Band tightening and securing tool

A band tightening and securing tool has a rigid slide frame with parallel side slide rails connected at their forward ends by a transverse nose end portion flattened in the plane of the frame and at their rearward ends by a crossbar portion. A cross slide member bridging and slidable along the slide rails has a clamp arm mounted at one end on the cross slide between the slide rails and carrying at its other end a clamp device aligned with the longitudinal center line of the frame for tightly gripping and holding the free end portion of the band in a position extending lengthwise of the frame medially between its slide rails and flatwise across the flattened nose end of the frame.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
(1) Field of the Invention 
This invention relates in general to a banding tool for drawing and 
securing a metal band or strap tightly around an object such as, for 
example, the fiberglass or asbestos layer insulation commonly provided 
around pipelines, towers, vessels, tanks, and the like. 
(2) Description of the Prior Art 
It is common practice to provide an outer cover layer of fiberglass, 
asbestos, or other such blanket type insulation on various industrial and 
commercial pipelines, towers, vessels, tanks and the like, as for example, 
those employed in petrochemical and power generating facilities. For 
weather protection as well as appearance considerations, the blanket 
insulation is generally covered with a thin metal jacket layer of either 
aluminum, galvanized iron, or stainless steel. The blanket insulation, 
either with or without the protective outer metal jacket layer, is held 
tight in place around the pipeline or other vessel by means of a series of 
spaced metal bands or straps of aluminum, galvanized iron, or stainless 
steel. These bands are drawn tight around the insulation or metal 
jacketing and each locked in place in such tensioned state by a metal 
locking or fastening clip commonly referred to in the art as a wing seal 
and comprised of a shallow box-shaped section with a pair of upstanding 
locking lugs at one end. 
In the application of the metal retaining bands around the layer insulation 
or its protective metal jacket layer where employed, each band is first 
secured at one end to its fastening clip by passage of the band end 
through the box-section of the clip from the end thereof opposite the 
locking lugs thereon and bending the inserted band end back tight around 
the bottom wall of the clip box-section. The band, together with its 
attached clip on one end, is then positioned or strung around the 
circumference of the insulation covered pipeline or other vessel and its 
other or free end passed through the box-section body portion of the 
fastening clip following which the band is then drawn or pulled tight 
around the pipeline or other vessel, by pulling forces applied to its 
opposite ends, and the free end of the band while thus tensioned then bent 
back over the top wall of the clip body section to secure the band in 
place in its tightened condition around the pipeline. After trimming off 
the excess length of the bent back free end of the band at a point a short 
distance beyond the locking lugs of the clip, the lugs are then bent down 
over the trimmed bent back free end of the band to lock it securely in 
place in the clip against any unwanted loosening therefrom, thus 
completing the band-applying operation. 
The above described drawing or pulling of the metal band tight around the 
layer insulation or its protective metal jacketing on the pipeline or 
other vessel, and the bending back of the free end of the band over the 
top wall of the fastening clip, is customarily performed by the band 
applying workman with the use of a so-called banding tool. While various 
types of such banding tools have been heretofore available for the 
purpose, they have all possessed certain disadvantages such as their being 
of bulky and heavy form, expensive, and cumbersome and difficult to 
operate. Many of these tools are designed for use primarily by 
right-handed operators and thus are difficult to use by left-handed 
operators. Also, the most commonly used tools employed heretofore have 
generally incorporated a ratcheting mechanism for effecting the tightening 
of the metal band. These ratcheting mechanisms employ moving mechanical 
parts, e.g., the ratchet pawl, which eventually become worn so that the 
pawl slips and loses its grip on the metal band during usage of the tool, 
thus rendering the tool inoperative for its intended purpose. Such ratchet 
type tools also have the further disadvantage of being apt to cause the 
breakage of the metal band during the band tensioning and securing 
operation. This is so because the ratcheting mechanism, once it has been 
actuated to set the desired tension in the metal band, cannot be released 
in any way during the further course of the band applying operation to 
reduce or ease off on the added tension which develops in the band during 
the bending back of the free end of the band over the top of the fastening 
clip to secure it in place thereto, with the result that breakage of the 
band is likely to occur. In such case, repetition of the band applying 
operation is required, with attendant loss not only of the ruptured metal 
band material but loss of the workman's time as well. 
