Materails

Thought i would start the posts today by finishing off my materail posts.

Stainless Steel Tongs

When i was speaking to dave about stainless steel he said it was lovely stuff to work with but it is expensive, around a 7 to 8 pound mark up on the steel. Aswell as that it is really strong but this means you need to put alot more time into making them, meaning these tongs are ideally made under the power hammer.

 Example of Stainless steel tongs, these are a pair Adrian

has had since before i was born!

Wrought Iron Tongs

Making tongs out of wrought iron is historical acurate and some people like to do it for shows or museum but in this day and age not only is it lacking compared to modern steel but its expensive. The materail itself is soft, it bends easily and over time there is alot of grain growth distorting the tongs out making them useless. 

Titanium Tongs

Titanium is something i didnt even think about until Dave brought it up and talked about it, he made a pair a long time ago but only having 10mm section he only made a small pair. They are super light and strong, even more so than spring and stainless steel but with that titanium is alot more expensive than either materails. Along with the price it has a very narrow forging range, Dave told me in a gas furance set to the right heat your fine but in the forge its a high risk to try and get it right.