I have watched a lot of Alex Steele videos and have noticed that he uses a pair of tongs at the head of them is diamond or triangular-shaped when making large tools such as Hammers and axes my question is does anyone know what these particular tongs are called or where you can find plans to make your own or buy

I think the tongs you refer to have been called the Ultimate Tongs and are pictured here:

https://plus.google.com/photos/117030057799529631445/albums/5451920122058541745

 

The forging and construction is very similar to bolt tongs except only one jaw has the V shape cut in and the other has the shape you referred to.  I didn't find a YouTube video specific to those tongs, but this one would help with almost everything you would need to do to make those.  Of course if you don't have a power hammer it will take you a bit longer to do some of the drawing out, but it should still give you a good handle on the steps involved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmBXrC4S5as

 

I'll disagree with Buzzkill and suggest that Freeman247 is thinking of the Brazeal-style pick-up/hammer-making tongs; see the " Brazeal Style Hammer - Tools For making" thread. Additionally, Daniel Lea has a YouTube video on making these.

I think you're right JHCC.  Thanks for catching that.

We're all here to help each other!

I know them as universal tongs. Please consult the F.A.B.A. web site using the term "universal tongs". There are two articles concerning them.

SLAG.

3 hours ago, Buzzkill said:

I think the tongs you refer to have been called the Ultimate Tongs and are pictured here:

https://plus.google.com/photos/117030057799529631445/albums/5451920122058541745

 

The forging and construction is very similar to bolt tongs except only one jaw has the V shape cut in and the other has the shape you referred to.  I didn't find a YouTube video specific to those tongs, but this one would help with almost everything you would need to do to make those.  Of course if you don't have a power hammer it will take you a bit longer to do some of the drawing out, but it should still give you a good handle on the steps involved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmBXrC4S5as

 

Buzzkill these were not what I was looking for but now that I see them I will definitely have to look more into them thank you.

Here is a picture from one of Alec Steele's episodes. These are the things but have no name or idea of best way to make them

Mr. Freeman,

Check the F.A.B.A. website  and pull down the 3 or so examples of the "three point tongs". One of those references shows how to make them and also,how to make a tool that makes their construction easier.

They are extremely useful, and versatile.

Mr. Brazeal intimates that it would take him too much time to make them for sale. I believe that he stated 2 or 2.5 hours.

Perhaps so, but they are well worth the effort, for a personal set.

Merry Christmas, or Chanukah, or Kwanza, to all,

SLAG.

Can you get me a link? I tried googling it and it just takes me to there webpage to join and see past albums of conventions and stuff like that.

 

Try searching in,

http://blacksmithing.org/resources/howto/

Give it a try. If you are unsuccessful I will break out my notes to find it and send it to you.

SLAG.

 

Xxxx xxxx this is it thanks man.

by the looks of that man's belly he's done that beer thing a few too many times.

Tubalcain 2,

I suspect the smith is German.

Also, a lot of us on I. f. I. are overweight.

Mr. Hofi modified the Habermann hammer, when he developed his Hofi hamer & the rest is history.

SLAG.

SLAG, you are right, the smith in wpersons video is German, it is Alfred Habermann.

4 hours ago, Tubalcain2 said:

by the looks of that man's belly he's done that beer thing a few too many times.

People in different countries have different body builds. Some is heredity and some is life style. To just look at a photo of someone and suggest that they have had a few too many beers is not acceptable on this forum. 

I find his passion for tools and blacksmithing contagious, the way he talks about it at age 75 ... I can only hope I can have that spirit at that age. 

Alfred Haberman, artist blacksmith and designer passed away 2 years after recording that video.

 

i'm Sorry Glen. you're all right. i spoke hastily, ignorantly, and inconsiderately. my apologies to all.

Alfred Habermann was born in Czechia (Moravia) and came to Germany in 1985.

on the death of Prof. Alfred Habermann Reference

Alfred Habermann, one of the most influential art forge masters of the 20th century died on April 28, 2008. The "Schmiedepapst", how Habermann as if in awe how lovingly named by not a few of his colleagues, died just before his 78th birthday. Habermann was "Weltreisender" in the interest of blacksmithing. " Almost on every continent, he gave courses and ignited the fire of the modern metal design especially for young people. The large family of blacksmiths, but also the market town of Ybbsitz loses with him an artist, whose views always visionary and whose creativity was an almost infinite. In old age, he was not only at the forge in Ybbsitz, but traveled throughout the world, the ancient techniques of forge craft to teach and promote that blacksmithing again taking hold in the architecture.

 

1 hour ago, Glenn said:

Schmiedepapst

which translates as the Pope of the smiths, and

1 hour ago, Glenn said:

Weltreisender

which translates as globe trotter.

If you watch the video posted above, Haberman goes to Italy to visit a blacksmith who uses a water powered hammer. In case you don't understand german, he is telling that an american plane shot down by germans fell near his shop and he has been recycling metal from the plane since that time.  

The title of the video means "The last of his kind" The blacksmith from Bohemia

My first meeting with Freddy in Lindau in 1980. He is standing with Alfred Schmidt and his wife, the parents of Gudrun Tischler who still works in the family forge in Trappenkampf. She is either third or fourth generation I think.

The Sundial in the background is Freddy's. When I asked him how many men he had working with him he said "just the boy". When I asked how many colleagues he had drafted in to help make the sundial he said "just the boy"!

Regarding his height and girth you should not feel too bad Tubalcain2, Freddy would have laughed with you. When he and Vaclav stayed with Dick Quinnel they did manage to get through a wine box between them of an evening. And his resulting snoring had to heard to be believed! 

A year or two after Lindau at the international conference at Hereford, during a visit to the Blists Hill museum at Ironbridge, one Dimitri Gerakiris pointed out that the delegates formed two distinct body shapes...there were those that were wider than they were high and those that were higher than wide...he managed to get the wider smiths into a line for a photograph, Freddy and himself included...the consolation prize for the skinny ones who were excluded, was that after the photo the "proper blacksmith shaped ones" did a coordinated mass jump for us!

Freddy was a fine smith and teacher. I met him on a number of occasions over the years and he was always enthusiastic about both blacksmithing and fellow blacksmiths. 

My abiding memory, and one of the philosophies which continues to shape my work was when he said "Every hammer blow should be eloquent" I extrapolated that to every process employed should contribute to the spirit of the piece.

Alan

Alan, you my friend have indeed lived an interesting and obviously blessed life

I have met some very interesting people in the blacksmithing world over the years and count virtually all of them my friends...one or two even from South Africa!

Alan