The banding tools most commonly used in the past have also had the added 
disadvantage of limited capability in the angle to which they can bend the 
free end of the metal band back over the top wall of the fastening clip to 
secure it in place in the clip in its tensioned condition. These prior 
tools are able to bend back the free end of the metal band over the top 
wall of the fastening clip to an angle of only about 45.degree. or so 
beyond perpendicularity, i.e., beyond a 90.degree. bend. Such a limited 
angle bending back of the metal band over the fastening clip is 
insufficient, in most cases, to prevent the bent over free end of the band 
from being unbent and snapped back into the clip, and thus unloosened, by 
the pulling force of the tensioned band upon either the release of the 
metal band from the clamp jaws or other gripping means of the tool or upon 
the customary severing or cut-off of the excess portion of the bent over 
free end of the band at a point between the fastening clip and the band 
gripping means of the tool. When such unloosening of the metal band 
happens, it then becomes necessary for the workman to start the band 
tensioning and securing operation all over again, thus wasting work time 
and, in some instances, wasting the metal band material as well. 
In an effort to avoid any such band unloosening occurrence resulting from 
the above described limited angle of bend over of the free end of the 
metal band, the workmen using these prior tools have been accustomed to 
applying finger pressure down on the bent over band end during the release 
of the band clamp jaws of the tool, or during the cut-off of the excess 
band material, in order to thereby maintain the bent over band end it its 
bent over band securing position until it can be subsequently bent down 
further to lie flat against the top of the fastening clip and then locked 
in place in the clip by the bending down of the locking lugs on the clip 
over the bent down end of the band. However, this procedure requires 
considerable skill and dexterity on the part of the workman to not only 
hold the heavy and cumbersome banding tool in place but to also 
simultaneously apply the necessary finger pressure to the bent over band 
end while at the same time either cutting off the excess band material or 
opeining the band clamp jaws of the tool to release the band. At best, 
this procedure constitutes a rather tricky and most difficult 
time-consuming operation, especially so in the case of a left-handed 
operator using a tool designed for use primarily by right-handed 
operators. 
Of all the many drawbacks, however, of the prior band tightening and 
securing tools commonly employed in the past, perhaps the most troublesome 
and annoying one is their pronounced tendency to cause the clamped or 
otherwise gripped free end of the metal band to skew out of relative 
alignment with the tool and its clamp jaws or gripping means during the 
tensioning of the band by the tool. This skewing action of the metal band 
in the clamp jaws or gripping means of the tool is caused by the fact that 
these prior tools have been of the so-called side pull type wherein their 
band clamp jaws or gripping means are located at one side of the tool and 
offset from the longitudinal center line thereof so that the pulling 
forces exerted on the opposite ends of the band, during the band 
tensioning operation, are not in exact coalignment but instead are at a 
slight angle to one another. Because of this, and further because the 
clamp jaws or gripping means of these prior tools have been of the side 
opening type requiring sidewise slipping or insertion of the free end of 
the band into the clamp jaws or gripping means of the tool, the skewing 
action alluded to above results in the band working and slipping sideways 
out of the open side of the clamp jaws or gripping means during the band 
tensioning operation and so becoming completely disengaged therefrom and 
thus unloosened from around the pipeline or other vessel. Repetition of 
the band clamping and tightening operation is again necessitated, 
resulting in added lost working time by the band applying workman. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the invention to provide a band tightening and securing 
tool which is of simple and light weight construction and easily 
manipulatable both by left and right-handed operators and which is free of 
all the above mentioned disadvantages of prior such tools. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a band tensioning and 
securing tool which is comparatively easy and convenient to operate in all 
banding applications and which permits continuous adjustment of the 
tensioning force applied thereby to the band at all times throughout the 
band tightening and securing operation so that excessive tensioning and 
possible breakage of the band can be prevented. 
Still another object of the invention is to provide a band tensioning and 
securing tool of center pull character such as operates to apply exactly 
coaligned pulling forces to the opposite ends of the band during the 
tensioning thereof by the tool and thereby avoids any concommitant skewing 
of the gripped end of the band sideways out of the clamp jaws or gripping 
means of the tool. 
A further object of the invention is to provide a band tensioning and 
securing tool which is capable of bending back the free end of the band 
gripped therein to an angle over the top of the band fastening clip which 
is sufficient of itself to positively assure against the subsequent 
unbending and snapping back into the clip of the bent over free end of the 
band, with resultant unloosening of the band, by the pulling force of the 
tension in the band when it is either released from the band gripping 
means of the tool or cut off between the fastening clip and the gripping 
means. 
