Hand grip operating means for an insulation-stripping tool

A pliers-type gripping tool for stripping insulation from conductors, and the like, comprising:

• (a) a pair of gripping jaws (36, 38;
• 136, 138;
• 236, 238) connected for relative displacement between an open separated condition and a closed gripping condition;
• (b) operating means for operating said gripping jaws between said open and closed conditions, said operating means including a pair of pivotally connected hand grip levers (3,4;
• 103, 104;
• 203, 204) connected with said gripping jaws, respectively;
• and
• (c) adjustment means (5,6;
• 18, 21;
• 219b, 226) for varying the angular orientation of at least one of said hand grip levers relative to its associated gripping jaw, thereby to permit use of the tool to grip an object at a relatively inaccessible location, wherein:
• (1) at least one of said hand grip levers comprises a pair of lever sections (2,4;
• 3, 33) arranged in generally end-to-end relation, one of said hand grip lever sections having a first end extremity that is bifurcated to define a slot extending between two parallel first end walls (3a);
• (2) wherein the associated hand grip lever section has at its end extremity a planar second end wall (33a) extending in parallel relation into said slot;
• (3) and further including angle setting means (5, 6) for connecting together said hand grip lever sections at a given angle, said angle setting means comprising:
• (a) a cylinder (7) removably extending through aligned bores (10) contained in said first and second section end walls, said cylinder having an outer circumferential surface (7a) provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending keys (7b) that extend within corresponding slots (11) contained in said first and second section end walls, thereby to lock said sections against angular displacement;
• and
• (b) retaining means (7c, 12) for retaining said cylinder in said bores.