DIY anvil stand

[Gor]

3 hours ago, American Piddler said:

what I'm saying is rebar made tongs relates more to more people than me driving to the steel supply company and buying what yes would be a better grade steel

If you have rebar just lying around, then sure. However, if you have to go to a big box hardware store to get it, you're better off getting some "welding steel" instead of rebar. Both of the biggest hardware chains carry it, and it's not much more expensive than rebar. It's also useful for a much wider range of tools and projects, and generally much easier to forge. 

[C-1ToolSteel]

You do make some good points. ....and those do look 1,000 times better than my first attempt at making tongs!

[Daswulf]

6 hours ago, American Piddler said:

What's your thoughts on simple how to make tongs from rebar

I've made them from rebar using a rock (chunk of granite)"as an anvil and around a 1 1/2lb old ball pein hammer with a rough "as found " (half concave) face. Let's see, the other tools were a rough punch made from coil spring and a bolt nut to punch through and start the rivet. Could use a bolt as a river as well. 

If you want to go with simple and possible, go with that. If you want to go with what "you personally found that no one else might find" then it's as good as someone with a high dollar anvil and tools teaches on YT. No different. Believe me I have learned that. What " I find and aquire" is not exactly what others can find or get. Just think about that. 

I started out discounting vids of people using power hammers because I doNt have one and couldn't afford one. I learned that there is still technique to learn from them. 

Its all in what you want to do but do it for the quality technique or do it for the masses without the tools but just know what you are doing before you teach. 

[Charles R. Stevens]

So let's try automotive coil springs. An alignment shop may even give them to you. They make exilent tongs. As do the square spring steel that truck mudflaps hang on

[American Piddler]

3 hours ago, Daswulf said:

Its all in what you want to do but do it for the quality technique or do it for the masses without the tools but just know what you are doing before you teach. 

Exactly,

      And again I assure you like my other videos may not be the best way or only way or even safest way which I am more cautious about safety.... so let's see if I can say this in text that the pros will know I know what I am talking about..... see my videos show simplicity so that anyone can do it... here goes tongs ready..... half step same side as you.... 1/4 turn half step across anvil..... 1/4 turn half step across anvil.... BOOM Jaws, Boss, Reins 

[American Piddler]

5 minutes ago, Charles R. Stevens said:

So let's try automotive coil springs. An alignment shop may even give them to you. They make exilent tongs. As do the square spring steel that truck mudflaps hang on

Charles the average guy isn't going to have a coil spring handy or stop by a box store and grab them.... these are Piddling projects not professional BlackSmithing project's..... you are over thinking this.... I am not discounting that a different material would not be a better option but it is not the option for my target audience! See I've been on this forum and I do appreciate the advice the criticism on my camera work or my lack of knowledge etc... Etc... what seems to be missed is people outside of here are enjoying the content they are subscribing & if with help from here we can take something simple like rebar tongs and make them better by your advice that's what I need and want.... because the fact is the common man wants rebar tongs they don't want to be told how stupid it is to make rebar tongs to use to hold their RR Spike knife.... see RR Spike knifes sell because it's what the common man wants not because it's a good knife RR Spike knifes are junk for knives we know this but I bet you can sell them faster than your 5160 Damascus knife....

[Daswulf]

There you go. Go to different places that most people (I guess in the USA ) could go to find materials on the cheap or free, then make tongs from each and show how it can be done. 

[Mark Ling]

Or to a fabrication shop and pick up some cut offs or "drops" of some 3/4" round or 5/8" square mild steel to make tongs out of. I have used 1/2", and see others use 1/2", and in my opinion (I realize you probably dont care, 'cause you have already proved you dont care about making the best, but just something that will get you by), 1/2" is too small of stock to make tongs out of that are strong. I find there should be no part on a tong thinner than about 1/4" , and really, that's still a little on the weak side unless you are making a pair of light duty tongs. But, you could always upset the end of the bar to about 5/8" square, though I find it is just quicker to draw out the reins than to upset the stock, or forge weld on the reins, once you get experience in forge welding.

I wouldn't call going to the steel yard overthinking it, but just something that a blacksmith does....I know, it's maybe not something that "the common man does", but also the common man doesnt forge, the common man doesnt have a peice of track laying around, and the common man doesnt have a cutting torch nor a power pole laying around. Im what people would call "uncommon" and I dont have a power pole laying around haha! now, I have rr ties, and a chainsaw and plenty of trees...

                                                                                                                                                       Littleblacksmith 

[American Piddler]

You mean everyone does not have telephone poles laying around? Hmmm..... where that RR SPIKE letter opener...

[Mark Ling]

also on the anvil stand video I would also mention to be sure to look ove the telephone pole good before going at it with the chainsaw, it is quite common to find nails in them from posters and signs, and trust me, hitting a nail with a chainsaw is not fun.

[Charles R. Stevens]

Come one over little blacksmith, I have a pole pile, I have power poles and telephone poles. I'll trade you for rail road sleepers...

as a heads up piddler little blacksmith "grew up" on IFI, started out as a school kid, became profetinal smith, retired and became a very talented hobbiest. Seems he is working on his churmudgian as well. 

Not to mention sleepers and poles dull saws fast. I tend to use a large limb saw to cut them (reminds me, time to sharpen the dang thing)

[ThomasPowers]

I have a student working on a set of tongs from 1/2" sq A-36 as practice to make them from sucker rod, (easier than automotive coil spring). I'm getting my sucker rod from the scrapyard for US 20 cents a pound.)  I'm not in oil country; but used sucker rod is a common fence material out this away when you want a strong tough fence that won't scar horses.

