Snips

A pair of snips, comprising:

• first and second opposed elongated members, each member comprising a jaw at a front end portion thereof, a handle at a rear end portion thereof, and a midportion where the members cross over each other, the first elongated member including a metal plate having oppositely facing inner and outer surfaces, a forwardly extending blade which constitutes one of the jaws, and a rearwardly extending tang, the handle of the first member being made of a moldable material molded onto the tang of the metal plate;
• and
• a pivot made of a moldable material molded in a central aperture in the metal plate, the pivot including a round post integral with the second member and extending from the inner surface of the plate through the central aperture into close conforming engagement with an interior surface thereof to a point lying proximate but below the outer surface, the pivot uniting the midportions for scissor movement of the handles and jaws about the pivot.

A method for making snips of the type having a gripper, the snips including first and second opposed elongated members, each member comprising a jaw at a front end portion thereof, a handle at a rear end portion thereof and a midportion where the members cross over each other, a pivot uniting the midportions for scissor movement of the handles and jaws about the pivot, the gripper being biasely connected to the first member and cooperating with the jaw of the second member to retain a portion of a workpiece severed by the snips, the method comprising:

• positioning a metal plate into a mold, the metal plate having spaced apart inner and outer surfaces, a forwardly extending blade which constitutes the jaw of the first member, and a rearwardly extending tang;
• and
• molding the handle of the first member and gripper onto the metal plate using a moldable plastic such that the handle of the first member is molded onto the tang of the metal plate to form the first elongated member and the gripper is molded integrally with the first member.