This apparatus supports gripping, manipulation and/or insertion or removal of a planar workpiece from a receptacle into which it fits tightly. The apparatus has two substantially identical rigid arms attached to one another at a single pivot point near their longitudinal center. One end of each arm forms a handle; pressing or releasing these two handles actuates the gripper. The other end of each arm has attached on its inside surface a rigid plate. Together these two substantially parallel plates form jaws to grip the planar workpiece. A spring attached to the two handles biases the jaws toward the closed position. An adjustable stop mechanism supports setting the gap between jaws when the apparatus is in the closed position. An alternative embodiment utilizes step-shaped jaws for applications where flat jaws are difficult to utilize.