A still further object of the invention is to provide a band tightening and 
securing tool which is capable of bending back the free end of the band 
gripped therein to an angle of nearly 180.degree. over the top of the band 
fastening clip. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a band tensioning and 
securing tool which is free of moving mechanical parts subject to wear 
that normally renders the tool inoperative and which permits the reuse of 
old metal bands that have been unloosened and removed from the pipeline or 
other vessel. 
Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, a band 
tightening and securing tool is comprised of a rigid slide frame having 
side legs formed with parallel slide rail portions spaced apart a 
sufficient distance to accommodate an operator's hand therebetween and 
connected at their rearward ends by a crossbar portion serving as a 
handgrip and at their forward ends by a transverse nose end portion of 
relatively short length located centrally relative to the frame side legs 
and flattened in the plane of the frame. A cross-slide mounted on the 
slide rails for sliding movement therealong and serving as a complimentary 
handgrip to the crossbar handgrip has a clamp arm mounted at one end on 
the cross-slide between the slide rails and provided at its other end with 
a clamp device located medially between the side legs of the frame for 
tightly gripping and holding the free end portion of a metal band in a 
position extending lengthwise of the frame medially between its side legs 
and flatwise across the flattened nose end of the frame. 
According to a further aspect of the invention, the clamp arm of the band 
tightening and securing tool is preferably pivoted at its one end on the 
cross-slide for pivotal movement in a plane normal to the plane of the 
frame to thereby enable the bending back of the clamped free end of the 
tensioned metal band over the top of the fastening clip to the maximum 
possible angle of nearly 180.degree. so as to lie flat against the top 
wall of the clip and thus insure of itself the positive securing of the 
free band end in place in the clip against possible unloosening therefrom 
by the pulling force of the tensioned band upon release of the band end 
from the clamp jaws of the tool or cut-off of the excess band material at 
a point between the bend in the band over the clip and the clamp jaws of 
the tool. 
Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the 
following detailed description of species thereof and from the 
accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings, the band tightening and securing 
tool 10 according to the invention comprises a rigid metal frame 11 
composed in part of a generally U-shaped bail member or slide bar portion 
12 made of suitable material such as, for instance, steel rod or tubing of 
1/4 inch diameter or so, and having side legs 13 formed with parallel 
slide rail portions 14 spaced apart a sufficient distance to freely 
accommodate therebetween an operator's hand. From the slide rails 14, the 
side legs 13 of the bail or slide bar member 12 are symmetrically narrowed 
down, as indicated at 15, to a transverse bight portion 16 of relatively 
short length (e.g., 11/2 inch or so) and centered on the longitudinal 
center line of the frame 11. The bight portion 16 is formed of relatively 
thin flat shape, e.g., around 1/16 to 1/8 inch or so thickness, in the 
plane of the frame 11 and serves as the front or nose end of the tool. At 
the rearward end of the frame 11, the side legs 13 of the bail or slide 
bar portion 12 are rigidly connected by a crossbar member 17 pinned or 
otherwise suitably fastened to the slide rails 14 and serving as one of 
the hand grips of the tool. The crossbar 17, which may be suitably made of 
steel or aluminum rod around 1/2 inch to 5/8 inch or so diameter, is 
preferably extended at each end outwardly beyond the slide rails 14 a 
short distance, as shown at 18, for use as a convenient hammer head by the 
workman during the band applying operation. 
Slidably mounted on and bridging the slide rails 14 of the frame 11 for 
sliding movement therealong is a draw or cross slide member 20 which may 
be suitably made of steel rod around 1/2 inch to 5/8 inch or so in 
diameter and which serves as a hand grip complimentary to the crossbar 
hand grip 17. A clamp or draw arm 21, which may be suitably in the form of 
an elongated steel bar member, is mounted at one end on the cross slide 20 
medially between the slide rails 14 of the frame 11. The clamp arm 21 may 
be fixedly secured in any suitable manner to the cross slide 20 so as to 
extend therefrom in a direction forwardly of the frame 11 toward the nose 
end 16 thereof. However, for more convenient and effective operation of 
the tool 10, the clamp arm 21 preferably is journaled at its one end on 
the cross slide 20 for pivotal movement in a plane normal to the plane of 
the frame 11. By being thus pivoted on the cross slide 20, the clamp or 
draw arm 21, which carries at its other or free end a suitable clamp 
device 22 for gripping and tightly holding the free end 23 (FIG. 7) of a 
metal band 24 to be applied around the pipeline 25 or other vessel, is 
then able to bend back the clamped free end 23 of the tensioned metal band 
24 over the top of the band fastening clip 26 (FIGS. 5-7) to the maximum 
possible angle of nearly 180.degree. so as to lie approximately flat 
against the top wall of the clip, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, thereby 
insuring of itself the positive securing of the free end of the band in 
place in the clip against possible unloosening therefrom upon its 
subsequent release from the clamp device 22 or its cut-off at a point 
between its bend over the clip and the clamp device. The pivoted clamp arm 
21 is locked in place on the cross slide member 20 against sidewise 
movement out of its centered position thereon medially between the side 
legs 13 of the frame 11 in any suitable manner as, for example, by means 
of a pair of conventional snap type lock washers 27 which are snapped into 
respective annular grooves 28 (FIG. 3) in the cross slide member 20 at 
each side of the clamp arm 21. 
