geofthesmith Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 k so ive been scrounging around for some supplys to smith and ive got my anvil, a vice...of some sort, crosspeen, ballpeen, a minisledge. a bunch of metal buckets for various reasons. still lookin for some tongs advice on that would be apreciated. still building my forge. am i missing anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Caradoc Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 tongs are one of the few tools you can make without needing tongs. look in the blueprints there are 3-4 ways to make tongs there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geofthesmith Posted June 19, 2008 Author Share Posted June 19, 2008 killer ty i though u still needed tongs to make tongs..i should probly read instead of just looking at pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Tong making is a great exercise in smithing too, as it uses many common tasks a smith needs to learn and perfect anyway. i. e. drawing, offsetting, punching, cutting, etc. Keep in mind, as I'm sure many smiths will agree, your first pair may not turn out as a useful tool but they won't be useless. You learn from everything you do, even if its how NOT to do it next time :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geofthesmith Posted June 19, 2008 Author Share Posted June 19, 2008 so when i incorectly make the tongs can they be pounded back together into a billot so i can try again or do i have to use new stock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Leppo Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 if you make tongs that are somewhat useable, you can use them to make better tongs, and use the second set to make even better tongs, etc! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Of course Practice makes perfect!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 It's often best to keep your first piece on display to remind you of progress. It's also a good thing to show students who get discouraged. Also, visegrips were invented by a smith who got tired of dropping things. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geofthesmith Posted June 19, 2008 Author Share Posted June 19, 2008 perhaps ill frame it and weld it to my fence...wonder if that would be worth the retributions of my parental units... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 (edited) Give it to your Mother then, it'll get a prominent place for display and be bragged about for as long as she's around. Then if there's any dispute it'll be between the parental units and you can guilt the opposition into something good. Frosty Edited June 19, 2008 by Frosty Because sentences should make sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooseRidge Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 That's assuming the first set doesn't come out correctly.... First set I made were the best of the first 10! Scary! Besides, assuming you will fail helps to make it happen.... read up on the techniques, practice the seperate skills, then make the tongs..... My only advice would be to warm up with the practice skills, drawing, tapering, slitting, drifting, etc the same day you want to make the tongs... I've found that I make fewer mistakes and mis-strikes that way.... I also plan out each step so to minimize the time spent with the steel out of the fire.... Walk through the steps, especially for forge welding, before the metal is at the correct temp.... works for me.... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 so when i incorectly make the tongs can they be pounded back together into a billot so i can try again or do i have to use new stock I'm taking this as a jest But just in case I mis-interpreted, it is best that you start with new, or at least, different stock. The reasons are too numerous to list here ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geofthesmith Posted June 19, 2008 Author Share Posted June 19, 2008 a half hearted jest, but it was also serious cuz although i am confident in my abilities i know that eventualy i will screw up oh also if anyone knows any blacksmiths in colorado springs that may be willing to pass on some knowledge, id rather learn from them than just blueprints and id be much obliged Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
civilwarblacksmith Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 You can also find tongs in antique shops where vendors rent spaces. Look for the tool guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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