Forging Carver Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Hi, I recently made my first bottle opener and lots of people loved it. They are also lots of fun to make! So in the Show Me Your Bottle Opener thread, I see some guys make them out of railroad spikes which is such a great idea because people like to buy merchandise that they can see it used to be something else. So this guy from my carving class absolutely loved the opener and wants me to make him one out of a railroad spike sometime. So Christmas is a couple weeks away and I was thinking about making him one next weekend which is going to be the only time I will have to make it. So I need a pair of tongs to hold a railroad spike fast and I wont be able to forge them and have enough time to make the opener. I saw a guy make a pair of flat jaws by welding reins to some channel locks, but i need a quick and easy way to hold a railroad spike. I suppose flat jaws or video grips could work, but are there any better options? I was thinking about getting some angle iron and making some cheap v bit tongs out of channel locks by bringing them to a local welder. Any ideas? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 2 pieces of angle iron welded to the jaws will hold square stock. Issue with spikes is usauly reaching around the head. "bolt" tongs solve this issue by bending out around the head, though some spike tongs reach in from the side to grab items often referred to as gooseneck tongs. Simplest way to go, buy some. Blacksmith Supply, and Blacksmiths Depot both sell decent spike tongs. I think they run about $35 at Blacksmith Depot. On the cheap you can get a set of Kens Quick tongs in the bolt style and weld on angle iron or split the ends as they show online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 An old pair of hoof nippers with a v-notch cut into the jaws will reach around a spike's head and grab the shank plenty well enough. I actually prefer them over other styles because they leave as much of the shank exposed to the hammer as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted December 13, 2015 Author Share Posted December 13, 2015 Thanks for the help. I was thinking about buying the a pair from one of those blacksmith sites. A v notch in hoof nippers is an excellent idea. I hope my nippers are big enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 (edited) Yes, an old pair of nippers modified to grab the shank and clear the spike head work really well. This pair is just holding straight stock to gauge the size, but you get the idea: Edited December 13, 2015 by ausfire typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted December 14, 2015 Author Share Posted December 14, 2015 oh thats what you meant by modify. I got my pair of nippers and cut a v notch in them but I messed them up and they are now in the trash. Gonna have to find a bigger pair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 A V-notch in your nippers would not provide enough surface area to hold the spike firmly. You need to straighten the jaws and then reforge them around a 5/8 bolt or similar, as in the photo. Whatever profile you choose (round or square) make sure you have enough grip to hold that spike firmly. It is dangerous to hammer spikes (or any metal for that matter) using tongs that are sloppy. Keep safe, mate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud in PA Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 Thanks for the picture, I just bought 3 pairs of nippers and was going to do the V notch. This looks to be a more secure hold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 GRRRR! I see we are still dealing with the disappearing post issue.... 1 hour ago, Forging Carver said: oh thats what you meant by modify. I got my pair of nippers and cut a v notch in them but I messed them up and they are now in the trash. Gonna have to find a bigger pair. Pull them out of the trash and post up a pict. If you want, drop them in a USPS flat rate box and mail them to me. I'll weld on some more steel or some small angle iron and mail them back if you cover postage. Depending on size, they might fit in a flat rate legal envelope and be cheaper than a mid size box. Can't say without seeing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 I made these spike tongs from nippers early on when I barely knew what I was doing. More grinding that anything, but they work, There's a notch filed across the short jaw that grabs the back of the spike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted December 15, 2015 Author Share Posted December 15, 2015 2 hours ago, DSW said: GRRRR! I see we are still dealing with the disappearing post issue.... Pull them out of the trash and post up a pict. If you want, drop them in a USPS flat rate box and mail them to me. I'll weld on some more steel or some small angle iron and mail them back if you cover postage. Depending on size, they might fit in a flat rate legal envelope and be cheaper than a mid size box. Can't say without seeing them. Oh that would be awesome! I am going to go take a picture right now and might as well take a picture of the vise to for the other thread. Thanks Here they are. Tell me if you think they are too ruined or small to do something with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 That's exactly how I did my last pair and they work fine for grabbing right behind the head so you can forge out all of the shaft. Some nippers have a larger "bow" to the jaws, but I've never had any problem with the spike slipping or jumping around since the spike is fully contained. The only real downside can be the small surface area of the jaws really eating into the hot steel where they're grabbing. Here's a photo of a pair of Quick-n-Dirty "big mouth" tongs that pretty much do the same thing. For hand hammering, the design is plenty strong enough and will last a good long while. All you have to do is scale it down a bit to fit the spikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 I have a pair of old tongs that have opposed Y bits---but were sized for quite large work, several times larger than a spike! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 They look salvageable. We might have to open up the jaws a bit to deal with the head of the spike, but that's no big deal. I'll Pm you my address if you want to ship them. Depending on the postal service, I may not get them before I leave next Wednesday to see the folks for Christmas. If I get them before I leave, I'll try to turn them around as quick as I can, but no promises. Work comes 1st if I get called. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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