The clamp means or clamp head device 22 provided on the free end of the 
clamp arm 21 is located centrally between the side legs 13 of the frame 11 
and is constructed to fit freely between the narrowed down portion 
thereof, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The clamp means is adapted to grip and 
hold the free end 23 of the metal band 24 flatwise therein and, in the 
starting position of the clamp or draw arm 21 as shown in FIG. 9, in a 
position extending flatwise across the top of the flat nose end 16 of the 
tool 10 in a direction longitudinally of the frame 11 and medially between 
its side legs 13. The particular clamp device 22 illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 
comprises a stirrup-shaped clamping bar or plate member 30 suitably made 
of rigid, e.g., around 1/16 inch or so thickness, metal bar or strap 
material such as hardened steel, for instance, fixedly secured at its neck 
end to the free end of the clamp arm 21 in a position with its straight 
bight or saddle portion 31 disposed opposite the free end of the clamp arm 
21 and extending crosswise of the slide frame 11 and its side legs 32 
extending back alongside the opposite sides of the clamp arm 21 and 
suitably fastened securely thereto as by rivets 33, for example. The 
saddle portion 31 forms the fixed jaw of the clamp device 22 and its flat 
inward face 34 constitutes the gripping or clamping surface thereof. 
Although the saddle portion 31 of the clamping bar or plate member 30 may 
have its flat jaw face 34 disposed normal to the plane of the frame 11 
when the clamp or draw arm 21 is positioned in the plane of the frame, as 
shown in FIG. 2, the jaw face 34 is preferably inclined upwardly and 
forwardly of the tool at a slight angle of around 5.degree. or so with the 
clamp arm 21 thus positioned. The other or movable jaw of the clamp device 
22 is constituted by a pivoted finger or pawl 35 suitably made of bar 
steel, for example, and pivoted at one end on the side legs 32 of the 
stirrup-shaped clamping bar 30, on a pivot pin 36, for pivotal movement in 
a plane normal to the saddle portion 31 of the clamping bar member 30. In 
its rest or inoperative position, as shown in FIG. 2, the clamp finger 35 
extends longitudinally and forwardly of the clamp arm 21 from its pivot 36 
and rests on an underlying lip extension 37 (FIG. 2) projecting forwardly 
from the free end of the clamp arm. The clamp finger or movable jaw 35 is 
formed with a squared off end 38 which serves as the jaw face thereof and 
which, in the rest position of the clamp arm 21, lies directly opposite 
and approximately parallel to the fixed jaw face 34 and spaced therefrom a 
slight distance of around 0.015 inch or so sufficient to just clear it 
when the clamp finger is pivoted upwardly to open the clamp jaws so as to 
permit insertion of the free end 23 of the metal band 24 therebetween but 
close enough to tightly clamp the commonly used metal bands, which 
generally range from 0.015 to 0.020 inch thickness, in place against the 
fixed jaw face 34 when the clamp finger is pivoted downwardly to close the 
jaws of the clamp device 22. Where the fixed jaw face 34 is inclined at a 
slight angle as described above, the jaw face 38 of the clamp finger 35 is 
in such case likewise inclined at a corresponding or slightly greater 
angle and so positioned relative to the fixed jaw face 34 as to cause the 
flat jaw face 38, or just its uppermost surface portion, to engage with 
the fixed jaw face 34 when the clamp finger 35 is in its rest position 
shown in FIG. 2. If desired, the jaw face 38 of the pivoted clamp finger 
35 may be serrated or otherwise suitably roughened as illustrated at 42 in 
FIG. 4 in order to assure a more secure gripping and clamping of the metal 
band 24 in place in the clamp device 22. Also, the bottom edge of the jaw 
face 38 of the clamp finger 35 is preferably rounded off, as shown at 39 
in FIG. 2, to further serve as a guide surface for guiding the free end 23 
of the metal band 24 into position between the two jaw faces 34, 38 of the 
clamp device 22 during its insertion thereinto, thus facilitating this 
particular operation. 
