Another, first tongs

[Seek]

After a long, sweaty afternoon, I managed to make a functional pair of flat tongs!

As usual, practice is more difficult then reading about it on the Internet. First I made two mirror images, so they didn't fit together. Somewhere I got rotating left and right mixed up. Cut it of and repeat. I had some trouble to get the jaws and the bolster into the right shape. This is rather critical, otherwise things don't fit! Drawing out the reins was the most difficult part of the job. Somehow the theory didn't work, hammering over the horn of my anvil didn't change much in the thickness of the bar. And last but not least I was strugling with the rivet. Getting a glowing hot small piece of steel in two tight holes at the same time and letting it protrude equally on both side, ain't easy. 

But in the end, I did manage to make a real working pair of tongs. A few blisters in my hammer hand is a small price to pay for a price like that.

BTW, i used the instructions from Abana: https://www.abana.org/resources/chf.shtml

 

[Frosty]

Good for you Seek! Keep those to leave to your grand children they'll be something to look at when you're frustrated learning something. They'll show you in plain language how far you've progressed.

Next time when getting two or more pieces just the same do each step to each part before moving onto the next step. For example forge both bits at the same time. Then forge both bolsters, Then transition to both reins. Then punch and rivet. It's much easier learning multiple component projects in this manner. After a few you won't have to think about which way to turn them and can go backing to making each half all at once.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Seek]

Thanks for the tip. Another thing I was thinking about: Somehow marking the steps before I do any hammering. Comparing an unhammerd piece with a finished one obviously doesn't work as I found out. The hammering changes dimensions. It'll take a while before I can do these things by eye.

 

[Daswulf]

A tip I saw on getting the bits the same length is to check them by sort of fitting them together like they are two halves when they are close to done, that way if they are even there won't be more space on one from the other. The will fit together close.  And you can modify if you need to. Hope that made sense. It helped me get the bits closer to the same length. 

[Seek]

No sorry, don't really understand 

Do you mean setting the bits opposed to each other, overlapping?

 

[Daswulf]

Yeah Seek. Point the tong bits at each other and overlap them like they would make a solid piece. Sort of like mirror matching em. People that are good could eyeball them bit I'm still learning so it helps.