Stephen Olivo

Oh noooooooo!!!!!     More Stephens!!!!!!

:D  welcome to the forum.

Loooking good........sooooooo where's the other peices ? :D

At the point you call them one :D (bob s.)  This just reminds me of the caliper, divider, compass debate.  

fe-wood    Love the little ones.  Nice job.  In copper it is light soft blows.  Think light taps for a long time.  Don't try to muscle it in its more like coaxing.  Maybe use a spoon instead of a hammer.  Just might take some time  to do.  Your trying to segregate the force to the ends of the copper so the lighter the better.

cut off wheel would probably be best or take it to a shop and they should be able to cut a flat face on it.   Built up stand of 2 by 4s and or 4by 4s would probably be the easies way to hold it upright.

If it is small enough just dunk it in your oil.  It wont smell or smoke this way.  Then just wipe off extra oil.  I mostly use penut oil.  But I don't keep that close of track of it.  By now its probably a mix of oils.

If you stand the long peice up on end it will serve you better.  anvilfire.com has some good ideas of what to do to make a railroad track anvil better.  

Use one as a striking sledge.  Use one to make a large flatter.  Reforge one into a ball faced struck tool.  :D just my 3 cents :D

Oh I know as most things are nowadays.  I just heard a story of ball peins being case hardned mild steel.  Don't know if it is true but wouldn't be supriesed if it was.   

Colleen. 

thank you I wasn't entirely sure where it was from other than the guild I am apart ofs sticker.  I haven't had a chance to read Geoffrey Chaucer's stuff. 

basher that was awsome. Hope you don't mind if I save that. :D

Just going to throw my 2 cents into this barrel of change.

Its funny how much people like to run around the bush.  I am a blacksmith.  not full time don't make much money but I
am confident that when someone comes to me with something to make I can make something acceptable for them. 

It also helped when others started calling me a blacksmith.  :D  Specially those I looked up to.

There will always be those that can do what you can't or are better at doing something than you.  Doesn't make you any less just gives you something to shoot for.

"The life so short the craft so long to learn"  (guild sticker) is anyone ever done learning?  I personally will never be.  Be wary of those that call themselves master at anything.  Perfection is something to shoot for not to arive at.

Wonderfull looking blades!  Nice job on the sheath. 

lol I just mean before we started mass producing things pliers and small tongs same thing just hand made.lol so yes just pliers.

mini tongs are just pliers.  Anyone else notice this before :D

best and fastest + easiest to make I have found would be the bench dog or hold fast.  Many woodworkers use them.  Take a round peice same size as your pritchell hole bend to 90 deg.  doesn't have to be a square forge end flat.  Make sure the flat is lower then the corner.  Put in pritchell with flat end over stock. Tap lightly down with hammer.  To release grip tap parallel to anvil surface on back of leg in pritchell hole. 

http://ipneto.deviantart.com/gallery/184874?offset=360#/d1e4zz2

That was the first of 3 that I have made so far.  All the same shape just different sizes to fit different holes.

http://video.pbs.org/video/2292087803/

I love the woodwrights shop :D

I have made a scribe, trade axes/tomahawks, and chisels from ferriers rasps.  I have yet to make the rasp asp from one of them.  I use them to hot rasp as well.  I also use them to work on wood handles for many of my tools. 

Fun little hammers :D  Looking good.

:d  Yes we will see :D

Oh I wish I wish I had a place like that :(  Really cool looking shop:)

Doc:  I do have some wrought.  But yeah that is one thing talked about.  Just seemed interesting.  If I do make it I will deffinatly look into those alloys.  Thanks for the coment and info.

Wayne:  I have those books and thats something I plan on doing when I can pull out the forge again.  Its been one of many things on my list for a looooong time :D 

Francis:  Your welcome :D

A good thing to do is to google things before you ask on here and see if it helps

https://www.google.com/search?q=fire+tongs&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

https://www.google.com/search?q=single+pick+up+tongs&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

https://www.google.com/search?q=double+pick+up+tongs&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

https://www.google.com/search?q=triple+pick+up+tongs&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb

http://www.centaurforge.com/V-Bit-Bolt-Tongs/products/208/

https://www.google.com/search?q=wolf+jaw+tongs&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

https://www.google.com/search?q=box+jaw+tongs&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.centaurforge.com/Duckbill-Tongs/products/204/

https://www.google.com/search?q=open+mouth+tongs&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale/wholesale-flat-nose-tongs.html

https://www.google.com/search?q=round+nose+tongs&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

https://www.google.com/search?q=rivit+tongs&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

A good thing to do is make a bunch of different ones and try them out.  Adjust tongs to fit whatever it is that your working.  They are easily modified when you need to.   Poz tongs are another one that you might look into.  There are a couple of types that Brian Brazeal makes that are handy for different operations.  You should be able to find them if you google them.  Mark Asperys first book deals with making box jaw, flat jaw, ferrier flat jaw and I think a few other tongs as well as many other good things.  Well worth the money that book is. 

I don't know if anyone else is interested in this process.  I was watching the woodwrights shop today and they went over a tap and die that was over 100 years old and I thaught that was interesting so googled it and it brought up a pretty good link. 

Just thought I would share.

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=18831.0

I may have to make a plate for doing this sort of thing it seems like a fun thing to try out.  I have been thinking about making my own tap and die for a while now ...  Just because I can.

There are a couple of smiths in my guild that just enjoy making small mini tongs.  Like you said a great way to practice.  Nice looking tongs.

I know a smith with all very pink tools.

I know two smiths who made many of the tongs, Steam boxes and other tools for the local amish wheel wrights up here  But they are older and don't have computers. :( 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V6ijXxlRA4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBM0RzElvRE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjxWg__-vZ4

and darnit I can't find the old black and white one I watched just a little while ago where they showed them measuring out a tire with a walking wheel, bending the tire, spliting, scarfing, and welding up the tire then shrinking it on the wheel.  Its some where on youtube.

LOL  just about 3 weeks ago I watched the woodwrights shop on pbs web page and they had one all about one that looks very much like the one you have.  You might be interested in watching it.  Let me see if I can find it.  Its a fun video to watch.  :D  Looks like you have some fun ahead of you and lots of hard work. :D

http://video.pbs.org/video/2296983856