Willet-Martel Scalp Forceps

What Willet-Martel scalp forceps are

Willet-Martel scalp forceps are the scalp flap clamp of the neurosurgical tray. When a scalp flap is turned to open the skull, its cut edge bleeds along its whole length, and it has to be held back out of the field. A broad clamp on that edge does both jobs at once. It presses the bleeding margin shut, and its weight or a light pull on the rings keeps the flap folded away from the bone.

Google AI Mode, read on 4 November 2026, names these the Willet-Martel scalp flap forceps, and gives Willett-Martel and De Martel forceps as other names. It describes heavy instruments for hemostatic control and tissue traction in neurosurgical and obstetric work, with broad, cross-serrated T-shaped jaws that spread the clamping pressure across the tissue margin.

Gemini, read the same day, places them in neurosurgery, pediatric trauma and scalp flap surgery, on scalp flap margins, the galea and scalp skin edges, and gives the Martel scalp clamp as a catalog name. Buyers type willet scalp traction forceps, the willets scalp traction forceps with an s, or the shorter scalp traction forceps.

Key design features

T-shaped plate jaws

The jaw drawings on our listing show a T-shaped plate at the end of each jaw, set across the line of the shank. The plates close flat on each other, so the scalp edge is held along a short line instead of being pinched at a point. That is what lets one forceps press a length of bleeding margin shut. A narrow hemostat on the same edge would close one vessel and leave the skin on either side of it still bleeding.

Cross-serrated faces

The same drawings show the faces of the plates serrated across. The serrations hold the wet, slippery edge of the scalp without letting it slide out as the flap is folded back. AI Mode puts the purpose of this jaw in its own words: it spreads the clamping pressure across the tissue margin.

Ring handles with a ratchet

Our photograph shows ring handles with a ratchet between them. Once the plates are closed on the scalp edge, the ratchet keeps them shut, and the forceps can be left hanging from the flap through the whole case. A row of them along the edge holds the flap back on its own, with the rings lying on the drapes beside the wound. A further squeeze on the rings lets the ratchet go when the flap is ready to be laid back down and closed.

One size, no stated length

The listing sells one size and does not give a length, and AI Mode quotes lengths that are not ours, so we do not print one. Check the item code ADM-364.14 when you order, and ask us for the measured length before you build a tray around it.

Which one to order

This listing carries one size, read on 4 November 2026, so there is no pattern or length to choose. What arrives is set out below. A scalp flap is held by a row of these clamps rather than one, so a tray is built from several, and the count is the surgeon’s own.

Where it is used

AI Mode and Gemini, read on 4 November 2026, name these cases for the Willet-Martel pattern.

What it does, and what it must not do

Martel scalp forceps clamp and hold back a scalp edge. They are not a clip applier, not a hemostat for single vessels and not a retractor for the brain.

How it compares with the rest of the family

Seven wire, bone and scalp forceps make up this part of the maxillofacial range on our site. The working ends are read off each listing’s own photograph, the options off the variations, the lengths off the name and the item code, and the prices off the order form, on 4 November 2026.

Materials and finish

Every Willet-Martel scalp forceps we make is formed from high quality medical grade stainless steel. The steel itself is made to a German specification. We do not publish a grade number.

The finish is plain steel. On Martel scalp forceps, look at the plates before each case: they should close flat on each other along their whole width, with the serrations meeting. A plate that has been bent opens a gap, and the scalp edge bleeds through it. Close each pair on a folded swab before the case: an even print of the serrations across the whole plate says the jaws meet.

Caring for it

Rinse each of the Martel scalp forceps as soon as the case ends, before blood and hair dry in the serrations and the joint. Open the jaws, brush across the serrations of both plates, then brush the joint and the ratchet. Wash them with the joint open, dry them, oil the joints with instrument lubricant, and steam sterilize the set on the normal cycle with every ratchet unlocked. Count them back onto the tray.

Ordering and wholesale

The Willet-Martel scalp forceps is made by Adas Instruments in our own workshop and sold direct, which is why the price sits where it does against the catalog houses. Order one for a single tray, or in quantity for a hospital list or a distributor line. We do OEM work under your own brand and your own item numbers. Send us a sample and we will hold a run to your pattern rather than ours. Stock items ship from our own workshop. Backorder items take 10 to 12 working days to make. Every instrument carries a three year replacement warranty against manufacturing defects. Production is controlled under an ISO 13485 quality management system.

Frequently asked questions

What are Willet-Martel scalp forceps used for?

They clamp the cut edge of a scalp flap to stop it bleeding and to hold it back out of the field. AI Mode names neurosurgical and obstetric work, and Gemini names scalp flap surgery and pediatric trauma. Ours has T-shaped cross-serrated jaws and a ratchet, at 28 dollars.

Is the Willet-Martel the same as Willet scalp traction forceps?

Yes. AI Mode gives Willet-Martel, Willett-Martel and De Martel as names for the same pattern, and buyers type willet scalp traction forceps, with or without the s. All of them mean a scalp forceps with broad T-shaped jaws on ring handles.

Why does the Willet-Martel listing give no length?

Because we print only what our own listing carries, and this one carries no length. AI Mode quotes lengths from other catalogs, which may not match ours. Ask us before you order and we will give you the measured figure for the pattern we ship.

How do these differ from Dandy scalp forceps?

Gemini puts it in the jaws. The Willet-Martel has broad plates to clamp a length of the flap edge, while the Dandy has narrow curved jaws to clamp a single vessel in the scalp. Ours are 28 and 12.50 dollars, and a craniotomy tray can carry both.

Can it be autoclaved?

Yes. Martel scalp forceps are stainless steel with no coating, and they go through the normal steam cycle with the rest of the tray. Brush across the serrations, oil the joint, and sterilize it with the ratchet unlocked.

Related products and categories

Three more forceps from the same tray: the Dandy artery forceps, the wire twisting forceps, 15 cm and the self-locking wire twisting forceps. The rest of the range is under maxillofacial instruments, which sits inside our ENT instruments.