they made a set for the job in hand.
Regards
John

 

[Rodpr]

They look as if they were made to pull/extract but who knows what or where?

 

[Trainee neophyte]

Could be a farrier tool? Possibly the mythical boy scout extractor?

I think the mouth is too open to be for clipping hooves but who knows. I have also never seen the handle ends shaped like that, so on balance, I think it have talked myself out of it being for torturing horses. "I'm not helping much, am I? "

 

[Stevekane]

As a complete guess and as you have 3 all very similer, they seem to be designed not to crush, they sqweeze down to a preset size, how do they put rings in animals noses? Could it be for that, the tongs hold the open hot ring which is then closed,,maybe you need to ask a Goth, they have rings in their noses,,,,and elsewhere Im told!

 

[MadMental]

Fitting Horse shoes or getting money out my wifes purse

 

[Superduner]

Fitting Horse shoes or getting money out my wifes purse

I use a Kango hammer for that

 

[Keith 66]

Backwoods Dentist?

 

[IWW]

Someone had a pretty specific job in mind when they designed those pliers, but very unlikely to be anything veterinary, or if they are, they pre-date my career by a century or two! I can't imagine where/how you might use them anyway, unless for holding thick skin back from an incision, perhaps. But do they actually lock? It doesn't look to me like the ends overlap enough, in which case, eliminate that idea too. They are certainly not for emasculating calves or lambs, that particular torture instrument has wide, rounded double-action jaws that don't quite close together. They are designed to crush soft tissue without cutting the skin...

The rounded jaws look to me like they are for grasping something (very!) firmly & extracting it by rolling the tool down, a la nail puller principle...
Cheers,
Ian

 

[JimB]

Looks a bit like a wire-stripper in function but made before there was wire insulation to strip

 

[tony]

Holding rivets ?

 

[recipio]

Could it be extracting those pyramid shaped horseshoe nails. ?