anvil Posted October 6, 2013 Share Posted October 6, 2013 I suggest making them as using tongs right from the get go. make them and use them to make your next pair. that's practice with benefits. they get easier the more you make. I have and use still, my first pair of tongs. they show me where I came from and later ones show me where I am. your own hand made tools are a true joy and the satisfaction out of using them on other projects is what its all about. your first days in the shop are the perfect time to begin this great journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted October 6, 2013 Share Posted October 6, 2013 For me tongs look like bigg pincers. Do you ever saw a pincers.I think pincers are realy easey to make.To be honest the tongs have some attachments.But that depend what kind of object you will hold with it. If it's a pipe shape you will make a tongs for that kind of work.For beginning i will try to make bigger pincers. And you can make flat that part wich hold a for example (square) shaped object.My point is try to make it at handles too look like pincer (leverage )part and than when you finish handle make a shape wich you would like to hold like i said square cylinder etc.Then just rivet it. I hope that i was help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nankbrown1227 Posted October 6, 2013 Author Share Posted October 6, 2013 Sorry guys, been out of town. Here are a couple pics of some blanks I made thursday night after I trashed the previous pair (well I made them into a couple hooks for a friend) don't laugh too hard I made these in three heats each, so they are just the rough shape. And a couple people suggested finding a smiths to help me, well that's part of the problem I am running into, I can't seem to locate anyone within a hour drive or so. I did however go down to the pumpkin festival in wv last night hoping to get to talk to the smith and when I got there his shop was already closed :( but I am sure he had several long days of forging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted October 6, 2013 Share Posted October 6, 2013 looks like you are off to a good start with those blanks! keep going! Next step as I see it would be to set down the rain end of the boss... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 I'm not seeing any problems so far. Definitely nothing like the promised "trout" tongs I was so looking forward to seeing. Rather disappointed in that, actually. Like in Brian mentions in his video, you're at the stage where you don't want to work on defining the jaw and boss too much. What you need to so now is set the shoulder on the other side of the boss and start drawing out the reins. Just remember to always turn your stock the same way. If you do a quarter-turn clockwise to separate the jaw from the boss area on the first tong, you'd better do the same on the other jaw you're working on. Going a quarter-turn counterclockwise means the two won't align. Also, don't forget that the boss area is supposed to be the thickest part of the tong - the reins taper away from the boss. It looks like you're starting from half-inch square stock, bashing it thin to give you a wide spot to pierce for the rivet. If you're not careful, the rivet area (boss) gets so thin that it's almost useless because the reins will want to rub and bind on each other. In Brian's video he mentions that he's starting with 3/4" round stock and if you look at the thickness around the rivet it's a good solid quarter-inch, maybe even three-eighths, and the reins taper smoothly away. I'd bet good money that moving up to larger stock will solve a lot of your perceived issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nankbrown1227 Posted October 7, 2013 Author Share Posted October 7, 2013 Thanks for the encouragement, I will finish this pair and on the next I will start with larger stock. Vaughn, I have a pic of them on my camera, when I get on the computer in the next day or two I will upload it! So dont dispair, you will indeed get the chuckle you are looking for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalmangeler Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 It looks to me like your 2nd shoulder is angled the wrong way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Nank, looks like you'd have plenty of meat there for a pair of small scrolling pliers like this pair I found with an image search. Not to dog the smith, by any means, but these photos are good illustrations of the too-thin boss and not setting a shoulder. In this instance, the smith was able to salvage the tongs by making the reins wide but not tall. Very nice handle that's comfortable and looks good. Looking at the top elevation, we see how there's no shoulder set so the handles can overlap right aft of the rivet. Instead, the metal tapers up and away from the boss area, forcing the smith to use a snake-bend in the reign to bring it in-line with the other. A single half-hammer blow on the near side of the anvil, or using the other jaw as a bottom tool/swage, would have given him a sharp separation and aligned the handles perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 It looks to me like your 2nd shoulder is angled the wrong way. gotta agree with MM here, I think you reversed a turn at some point in that set. of course it could just be a trick of the light too :) you want the two halves to be totally identical while forging, that way when you flip one over to connect the pair they are mirrored. if you forge them so that they look mirrored when they are separate and facing 'up' (for lack of a better description) when you flip one side to connect they will conflict. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalmangeler Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 The computor just eraced my reply if it does is again I will go do something else. As Chinoby pointed out it looks like you made mirror images rather than identical this will give you a right and a left pair of tongs if you make the other halves and finish them. What I was seeing in the first photo the top tong the 2nd shoulder is angled the wrong way, this shoulder is to give relief, but it will bind if assembled as is. I think if you are right handed you angled the tong away from your hammer hand rather than toward it while setting the shoulder on the far side of the anvil. My suggestion of getting help is only one way to learn, I think it would be much easier than trying it all on your own, the videos that you have access to now are a big help rather than just looking at a pair of tongs and going at it on your own. You are very close to getting them to work, so keep at it and they will soon start to fall into place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted October 8, 2013 Share Posted October 8, 2013 Thanks for the encouragement, I will finish this pair and on the next I will start with larger stock. Vaughn, I have a pic of them on my camera, when I get on the computer in the next day or two I will upload it! So dont dispair, you will indeed get the chuckle you are looking for! its not laughter that we are looking for, we can get enough off that ourselves. Its seeing what you have to help you get better. We have no clue what your tongs problem is with out looking at them to see. From what you said, I could post a photo of a trout for you. but is that really going to help anyone? and if they really do look like trout then you have a lot of work ahead of you for tong making, but can make money selling them as decorations. If you do get the trout looking tongs to work as tongs and still really look like trout I will happily buy a pair from you :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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