Any reason why I can't pick up old broken ended type tongs and adding to the ends of my choosing....

no; however if they were made from wrought iron you may have some difficulties arc welding to it until you get used to how WI works.

couldn't I just put them in the forge and smash some metal to it lol

you mean forge welding?  Sure; just like you can win the Indy 500 by driving fast and turning left (IIRC).

If you are already a good forge welder you can probably make tongs faster than refurbishing them.  I don't know if Poorboy Blacksmith Tools still has his arc weld a set of tongs kits for sale but look for pictures of them to see how simple they can be made.

I thought I heard Poorboy died?

I haven't followed a lot of the old SOFA crowd since I moved 1500 miles away and lost 1/2 my vacation time when I switched jobs, making Quad-State trips less frequent; but pictures of his tongs are still on the net.

It would also depend on the quality of the tongs you were trying to repair. If they are really rusted and showing signs of stress fracturing, I wouldn't bother.

Some folks "refurbish" or reshape used farrier's nippers into pretty good tongs.

Truth is making tongs is such a perfect beginner's project and it takes a lot less effort and skill than repairing old damaged tongs. Seriously, to repair a damaged pair of tongs you have to know quite a bit: What they're made from, mild steel?, WI? Medium C steel? You need to assess the damage itself as well as the condition of the steel/iron. Can you weld it at all? What kind of weld? Can you forge weld, on rusty, crudded up iron/steel? Arc:  Mig, tig, stick? What kind of rod or wire?

It's not a simple thing unless all the tongs need is a little straightening and a new rivet. I jump on those you betcha. I have a bunch more that aren't in that bad condition that have hung there for years because it's more work than I want to do. Heck, my slip joint pliers with welded on reins is actually darned useful general purpose tongs.

Forging your own tongs is probably 90% drawing, a couple shoulders, a little bending, punch a couple holes and pein a  rivet. These are all earliest stage beginner processes and all need to be practiced. We've seen several examples of darned nice tongs made from RR spikes here lately. That saves a person having to estimate how much stock to use for a pair and it's good tough steel.

Coil spring makes excellent tongs though it's harder to move on the anvil and requires proper handling in use. For instance you can't let them get to red heat and quench them in the slack tub or risk embrittling them. You gotta keep them cool or let them normalize on the floor. Same for using 4140 stock for tongs, another superior tong stock.

Spring or 4140 is springier than mild so you can make your tongs thinner and lighter and they'll grip better because the reins won't bend as easily. Light stronger and better performers?

Anyway, that's my long rambly opinion about refurbishing old tongs. Don't, make new ones instead, you new guys need the practice and few things in life feel as good as using tools you've made with your own hands.

Frosty The Lucky.

Adding to Frosty's comment, we just had a Tongs Demo at our local forge council on Saturday.  Up to this point I'll admit I've never made a pair, was scared off at it being too complicated for a Newb like me, but after that demo I'm quite anxious to try.  Not nearly as complicated as I'd made it out to be in my head.  And I'm thinking even a BADLY made pair would be useful, probably a lot less trouble than trying to add reins to an old set of unknown heritage or composition. 

...... Heck, my slip joint pliers with welded on reins is actually darned useful general purpose tongs........

 

Frosty The Lucky.

​I have a pair of those!  They were the first tongs I ever had.  Had to buy a pair later, then started making them and buying some.

​I have a pair of those!  They were the first tongs I ever had.  Had to buy a pair later, then started making them and buying some.

​I got mine as part of an estate sale. The widow wouldn't consider breaking the smithing tools up so I ended up with a bunch of stuff I didn't want. The slip joint plier tongs pretty close to the top of the list. I kept the unblacksmitherly things out of sight for years then one day needed something and those were all that was handy so I used them. They've been on my go to tong rack ever since.

Frosty The Lucky.

I have a farrier friend that gives me old nippers the can be re forged and make some good tongs. The thing to look at is what do the professional tong makers use for steel? The answer is 1045. It is available from most metal supplier. A piece of 3/4" about 18" long will make you a real nice set of tongs. Start with mild steel and then when you have your skill developed get the good stock 

That's a pretty beefy tong Francis.  I make a LOT of tongs and my standard starting size for one side is 5" of 5/8" round.  

Frosty, here are mine....ain't they purty???

Kinda fugly, actually; but they did and do work. 

Oooohhhh, the welds were ground! Fancy. I'm feeling envy. <sigh>

Frosty The Lucky.

If I hadn't ground the welds, they would be double fugly......

Wouldn't a double fugly PAIR of tongs be fourgly?

Frosty The Lucky.

I think you're right on that one...they would be fourgly.  Is that in Webster's Dictonary??  Should be.........

I don't know, maybe the Funky Wankers Dictionary? I bet it's on Wiki by now though.

Uh, have we highjacked this thread or . . ?

Frosty The Lucky.

I'll bring it back.  Here's a link to a how-to article on making tongs that I wrote for Hobby Farms.

http://www.hobbyfarms.com/crafts-and-nature/crafting-blacksmith-tongs.aspx