In the modified clamp device 40 shown in FIG. 4, the pivoted clamp finger 
41 is in the form of an eccentric cam element having a serrated or 
otherwise roughened arcuate cam or jaw face 42 eccentrically centered 
relative to, i.e., centered above as viewed in FIG. 4, the pivot center of 
the clamp finger on the pivot pin 36 so that the high point of the 
cam-shaped jaw face 42 is located at its upper edge and engages, or nearly 
so engages, with the fixed flat jaw face 34 of the clamp device when the 
finger 41 is pivoted downwardly to close the cooperating jaw faces 34, 42. 
The clamp finger 41 is biased in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed 
in FIG. 4, by means of a torsion coil spring 43 fitted over the pivot pin 
36 and located within a slot-like recess 44 in the clamp finger and the 
opposite legs 45 and 46 of which respectively bear against the clamp arm 
21 and the clamp finger 41, the spring leg 45 for such purpose extending 
through a slot 47 in the lip extension 37 on the clamp arm 21. Other 
equivalent biasing arrangements will be obvious to those skilled in the 
art. With the modified clamp device 40, as tension is applied to the metal 
band 24 clamped therein, the teeth or serrations on the eccentric cam jaw 
face 42 tend to bite further and further into the material of the band due 
to the downward pull of the tensioned band on the pivoted clamp finger 41 
and resulting further downward pivoting thereof, thus automatically 
increasing or tightening the grip of the clamp jaw faces 34 and 42 on the 
band. The modified clamp device 40, with its more positive gripping 
action, is of particular utility in heavy duty banding applications 
involving the use of relatively large size heavy duty metal bands 24. 
Referring to FIG. 5, the metal fastening clip or wing seal 26 there 
illustrated and representative of the various types of clips with which 
the tool 10 of the invention is adapted to cooperate, is formed of either 
aluminum, galvanized iron, or stainless steel sheet material of 
approximately 1/32 inch or so thickness and comprises a shallow open-ended 
box section 50 with top and bottom walls 51 and 52, respectively, and a 
pair of side locking lugs 53 upstanding from the bottom wall 52 beyond the 
box section 50. The clip 26 is fastened to one end of the metal band 24 to 
be applied around the pipeline or other vessel in the manner shown in FIG. 
6 by passing the band end through the box section 50 of the clip from the 
end thereof opposite the lugs 53 thereon and then bending the inserted 
band end tightly back around and under the bottom wall 52 of the clip, as 
shown at 48. 
In the application of one of the metal bands 24 around the layer insulation 
54 (FIG. 7) on a pipeline or other vessel 25, or around the protective 
metal jacketing thereon where employed, the metal band, with its attached 
fastening clip 26, is positioned or strung circumferentially around the 
insulation covered pipeline and the free end 23 of the band then passed 
through the box-section body portion 50 of the clip, in the manner shown 
in FIG. 7. Opposed pulling or tensioning forces are then applied to the 
opposite ends of the thus-positioned metal band 24 to draw it tight around 
the layer insulation 54 to the desired degree of tension whereupon the 
free end 23 of the metal band, while thus tensioned, is then bent back 
over the top wall 51 of the fastening clip 26 to an angle of nearly 
180.degree., as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 7, to thereby secure it in 
place in the clip. After trimming or cutting off the excess length of the 
bent back free end 23 of the metal band 24, the locking lugs 53 on the 
fastening clip 26 are then bent down over the bent back and trimmed band 
end 23, in the manner shown in FIG. 8, to lock it securely in place in the 
clip, thereby completing the band applying operation. It is the procedure 
of drawing the metal band 24 tightly around the layer insulation 54 to the 
desired degree of tension and then bending back the free end 23 of the 
band over the top wall 51 of the fastening clip 26 to the nearly 
180.degree. angle that the tool 10 of the invention is designed to 
perform. 
