June 19, 200817 yr 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?
June 19, 200817 yr 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.
June 19, 200817 yr Author killer ty i though u still needed tongs to make tongs..i should probly read instead of just looking at pictures
June 19, 200817 yr 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 :)
June 19, 200817 yr Author 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
June 19, 200817 yr 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!
June 19, 200817 yr 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
June 19, 200817 yr Author perhaps ill frame it and weld it to my fence...wonder if that would be worth the retributions of my parental units...
June 19, 200817 yr 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, 200817 yr by Frosty Because sentences should make sense.
June 19, 200817 yr 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.... ;)
June 19, 200817 yr 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 ;)
June 19, 200817 yr Author 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
June 19, 200817 yr You can also find tongs in antique shops where vendors rent spaces. Look for the tool guys.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.