Tong Use

[HWooldridge]

OK - I'm gonna pull a "Glenn" here and start a thread adjacent to the one on gloves.

What are the ground rules for when to use tongs? Are there other ways to hold stuff? What are the best all around tongs? Etc...


From my perspective, I try to have a wide selection of general sizes to fit 90% of the work and put a permanent ring on the reins. This makes sure it fits properly and is always there when I need it. In addition, I almost never hold the tong reins closed - preferring to always use a ring or a loop of some sort. In a pinch, I'll use baling wire. There is nothing wrong with my off-hand, but I developed this habit back when I worked very long days doing wholesale stuff, sometimes 12 hours straight. Although I was young and reasonably strong then, I still tried to remove as much labor from the process to conserve energy. I quickly discovered that simply holding the tongs and not having to squeeze them shut at every heat was a noticeably more efficient way to keep from getting tired.

I also do not use flat jawed tongs very much. I may be influenced by Clifton Ralph, but I don't want hot pieces of steel flying around the shop so have concluded a "bolt" jaw design that more or less surrounds the piece is best for most of my work.

What say ye, brethern and sistern?

[Sam Salvati]

Anything i can hold with my 3/4 bolt style Tom Tongs i do, and anything i cannot i use vice grips. I also have some tongs from GSTongs, and use those for small stuff (small bolt tongs), and a set of flat bar tongs.

[Finnr]

I have a bunch of bolt style tongs that I favor over all the others I have. Flat jaws make me nervous!.
Finnr

[J W Bennett]

I too like bolt tongs, I also have several pair of Box jaw. I made a set of 4 pairs of poz tongs for 1/4" - 1/2" that I like for holding round stock. I make alot but I also buy them when I find them at a flea market. Even if their odd and I don't know what the original use was. I always seem to find a use for them.

John

[Donnie]

I don't use tongs for anything I can hold with my hand. I will forge something on end of the bar and cut it off when possible. If I must use tongs I prefer the v-bit bolt type.[sooner or later you have to use the short leftovers]

[jayco]

The only unusual kind of tongs I use is an old pair of 'gas' pliers that I got at a flea market years ago.They're just so handy for holding punches and chisels while striking them with a hammer.
Also handy for holding small bolts and rivets too.

I've made several sets of flat jawed tongs and only use them occasionally

I do use bolt tongs and v-bit tongs a lot.

I bought a couple pair of 'duckbill' tongs years ago.....thinking I would like them. I don't guess I like them, since I almost never use them.

[mtforge]

I favor v jaw bolt tongs for most of my work. I demonstrate a lot and like the way they hold onto the stock and have room for curves and odd shapes to come out the side. I'll go to box jaw when needed for large flat stock.

[Sam Salvati]

Jayco, i used a pair of those and i liked them, but always had a problem with the teeth and grooves marking up the peice i was working on.

[rthibeau]

I only go to using tongs when it hurts to hold the steel in my hand or gets too close to the gasser to avoid the dragon's breath. OK, so I use tongs a lot...... The v-jaw bolt tongs are the best all around utility tongs to have....everything else is a specialty. IMHO

[Blacksmith Jim]

Out on the west coast it isn't as common to find tongs at flea markets as I think it might be out east. I did find myself one pair though. They are flat with round groove down the middle. So far I've made 2 pair. One flat, one v-bit. The flat ones are kinda junk, but I abuse them to make them fit pieces, and I won't fill bad if they break The v-bit ones work great (and look half decent), but I made them for some 25mm square bar I have, and I don't do as much forging with that stock. I picked up a pair of Off Center v-bits at the last conference I went to though. They work great! I think I snagged a 1/2" pair. I plan on picking up one or two pair every conference I go to. Grant had a HUGE selection laid out at the last one..

I think the advantage to flat tongs is that they are more versatile in some situations, for oddly shaped pieces, like a large circle you might want to dish into a bowl, etc..

