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I Forge Iron

Tongs: Roll your own or Buy them?


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My answer is Yes. About half my tongs are bought, mostly through eBay or flea markets. I sometimes re-forge them to fit the task. But I also like making them. Since I'm a hobbyist, my only goal is fun, and I really enjoy making tools. I may have made more tools than non-tool things. Maybe not, but it's a goal :)

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I do this as a hobby, and more to save money, than to make money. So I made my two pairs. One big and one little. If I spent money on these I would feel bad heating them up and squeezing them in the vise to fit around whatever size stock I am working on at the time. Mostly I just think they are fun to make.

But would I try to drift a hole in a big hammer? Not likely, that wouldn't be as much fun.

I can easily see why somebody doing this for a living would buy tongs. The economic cost of shop made can be more than the cost of buying a pair.

Maybe I will go out tonight and try to make another pair. And I reeeaaallly like the looks of those machine cut blanks.

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Mostly I make my tongs as I need them now to do some job and it does not take long to make them. We rarely see cheap tongs here but I have seen some from time to time, with other blacksmiths drooling or biding on them. I have been given a couple pair that I never use personaly I thought that they were junk. To heavy didn't look to me like they really fit anything. If I were to buy some now I would buy Off Center for thier lightness and fit, but it would not be likely as I don't plan ahead enough to buy tongs. I have some Tom Tongs and they fit the work fairly well but I like the ones that I have made better as they are lighter. When someone makes tools to sell they have to be able to withstand what ever abuse the unskilled can dish out so naturaly they will be heavier then the more skilled craftsman would like.

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