The manner of use of the tool 10 to perform the above described band 
tensioning and bending back operations is illustrated in FIG. 9. After the 
metal band 24 has been positioned around the layer insulation 54 on the 
pipeline or other vessel 25 and its free end 23 passed through the 
fastening clip 26, the tool 10 is then positioned with its nose end 16 
underneath the free end 23 of the metal band and adjacent the front end 55 
of the clip 26 and with the tool slide frame 11 in longitudinal alignment 
with the metal band, and with the clamp finger 21 of the tool so oriented 
as to swing outwardly away from the pipeline, i.e., upwardly as viewed in 
FIG. 9, when pivoted to open the clamp jaws 30, 35 of the clamp device 22. 
The free end 23 of the metal band 24 is then inserted into the opened jaws 
30, 35 of the clamp device 22 from the underside thereof as viewed in FIG. 
9 and then pulled hand tight therethrough while at the same time advancing 
the nose end 16 of the tool slide frame 11 into abutting engagement with 
the front end 55 of the fastening clip 26 and sliding the cross slide 20 
forwardly to its approximately forwardmost position in the slide frame 11, 
as shown in solid lines in FIG. 9. While holding the free end 23 of the 
metal band 24 in its thus hand tightened position around the pipeline, the 
pivoted clamp finger 35 of the clamp device 22 is then swung and pressed 
downwardly by the operator to its closed position in engagement with the 
free end 23 of the metal band to thereby press it against the fixed jaw 
face 34 and so clamp it tightly in place in the clamp device, in readiness 
for the start of the final band tensioning operation. Then, while 
maintaining the nose end 16 of the tool 10 butted up against the front end 
55 of the fastening clip 26, the cross slide 20 is pulled or drawn back in 
the slide frame 11 through the required distance A, by the operator 
gripping and pulling back on the cross slide while at the same time 
gripping in the same hand the frame crossbar portion 17, to thereby 
tighten and tension the metal band 24 to the desired degree around the 
pipeline. With the desired tension thus set in the metal band 24, the 
entire tool 10, using the bearing of its nose end 16 against the front end 
55 of the fastening clip 26 as a fulcrum, is then swung outwardly away 
from the pipeline through an angle B of approximately 90.degree., as shown 
in dotted lines in FIG. 9, to bend the free end 23 of the metal band to a 
corresponding angle around the front edge of the top wall 51 of the 
fastening clip 26. Should the operator, during this initial bending of the 
free end 23 of the metal band, determine by his sense of feel that too 
much added tension is being applied to the metal band around the pipeline 
or other vessel 25 such as might cause the breakage thereof, the operator 
in such case can circumvent this condition from occurring simply by easing 
off a little on the manual pulling force being applied to the cross slide 
20 so as to reduce the tension in the metal band 24 to the level at which 
possible breakage of the band is not apt to occur. In the same continuing 
motion, the clamp arm 21, while maintaining the tension in the metal band, 
is then bodily shifted in an arcuate path around the front edge of the 
clip top wall 51 through an arc C, to the position shown in dash-dot lines 
in FIG. 9, to thereby further bend the free end 23 of the metal band back 
over the top wall 51 of the fastening clip 26 through a total angle of 
nearly 180.degree. from its original position so as to lie practically 
flat against the clip top wall 51 and thus positively secure it in place 
in the clip against subsequent unloosening therefrom. Simultaneously with 
the bodily shifting of the clamp arm 21 through the arc C, the slide bar 
frame 11 of the tool 10 is further pivoted in a forward direction to cause 
the nose end 16 thereof to swing backwardly out of the way of the 
fastening clip 26 through an angle of around 90.degree. or so, as 
indicated generally by the arc D in FIG. 9. 
Upon completion of the step of bending the free end 23 of the metal band 
back over the fastening clip 26, as described above, the clamp finger 35 
is pivoted open to release the band end 23 from the clamp device 22 
following which the excess length of the band end is suitably trimmed or 
cut off, as by the use of a conventional tin snips for example, at a point 
a short distance beyond the locking lugs 53 on the fastening clip, as 
indicated at L in FIG. 9, and the locking lugs then bent down over the 
bent back trimmed end 23 of the metal band, in the manner shown in FIG. 8, 
to effectively lock it in place in the fastening clip against unwanted 
unloosening therefrom and so complete the band applying operation. The 
bending down of the locking lugs 53 over the bent back band end 23 may be 
conveniently accomplished by employing one or the other of the projecting 
outer ends 18 of the frame crossbar portion 17 as a hammer head to hammer 
or press down the lugs over the band end. 
