Tool replacement?

[Seahorse]

I made some jewellery recently(new pics taken this morning)and holding the pliers felt completely alien to me.
I know I havnt been making as much as I used to but it really concerned me.They used to feel like such a part of me that I felt like Edward Scissorhands...but Seahorse plier hands.
The pliers didnt seem to grip, and the jump rings etc kept slipping.
Are pliers meant to have some sort of ridge on the inside for better grip?Cant say Ive ever looked.
Basically, Ive had my pliers for at least a year, do you think its time to treat myself to new ones?

[goldy1]

If you mean on the jaws part then it depends on the job you want the pliers to do. for jump rings I wouldnt want any ridges as this would damge and mark the wire. You can get nylon jawd pliers that give better grip without damging the work.

[ShinySilver]

I also find it tricky getting pliers to grip well on jump rings but, as goldy1 said, if you get anything but smooth pliers then they'll damage the rings even more than the smooth ones do!

I'm going to invest in some nylon pliers soon although I have the feeling they won't grip quite as well.

I'm sure some contraption exists to open and close jump rings painlessly but I'm not sure what it's called! Perhaps somewhere like Julesgems sells it? I'm sure I saw something like it on that site, although I've never used it so can't say if it's any good!

Sorry - not sure this is helpful at all!

[Sparklez]

I have nylon jaw pliers but I don't use them very often. I find that jump rings slip in them, and they are not narrow enough for small jump rings.

I would say treat yourself Seahorse. You need to have good comfortable tools to work with, and unless you go for a REALLY posh set, pliers aren't that expensive. (I think I've just talked myself into a new set:p)

Cheers
Carol