Finally, the search is over..
I have tracked down the (almost) ideal pliers for making wire names.
Here they are:
Stusa round nosed pliers
Forget the endless search for the elusive pastorino pliers, I ordered a pair of these from Rio Grande and they are just the job for wire names.
Ok, they could be a little finer on the tips for those very small loops, but you ain’t gonna get much finer than 1 mm on the tips.
If you need finer you will have to do a little filing on the tips, which is what I had to do with the pastorino’s anyway.
For $29 they are a very reasonable price. Not a box joint on the hinge, but they are very well made and there is no play on the tips.
Also the flat part of the jaws of the pliers are very well machined which makes your crimping a hell of a lot easier 
I imagine the Stusa side-cutters are fine too, so on the whole a Stusa set for your Name Bending needs is as far as you have to look.
The Stusa brand are made by Swanstrom a US company who sell their products through Rio Grande – and they ship worldwide so no problems there.
