Sam Falzone Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Forged my first set of tongs today ... kinda ... I bought 5 sets of tong blanks 2 years ago. After inheriting 40 pairs of old tongs, I didn't know what to do with the blanks. Then I had the brainstorm of forging them to look like Norse-style tongs for my re-enacting kit. That's what I made today - and while I didnt make it from scratch, the modifications were a lot of work. I like the way they turned out - not fabulour repros, but I still like em. Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rio Bravo Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Where'd you get the blanks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Falzone Posted November 9, 2009 Author Share Posted November 9, 2009 Jamie from Polarbear Forge makes them. He supplies them to Dan from Irontree Forge and I bought them from him at an SCA event (Called Pennsic) 2 years ago. Jamie also makes bolt tong blanks too (I bought 2 pairs this year). He's on the forum so look him up. They're nice to work with, I'm looking forward to playing with the others. Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigcity Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 i like the tongs:) might try to make me a set of those Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Those ones are not even ugly! I've still to produce a nice looking set with matched halves. Mine are funcitonal but ugly. Nice work :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisG Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Those ones are not even ugly! I've still to produce a nice looking set with matched halves. Mine are funcitonal but ugly. Nice work Preaching to the choir brother and nice looking tongs btw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNewman Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 They look good but if you are going to be using them take the time now and grind or file out the small cold shut near the hinge. Otherwise that small shut may grow into a crack, and the tongs will break. If you grind or file it out now you will save yourself a lot of greif later on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Falzone Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 It's actually not even a cold shut - it's just a thin fold-over from a bad hit. Thanks for the advice though. BTW I've been meaning to come out and visit your shop sometime since you're so close to my house. Between schoolwork, classes and everything else, I'm hoping sometime before the holidays. Maybe I'll come buy myself a small swage block for christmas Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnr Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Jamie makes some real nice blanks to work from. We smith together at least a couple times a year. Though I am banished to as far from his spot as possible because my hammer bouncing drives him nuts! LOL!! Finnr! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNewman Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Give me a call to make sure I am here and drop on by, or you could just drop by and take a chance as to whether I am in. I would still file that fold over out I have had similar things grow and that is the most stessed point on your tongs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Bryan Morgan Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 They look good to me...much better than the first set I made ..or the second for that matter....:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigcity Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 here are the first sets of tongs i made the larger of the 2 are my first i made myselk i had help with ther smaller pair Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Bear Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 I just finished my first pair of tongs yesterday (yay!), and they look pretty good... for a first pair of tongs. Nothing like yours, Aeneas, but they are even and rotate fine and grab stuff fine as well. One problem. Can anyone tell me how to groove out the jaw without a fuller or hardie for the purpose? Even more sad, my anvil is a 12" piece of railroad track, so I have no horn. After all is said and done, I have a nice matching set of tongs I made pretty much by the seat of my pants that can't hold on to round stock at all, or anything else that needs a grooved jaw to grip it for that matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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