BlissStreet Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Ok, so I picked up 200lbs of coal and fired up the forge (might have slightly over bought) . I bought a length rebar and set out to make a pair of tongs. And, lo and behold, I did. I watched this video of Bill Epps making a pair of bolt tongs, and (clumsily) copied as best as I could. I didn't hot rivet them, because I didn't have a pair of tongs to pull the rivet out of the fire. Hence me making tongs. They look rough, and I don't think they will be my main tongs for long. But, I have to start somewhere with something, right? I started the fire at 1:20pm and was done by 4. My first issue is the the tongs come together at a single point rather then having 2 flats that fit together. I was too focused on the flat part where they meet, and let that detail slip. Which will be fixed on v2.0. I also, and this is important, figure out how to get coal to coke properly. I think it's time to move my copy of The Complete Modern Blacksmith out to the garage for easier reference. I can't begin to tell you how cool it feels to make tools that will let me make more tools that will let me make knives and other....stuff. I literately made an anvil in a week, make a forge in 3 days (which I still need to tell you guys all about), and now have a pair of tongs in a few hours. Powerful stuff. EDIT: FYI, 200 lbs of coal is a little overkill. and heavy. very heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Hey, not bad at all. You know the jaws are fixable, right? We're blacksmiths. Reshaping metal is what we do. Some coal doesn't coke very well, or at all, so the problem may not be anything you're doing or failing to do. What sort of coal did you buy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry H Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 200 pounds of coal for a pair of tongs......never mind it sounded funnier than it looks written Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Nice job on the tongs. And like Matt said, if the jaws don't fit properly, then you know how to fix it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlissStreet Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 200 pounds of coal for a pair of tongs......never mind it sounded funnier than it looks written Well the conversation went along these lines. "You guys sell coal? cool, how much for a bag? 100 rand ($14)? ok, I'll take 2." Turns out the bags are 50kgs each. The actual cost is 60 rand, but I'm ok paying the XXXXXXXX tax since the people I bought it from are running an abused horse rehabilitation program. They use the horses to deliver the coal around the township thereby raising awareness of animal abuse, which is rampant in South Africa. That's worth an extra $5 to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Allyn Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Nice job, Bliss! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlissStreet Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 Hey, not bad at all. You know the jaws are fixable, right? We're blacksmiths. Reshaping metal is what we do. Some coal doesn't coke very well, or at all, so the problem may not be anything you're doing or failing to do. What sort of coal did you buy? I took your advise, and yesterday went back and started working on reforming the tongs. I rounded my hammer faces the night before, and boy, did that ever help. I also did the shaping step by step rather then one side at a time, which really helped with the consistency of my forming. Hope to have pictures up later today. As for the coal, I have no idea. It's rather inconsistent, some pieces not even burning rather just becoming white and cement like. Some pieces are veined with various colors and the texture and hardness is all over the place. I am wondering if there aren't some pieces of anthracite mixed in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 IIRC, one of the ancient Hebrew miracles was the first pair of tongs, because it takes tongs to make tongs. Anybody have a source for that story? You can use pliers or wooden strips to grab the rivet out, but the best way to heat small pieces without burning them up or losing them in the fire is in a small can (usually a one shot deal), or better yet, a short length of pipe capped on one end with a wire handle wrapped around it.. Coal is nothing more than vegetation laid down in a swamp, and covered with sediment, ages ago. Sometimes storms will cause an influx of muddy or sandy sediment between the layers of coal as they form. High grade veins will be many feet thick, with very thin layers of mineral content. Think of it as a layer cake, or marbled beef. That gets snapped up by the big buyers, power plants and steel mills. Lower grades will have more mineral content, and that is the stuff us po' folks get, leftovers. The coal dust makes everything look black in the bag, but it is not all carbon. Anthracite would burn, and different grades are not normally found together in nature. Anything that does not burn steals heat from the fire. Sometimes they store piles of coal in the same graveled yard where they sell other building supplies, and scoop it up mechanically, mixing in the dirt and gravel. If you have to go to the trouble to wash your coal and separate it by hand before use, you are either desperate or dedicated, and I am not sure there is a clinical difference. Whatever does not burn is usually the silica (quartz) sand or clay layers. If you get it hot enough, silica will melt and turn into glass, flow down to the bottom of the forge, and form clinker. Clay just bakes into pottery-like fragments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Well, clay is mostly just silica and alumina in varying proportions. Get clay hot enough and it'll melt, too, especially exposed to fluxes like iron oxide. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 your tongs are wicked bliss - (as is your name !! someone i know has an old cast forge with Paradise Street written on the front - NICE!) ) i have started tongs a few times, but have got all restless about it and not finished ANY... i know its awful , and soon will be the right time to address this little issue which brings my self esteem right down quite honestly - i know its not too dificult, its just one of those mental hurdles that makes part of my brain yawn.. i am inspired by what you say about how cool it feels to make tools that will help you make more tools - good for you, youve more vision/focus than me thats certain - will look out for posts about your forge etc. nice one mr bliss! ps =- john - i would love to know about that hebrew story with the tongs miracle??? are youbeing serious? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LITTLEJOHN Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Nice job on the tongs ! As the line goes the tools don't make the Blacksmith the Blacksmith makes the tools, Keep up the good work and always keep those around as you keep working ,you will be surprised years down the road at the progress you make just from practice and the desire to get better ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlissStreet Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 UDATE: Here is how they are looking now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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