I’ve used a similar trick with beach sand and oil. Sometimes a few whacks to opposite sides of the pliers face with a hammer does it.
I bought two pair a few years ago and switched between them, so I could get them broken in at once just in case something happened to one pair. Mainly because I hate the pliers break in period so much. It’s as bad as with a new pair of steel-toed boots.
Seems like everybody and their mother is making side cutters these days. As far as I’m concerned, anything other than the Klein J2000-9NE is an unnecessary reinvention of the wheel. I also have The Klein 1000V insulated lineman’s, but they are bulky, hard to work with and a waste of money for most everyday applications. All this PPE crap is out of control for lower voltages. I’ll use them when working 277V hot or when otherwise needed, but not for ordinary every day wiring.
