Ringing Pliers (1 Viewer)

Hi guys,

I'm not sure where to post this, but I'm getting into ringing, haven't started training just yet. But I was wondering if anyone had an old pair of ringing pliers I could buy? I can't really afford the £40 new ones from the BTO!

Thanks!

They're £32 if you have a ringing permit number (discounts for ringers). They're no use to you if haven't registered as a trainee anyway, as you can't legally handle birds and have no access to rings. Your trainer would be closely supervising you for a while at first, so you would use their pliers before you needed your own.

I don't think anyone would be willing to sell you ringing equipment if you are not even in the ringing scheme and not registered with a trainer.

Agree with Alf that there is little point acquiring pliers until you start ringing, and even then not until you start advancing - your trainer will have them.

Contrary to his last comment however, it is very simple to find persons/companies that sell the pliers without question if you are a registered ringer or not - I believe the BTO does not require a ringing permit to purchase just the pliers, and one of the main companies supplying ringing equipment in Europe certainly does not. You can also get them in the UK from the NHBS for £34, again without a license I believe. For obvious reason, none of these sell mist nets without license however.

Jos Stratford said:

Contrary to his last comment however

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I meant that I hope any ringers wouldn't sell equipment to people without permits. There seems to be a fair bit of illegal ringing going on, mostly colour rings but I think BTO also get reports of untraceable metal rings. Not that I'm saying daletherail is dodgy, but it's probably best for equipment to stay within the scheme where possible.

AlfArbuthnot said:

There seems to be a fair bit of illegal ringing going on, mostly colour rings but I think BTO also get reports of untraceable metal rings. Not that I'm saying daletherail is dodgy, but it's probably best for equipment to stay within the scheme where possible.

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I don't disagree.

My partner and I trained for five years on T before progressing to C permits. We had a pair of pliers each after the first few months and they were invaluable at busy group ringing sessions. Couple of other non-permit equipment pieces like wing rule, digital balance, copy of Svennson, acquired along the way were useful in busy sessions also. We only wish we'd accumulated more before the C permits turned up (poles etc.)! I was warned it's expensive! So do buy things like this over time, it all helps when you're putting together a full toolbox on a C permit.

Great that you're keen to get going with your training and picking up bits of equipment along the way is definitely the best thing to do. It might be worth trying a couple of different pairs of pliers first though, as you'll no doubt find some are easier for you to use than others.

Sadly though, older pliers are generally greatly preferred by ringers, so they're likely to be more expensive to buy second-hand than new. Seems an odd way round, but you'll no doubt find out soon enough how possessive people are of their old pliers...

Mark Grantham said:

Sadly though, older pliers are generally greatly preferred by ringers, so they're likely to be more expensive to buy second-hand than new. Seems an odd way round, but you'll no doubt find out soon enough how possessive people are of their old pliers...

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Quite right, Mark. Still got my old, Bert-Axell-designed pair with the anvil on the end for shaping overlap #1 rings, i shall probably write into my will that these are to be buried with me

John Morgan said:

Quite right, Mark. Still got my old, Bert-Axell-designed pair with the anvil on the end for shaping overlap #1 rings, i shall probably write into my will that these are to be buried with me

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Hi John,

You'll just attract grave robbers !

Mike.

Mark has alluded to this, but beware that ringing plier quality has had it's ups and downs over the years. The last design had a poor reputation, prompting the BTO to review both design and production techniques and both have been changed. Many people hated that last design of pliers. I have a pair, and some older ringers commented they were the only pair of that design they had found good. Now, with several thousand rings applied, I am finding first closure on A rings unsatisfactory, final closure on Bs very difficult, and getting the pliers round the leg to fit an AA without dropping the ring on LOTTIs in particular can be a challenge. Next time I am ordering from BTO ringing sales I hope to remember to buy a new pair

So, if you look to buy second hand, you may get someone else's rejects.

I bought this pair before I decided to become a trainee. I started hosting ringing on my land, the site was very busy and often we were short of pliers. It can be very useful to have an extra pair on hand.

Mike.