[metalmangeler]

I do a quite a bit of prodution forgeing of small items like a run of 150 hooks at a time. I think that it is more efficeint to do all the cutting first so tongs are the only way to go, I don't like rings most of the time as they stop me from repositionnig my tongs as quickly. I like V bolt tongs regular bolt tongs round nose tongs and some special pick up tongs that I have made. I also have some universal V bit tongs that work well on tapers and a varity of sizes

[ThomasPowers]

I've generally used flat jawed tongs for most of the last 26 years at the forge; but find that when I'm teaching I have to use more enclosing versions and rings to keep the students from flinging hot steel around. I start them on a 2' piece of 1/4" square stock, first project an S hook, so they get to hammer some before having to use tongs.

Important things I tell them about using tongs:

1) flat jawed tongs *only* hold steel when the jaws are parallel and so they *must* be sized for the thickness of your workpiece. If the jaws are not parallel when holding the piece they are only holding it at *one* point that is now a pivot that the steel can freely move around.

2) the steel should be in contact with the anvil when you hit it with the hammer otherwise you are trying to rip it from the tongs and having to hold really tight and have your arm get moved instead is bad for you.

3) if you are having trouble controlling your piece; orient the tongs so that the jaws are on the top and bottom of the piece and not on the sides

4) if the floor wants to examine your piece it's *very* rude to try to prevent it! Let it fall and then pick it up, more people get hurt overreacting to dropping hot metal than are hurt by the hot metal.

5) finally if the tongs you are using are not working for you try a different pair!

[patrick]

I do a lot of power hammer work and work exclusivley from a gas forge. Like metalmangler, I tend to cut stock ahead and hold it with tongs because it is more effeicient for me to work that way. I also tend to make a lot of small pieces like leaves and I try to use drops and scrap from other projects rather than going to a long bar for these items. I too prefer a good V-bit type tong when ever possible and, even though I spent my first several years forging with Thomas, I only use flat tongs when I can't find a V-bit or round jaw pair that fit. Early this year I bought several pairs of very heavy jawed flat tongs and converted all of them to a straght v-bit type. They are so much more useful that way.

One tip on holding flat stock that I learned from Clifton Ralph's videos is to take a piece of angle iron and weld edges of both "legs" to a piece of flat stock. Bend a lip on two edges of the flat. Now this will fit into one half of a V-bolt tong and can be sized to hold very wide flat stock securely. Another thing that Clifton does a lot is to use link type tongs to hold flat work. He will often upset the edges of the work a little bit to create a lip. The lip engages with the link tongs near the back of the jaws and the tips of the jaws grab a little further in giving you four poins of contact. I have seen him forge a lot of pieces this way. He also uses what I would call a pickup type tong quite a bit. The jaws are rather long and very narrow and the very end is shaped like a link tong. He uses these when handling odd shapes. The very narrow jaws allow you to tip the work to many angles without having to change your grip.

The Upper Midwest Blacksmith Association has 7 DVDs of Clifton doing demos going back to 1987 up to the summer of this year. The DVDs are $5 each ($7 for the first one). I do not think there is a handling fee. Visit the UMBA website for contact and order info if you're interested.

[Pault17]

As most of my stock is scrap that is found on the side of the road and elsewhere, I use tongs almost all the time. My favorite pair of tongs are a pair short wolf-jaw from kayne & son. I used another smiths longer set and was amazed at the comfort. I also make extensive use of my first pair made following Sean Conner's anvilfire blueprint (very, very simple to make and teaches good tapering and drawing skills). They are flat jaw and I have been known to drop but never fling a piece of warm steel. I also have been using more and more the long, very thin set of tongs that I made (my second set). the jaws and reins are drawn real thin and I first thought they were a good mistake to learn from. However, after using them a bit, they actually hold lighter stuff well and work good as pickup tongs too

I am currently eye-balling the gstong site thanks to multiple comments in this thread.

[ThomasPowers]

These young whippersnappers always wanting to do things the *easy* way! (Actually I'm too cheap to buy new model tongs...)

Hi Patrick; melted any billets lately?