Monday Forging

Well i got the tong reins all fire welded up and ready to go.

 

I started shaping up the reins before i attached them together, i thought that the bending might be abit easy to line them up together but it seemed easier to do them un riveted together.

This is the first one i made up, i really like how they are coming together personally.

I will be shaping the rest friday and monday, hopefully riveting them together too and getting people to test them for me.

 

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. 

Tong Rein Ideas

I have been drawing up some designs for my tong reins, i thought i would put up a few pictures of what i have been trying out.

There are pretty rough drawing, i am fire welding and shaping today so i will see which ones i take forward with the project. 

One thing from the drawings i worked out is i am not going to make all three pairs with a bend i want to try out some different kinds of shapes. Maybe one pair that is really out there.

Spring Steel Tongs

Spring steel is another type of materail for making tongs. A bit of a rare materail for making tongs, the steel is incredibly light weight and strong, it weighs much less than any other kind of steel.

Spring steel is great for a pair of anvil tongs, as far as fire tongs go they arent a good choice as heat is the biggest enemy for spring steel. If the tongs become hot and then are quenched they will harden quickly, if this is repeated there is an ever increased chance of the tongs cracking and shattering.

 An example of a set of spring steel tongs

Notice in the picture above the small section going into the reins and nibs, i would love to get hold of some nice spring steel to see about making a pair myself. From what i have been told the reason spring steel isnt more widely used in tongs other than its weakness to heat is the cost and time it takes to shape the tongs. 

Tongs Mild Steel

This is the first of four posts im hoping to put up today and tommorow on materails for tongs and ultimatly there reins.

The first materail i want to talk about is obviously mild steel, its the most populor materail for making tongs out of, it is cheap and very easy to move. Mild steel is reasonable strong, but mild steel tongs heat up quick so they need constant quenching so that it doesnt get hot and mishape the tongs quickly. 

 An example of Mild steel tongs

The main thing that these mild steel tongs have for them is this abiltiy to be reshaped so that they can be set easily to hold different sections of bar that they werent made for.

I have made many sets of mild steel tongs and i enjoying making them and using, i have limited exerpeince with making tongs from other materails. 

Busy day in the Forge

Well yesteday i went to the forge with the intention of forging up all pieces needed for the tongs so monday i could spend it fire welding and shaping the various different tongs.

As you can see in three short hoursi got all the pieces made up and ready to go.

I have to go to work now but when i get back ive got a post coming about different materails for making tongs that ive speaking about with people.

Glen Stollmeyer

Glen Stollmeyer is an American tool maker currently based out of thailand. He makes and sells a wide variety of high quality tongs of which i own a few pairs including the mighty tusk tongs which are by far my faveriote and best pair.

 

I recently sent him a few emails about his unique tongs and why he makes them the way he does. Here are his respones.

Question: Why do you make your tongs in such a unique style and shape? The lack of a hinge plate and such a large rivet is something i hadnt seen till i bought some of your tongs.

Answer:  Since you mention unique, I guess you mean the tusk pair? For the hinge area (where the tong is riveted), I form that by hot punching a hole. This upsets that area a bit forming what you call the small hinge plate. With me, there may be no rhyme or reason - just habit. However, I have changed the way I make tongs many times - what stock I use, how I form different areas and other steps - sometimes to improve the design, sometimes to just try another way.

Question: What kind of ways would you say you have improved your tongs? and what kind of stock do you use?

Answer:I either use 12mm stock or 1/2 inch (12.7mm) depending on the tong/size. I have been making my tongs a little thicker in a couple of crucial areas (where the jaws beings and behind the hinge area - places where the tong is most likely to deform under too much stress). 

Also, I now hammer semi-circle depressions into the handle ends - mainly for a better feel in the hand (I rest one finger in the depression) but also for those who might use keepers / rings to hold stock though I usually don't recommend this.

 

I am still in conversation with Glen so expect some more answers soon, if nothing what talking to Glen has shown me more than anything is that these subtle change in tongs is more to do with habit than a specfic purpose. I am currently speaking to American Smith Brian Brazeal who is of the same mind, tongs differ from how we are taught to how we feel comfortable to make.

 

I am finding more and more than our tongs are a very personally thing to every blacksmith, something we are proud of almost like the work we make with the tongs themselves.