still learning

[TimB]

Tonight I learned a couple more things. As I stood in front of my coal forge, I started thinking about some of the books I'd read, and it occurred to me that master smiths not only knew how to heat metal and bang on it, but also how, when, where, and why to place each stroke where they wanted it. I just stood there in awe a while, in front of the fire and almost burned the piece I was working on. My hats off to you guys.

As I was using the tongs I formed for my 7 yr old, I learned that that good idea I had while forming the jaws on them was not such a good idea. I made the jaws as two angle iron pieces would fit together when stacked, figuring that a 3 point hold would grab most diameter rods, depending on what size was being used or drawn to, but the 3/8" rod I was working with kept jumping out of the tongs. Think I'll re design them.

[John B]

Tonight I learned a couple more things. As I stood in front of my coal forge, I started thinking about some of the books I'd read, and it occurred to me that master smiths not only knew how to heat metal and bang on it, but also how, when, where, and why to place each stroke where they wanted it. I just stood there in awe a while, in front of the fire and almost burned the piece I was working on. My hats off to you guys.

As I was using the tongs I formed for my 7 yr old, I learned that that good idea I had while forming the jaws on them was not such a good idea. I made the jaws as two angle iron pieces would fit together when stacked, figuring that a 3 point hold would grab most diameter rods, depending on what size was being used or drawn to, but the 3/8" rod I was working with kept jumping out of the tongs. Think I'll re design them.

Hi Tim, Being doing this for over many years now and still learning myself, when I stop learning I'll be dead.

Getting over that cheerful note, to redesign them, you will need to know why they are not gripping securely, one pair of tongs may hold more than one size of material, but not necessarily of the same dimension.

I would suspect that the jaws ar not gripping the bar securely and only "nipping" rather than gripping the 3/8 rod, which allows the rod to pivot and be difficult to control

You can reset tongs many times and I would suggest this is what you need to do for this application,

I will try to describe a way to set your tongs. I am afraid a lot of this may be guesswork and assumption on what equipment you have available. I am assuming a forge, vice, and something to manipulate metal like bending forks or possibly grips. you will also need a piece of the material you are going to use, and another piece of material about 5/8" to use as a spacer when adjusting the reins

Heat the area of the jaws, pivot and a couple of inches of the handles to a good heat, take a cold piece of the metal of the section you are wanting to grip in them, and place this in situ in the jaws, place this part of the tongs with the workpiece in the jaws of the vice and close the vice so you are getting full contact on the jaws with the workpiece.

You then need to adjust the reins (handles)so that they are at a comfortable distance apart to hold and not to nip your palm

Without seeing your tongs you may have to adapt a method to do this.

I have attached (Tried) a picture of a pair of scrolling tongs to show the relationship of the handles I am referring to.

To do this I usually reheat the pivot and handle are, quench the jaw area and insert the dummy workpiece in position, tap the rivet to make it secure again then cool this area, reclamp in the vice at the pivot point, seperate the reins apart, then place the piece of 5/8" bar in the space as near to the pivot point as possible, then bring the reins in parallel as in the pic,

Remove from the vice, reheat the pivot area, and quench whilst opening and closing them to allow them to work easily when cool,

Word of warning, you may have to anneal the finished item if you have made the tongs from a carbon steel like the coils spring steel used to make the scrolling tongs in the picture.

Hope this helps on your long learning journey, and good fortune with it.

[TimB]

Thanks John, I was wondering about that. I was thinking of trying that but I wasn't sure if I'd be better off not risking damaging these ones...but then again, I made them, I can make other ones too if I need to, and most likely will anyways.

[Francis Trez Cole]

I would agree with John.You can always reset tongs for a tight fit. The more projects you do the more sets of tongs you will make. Look at blacksmith shop photos many sets of tongs each with there own job that they will proform. When hitting metal strike with intent. As your skill grows so will the knowledge of what the metal will do under temp and force.

[ThomasPowers]

"I made them, I can make other ones too if I need to"

*That* is the essence of blacksmithing!

[Sukellos]

I tried it the t'other way 'round and had no more success. I welded the angle iron to form a diamond-shaped tube but it didn't grip the way I wanted. So, I picked one jaw to be the "upper" jaw and forged it out to a long tail and bent it at right angles to the lower angle-iron jaw. Then I cut a slot through the perpendicular of the angle right where the upper jaw crossed it. Now they work great for small diameter rods. I use a lot of them making floral work and parts for muzzle loading firearms. They're ugly... but so am I.

[John B]

I tried it the t'other way 'round and had no more success. I welded the angle iron to form a diamond-shaped tube but it didn't grip the way I wanted. So, I picked one jaw to be the "upper" jaw and forged it out to a long tail and bent it at right angles to the lower angle-iron jaw. Then I cut a slot through the perpendicular of the angle right where the upper jaw crossed it. Now they work great for small diameter rods. I use a lot of them making floral work and parts for muzzle loading firearms. They're ugly... but so am I.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, fuction is more important anyway, and its the start of another learning curve.

[TimB]

that is cool Sukellos

[Sukellos]

that is cool Sukellos

Thanks Tim! For me, a big part of the fun of forging is being able to make a tool that does just what you want instead of buying one that "might work" for what you need done.

[TimB]

Thanks Tim! For me, a big part of the fun of forging is being able to make a tool that does just what you want instead of buying one that "might work" for what you need done.

Me to. Last Christmas I gave away some stuff I made and what was really cool was I could say, "...that used to be a....."