Tool for forming a mason's trig and method

Abstract

A hand tool is disclosed for producing trigs from flat metal strips. The hand tool has a pair of opposite press blocks or "jaws." One jaw serves as a base. It has a loop affixed in it for receiving an insertion portion of the strip. It also has appropriate guides and stops for promoting proper location of the insertion portion and preventing its untimely dislocation. The other jaw has a corner edge which when the jaws are closed on the single ply of the insertion portion, forms the outer limit of the insertion portion and allows for initiating bending of the remaining portion of the strip back upon the insertion portion. The other jaw also is formed with a slot to match the loop such that when the jaws are closed on the two plies of the insertion portion and bent-back remaining portion together, light hammering on the jaws will substantially flatten out the insertion and remaining portions tightly against each other as well as form a flute in the remaining portion that conforms closely to what interspace is defined between such loop and slot. This flute serves as a well-formed guide-string eye for a mason's guide string.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.