In certain applications such as those involving the application of large 
size heavy duty metal bands 24 around the pipeline or other vessel 25, it 
may be desirable to apply a greater degree of tension to the metal band 
than can be applied by the operator's hand grip force alone on the cross 
slide 20. In such case, a so-called mechanical advantage device in the 
form of a tensioning screw bolt 56 (FIG. 3) provided with a tightening 
wing nut 57 screw-threaded thereon can be utilized to apply the necessary 
added pulling force to the cross slide 20 to produce the desired higher 
degree of tension in the metal band 24. The screw bolt 56 is inserted and 
slid through a central bore opening 58 in the crossbar 17 and screwed into 
a threaded central bore opening 59 (FIG. 2) in the cross slide 20 to 
secure the screw bolt thereto. The wing nut 57 is then screwed onto the 
back end of the screw bolt 56 projecting rearwardly from the crossbar 17 
until it engages with the crossbar. Continued turning of the wing nut 57 
to tighten it against the crossbar 17 then acts to pull the cross slide 20 
rearwardly in the slide bar frame 11 and so apply the tension to the metal 
band 24 gripped in the clamp device 22 of the tool 10. To permit pivotal 
movement of the clamp arm 21 on the cross slide 20 when the screw bolt 56 
is employed, the clamp arm is provided with a slot-shaped opening or cross 
slot 60 in its rearward end within which the screw bolt is accommodated 
when the clamp arm is pivoted on the cross slide. The cross slot 60 is of 
sufficient arcuate extent around the pivot center of the clamp or drawn 
arm 21 on the cross slide 20 to permit up to at least 90.degree. or so of 
pivotal movement of the clamp arm on the cross slide in each direction 
from its centered position in the plane of the frame 11. 
Because of the centered pull form of the band applying tool 10 according to 
the invention wherein its band clamping jaws 30, 35 are located on the 
longitudinal center line of the tool and its draw slide 20 so that the 
pulling or tensioning forces applied by the tool to the opposite ends of 
the metal band 24 are in parallel alignment with one another, there is no 
tendency for the clamped free end 23 of the metal band to skew or work 
laterally out of alignment with the center line of the tool during the 
band tensioning operation and so become disengaged from the clamp jaws 30, 
35 such as occurs with the prior type band applying tools commonly used 
heretofore. Also, because the tool 10 is able to bend back the free end 23 
of the metal band 24 over the fastening clip 26 to an angle of nearly 
180.degree., positive securing of the bent over band end 23 in place in 
the clip 26 is therefore assured so that the bent over band end then can 
be either released from the band clamping jaws 30, 35 of the tool, or 
trimmed off between the fastening clip 26 and the clamping jaws, without 
any likelihood whatever at that time of the bent over band end 23 being 
unbent and snapped back into and through the body portion 50 of the 
fastening clip, by the tension force of the tensioned metal band 24, to 
cause the unloosening of the metal band from its tensioned condition 
around the pipeline or other vessel 25. 
The feature possessed by the tool 10 of the invention of enabling the 
backing or easing off on the added tension developed in the metal band 24 
during the bending of its free end 23 over the fastening clip 26, whereby 
excessive tensioning and resulting possible breakage of the metal band can 
be avoided, is a novel characteristic that, so far as known, has not been 
afforded by any of the prior banding tools. Moreover, because the clamping 
jaws 31, 35 of the tool 10 can be advanced forwardly in the frame 11 to a 
position where they lie immediately contiguous the nose end 16 of the 
frame, as limited only by the engagement of the fixed jaw or saddle 
portion 34 of the clamp device 22 with the nose end 16 of the frame, only 
a comparatively short length of the metal band 24 needs to project from 
the fastening clip 26, to form the free band end 23 (FIG. 7), for the tool 
10 to be able to grip and clamp the free band end 23 in its clamp device 
22. As a result, the tool 10 comprising the invention, unlike any prior 
banding tool so far as known, is capable of applying and thus reusing 
so-called old metal bands 24 that have been removed from previous 
installations, by unloosening them from their metal fastening clips 26, 
without the need of having to splice such old bands together or to an 
additional length of band stock such as has been required in the past in 
order to provide a free band end 23 projecting from the clip 26 of 
sufficient length to permit it to be clamped or gripped in place in such 
prior banding tools.