But as mentioned: if you are going to the big box store to buy rebar, far better to buy "weldable steel"!   Of course It's the same distance for me to drive to the steel dealer and buy a 20' section for about the same price as the Big Box Store's 4' section.

If you want to talk cheap, scrounged, DIY stuff, I have around 36 years experience in forging that way....waterbed frames for anvil stand construction materials?

Back in the 1990's I once built a complete forge set up for under US$25 consisting of a forge, blower, anvil, anvil stand, basic tools; good forge too, I used it as my main billet welder for several years. HOWEVER my technique is to build with what you find near you; not to send folks to a store to buy XYZ and so I generally list what I've found where to allow others to start thinking in "possibilities"....Just picked up a load of 6"x4" wood on the way back to my southern casita from a spoil pile.  Had to cut it down with my 30" hacksaw...

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

8 hours ago, American Piddler said:

What's your thoughts on simple how to make tongs from rebar

My thoughts are tongs are too important of a tool to trust my safety to them. When I first started out 30 years ago, I made several pair.

If you have ever had a pair of rebar tongs snap while hitting hot metal (I have) you would understand why I never recommend tongs be made out of any mystery steel (which rebar is).

Rebar has it's place in the forge for some projects, but tools should not be one.

[Buzzkill]

I have to agree with IF&C.  I have made rebar tongs.  I have also had them fail in use, and I do not think homogeneous mild steel would have failed.  At the time I thought rebar was mild steel (and it may or may not be), so I dunked them frequently to cool them off.  I believe this caused them to harden and ultimately break.  We use tongs to hold glowing hot steel.  Flying hot steel is not your friend.   I was lucky enough for it to result in just falling hot steel, but I'd rather trust in the right material than luck.  Lesson learned for me.  I hope you don't have to learn it the hard way as well.

[Mark Ling]

2 minutes ago, Buzzkill said:

I hope you don't have to learn it the hard way as well.

or the potential thousands of people watching his video.

                                                                                                                                                                Littleblacksmith 

[ThomasPowers]

AmericanPiddler, have you talked with your lawyer about possible liability issues yet?    I'd suggest it.  (and your name I find very amusing as I had a TURP earlier this year...)

[American Piddler]

TURP?  

[ThomasPowers]

I just googled TURP and the entire first page was dedicated to the surgery.  The infamous "roto-rooter" job for men...

[Charles R. Stevens]

Might I ask where the average guy is getting his rebar? I find a lot more mudap hangers on the side of the road than rebar. Unless I steel some ones electric fence posts that is. Used springs are on my easy to salvage list. 

A where the average guy can find usable steel vidio might be in order. 

[American Piddler]

Your average guy goes to his average big box store of course and most folks who don't have a utility pole collection also won't be caught dead running down the side of the road dumpster diving with out the dumpster so they buy new rebar for the box store lol

[Anachronist58]

Before I was twelve years old, my father had me and my siblings out in the side yard with hammers, chisels, impact screwdrivers, et cetera, stripping out starters and generators (cars used to have generators before the alternators come along). I have been surrounded by scrap metal and aerospace alloys for so long, I  do not know what it would be like to have trouble finding hot or cold rolled steel from a multitude of suppliers, at the very least.

Given my obsession with hammering and forming, both hot and cold, I can not imagine not getting decent mild steel, even from a Big Box, even if I had to skip a meal to pay for it.

Am I a Weirdo? 

Robert Taylor

[JHCC]

3 hours ago, Anachronist58 said:

Am I a Weirdo? 

Robert Taylor

You’re asking us?

[Charcold]

I don't see anything "wrong" with a rebar youtube video, that's why there are LOTS of them already on the site. I don't see any that have a rebar to mild steel comparison or short description about where to get both and what sizes to use. Not to mention a video with rebar, mild steel, and a high quality steel for a 3 way comparison. But this is your choice, as i said cheap and dirty only videos are abundant, its up to you if you want to set your channel apart of slowly grab your market share of the saturated market. 

Given that your tongs look quite nice you could even do a follow up video introducing one of the more important black smith concepts, make a tool to make a tool. Or make a pair of mild steel tongs then compare using them both and show some differences. 

[ThomasPowers]

11 hours ago, American Piddler said:

Your average guy goes to his average big box store of course and most folks who don't have a utility pole collection also won't be caught dead running down the side of the road dumpster diving with out the dumpster so they buy new rebar for the box store lol

So the video *should* be telling them to go over a couple of aisles in the big box store and buy weldable steel for tongs instead?  Is that what you are saying? Or is it "Go to the big box store and buy the inferior metal?"

[Daswulf]

4 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

 

Might I ask where the average guy is getting his rebar? I find a lot more mudap hangers on the side of the road than rebar. 

 

Not trying to undermine your message in the least but in my area we are swimming in rebar. Not that I go looking for rebar but I find it all the time. I do look for those mudflap hangers all the time but have yet to find any. Maybe there are others in my area scooping them up and leaving me the rebar . Just grabbad a piece of rebar off the side of the on ramp to the highway Saturday morning.  Used coil springs Are everywhere tho. Where there are cars, there are places that fix them, and where there are places that fix them there are usable materials to be had that otherwise go to scrap. And if going to a store to buy new, do yourself a big favour and get the better stock in a size that will help you and not hinder you. Why fight with garbage rebar if you don't have to?