We know why Smiths buy their tools now....

[Mainely,Bob]

OK 20 tongs at $20= 400 Devided by 8 =$50 per 8 hr minus matl and overhead. Jearking your chain. It's a loss if your
making a living at it. I do it cause I want to not cause I enjoy it. If it's an obsolete part or just one ya can't
find then I enjoy it. Got a lot of 80+yr farmers with 60+yr equipment. Dealer tells them Junk it and buy a new one.
Anybody want to spend $40,000 on a tractor when your 80+ yrs old. After turning 65 it's not about the money anymore
it's keeping theese olduns going. After all I might be one someday.
Ken.

One of my mentors was in his 90`s and still going strong when he died.I once suggested he buy a new machine.He looked at me and said "When you get to be my age you have to think real hard before you buy green bananas and you want me to buy a new machine?".
I aspire to get old enough to use that line. :)

[kevin1050]

As a hobby smith I don't make my own tongs---I'd rather spend the time making other things and as the most money I've spent on a set of tongs was $10 for the Ti set I picked up at Q-S this year I don't see how making my own "helps". I *have* made tongs in the past I just prefer to weld up billets to making tongs.

I tend to modify a lot of items into tools rather than starting "de novo" though the slitting chisel I forged from 1.25" H13 is one that started as round.

I picked up a number of old mangled tools at Q-S this year to use as starter materials to specific tools I wanted.

What is 'Q-S'?

[ThomasPowers]

Quad-State Blacksmiths Round-Up, largest annual smithing conference held in Troy OH the end of September---I try to drive out to it from NM when I can, Rich often flys in form the US Virgin Islands, friends from Canada show up, etc.

It's know for it's tailgating as anyone who has paid an entrance fee for the conference can sell for no extra charge and so a lot of folks "clean shop"; often setting up a table or pickup with the stuff marked as to price with a can for the money.

And while buying smithing stuff from other blacksmiths is not generally the cheapest way to go; Q-S usually has some great deals and literally *tons* of good deals, and sometimes some real surprises---I bought a set of Ti tongs in great shape there this year for US$10 (as well as the 6" post vise for $50 and the 3" post vise for $20 in good using shape, a bunch of old swages for remaking, and a dozen farrier's rasps for 50 cents per, etc...)

[j.w.s.]

I just finished building a press - sure it took me 2 days to get it how I wanted it but it meets my needs perfectly - down to the footprint it uses on the bench. I couldn't have found that in a catalog anywhere. Sometimes it just makes sense. Then there's other tools like chisels - yeah I can easily make one, or I can buy one for $15 and use the steel I would have made it from for actual production work. Perhaps it's just being frugal but I rather run to the local hardware store instead of depleting stock that I'll have to reorder. Of course I've also made punches for temporary use only to have them become a knife blade at the end of the day - which can be a little frustrating when you're looking for that punch to finish it. :)