Thread: A Question or two about tongs & hand tools for the forgers

I use a 3 pound hammer at the moment. Thinking of upgrading to 2000 g.
The trick is to hold the hammer close to the head so you don't have to use a lot of underarm torque to lift it up.
It is a lot less tiring, and a lot less damaging to the elbow.
With short handles, you use less torque on the underarm, and you can keep hammering for a lot longer because you use the bigger muscles.

Originally Posted by bluesman7

I'm planning on making a pair with 20th century tools and material, stock sizes and arc welding.

Here are my quick and dirty tongs.

Not much to look at, but fully functional.

Nice! I'll try and pics of mine tomorrow. I just forged a pair of U box tongs for holding the Damascus stock from Howard. Normally, I'd weld on a piece of mild steel, but the Damascus is in short lengths, and I don't want to lose the inch of material I'd otherwise lose. Mine are uglier than your though I am proud of the fact that the U is folded and forge welded to the tongs.

If they work as I hope they will, I'll make a couple for different stock thicknesses so that I no longer have to weld sacrificial steel to the short ends of stock any more. That would save time, and time is money.

These are the ones I made last week, and put together today. I used to tag on rebar or mild steel, but the Howard Clark Damascus I got is special enough that I don't wat to waste an inch. The tongs are made from mild steel.
1) ned it L shaped.
2) flatten the short bit of the L
3) fold the short bit over itself and back around, so that you get a T
4) hammer the short bit flat, flux it, and then forgeweld at welding heat. (heat and hammer a couple of times for a good weld)
5) fold the ends of the T into a U shaped box.

It is ugly, but gets the job done. The stock is rock solid and doesn't budge a hair.
First pic is empty, second pic is holing half of the damascus I worked with today. The other half was forged to a razor blank, and currently annealing

Originally Posted by Bruno

These are the ones I made last week, and put together today. I used to tag on rebar or mild steel, but the Howard Clark Damascus I got is special enough that I don't wat to waste an inch. The tongs are made from mild steel.

I'm taking a break from my first attempt at making a pattern welded billet. Considering the work going into it, I think I'll be making some custom tongs for that as well if it turns out. Not wanting to waste an inch is an understatement! Thanks for the pics.

[QUOTE=Bruno;1504805]It is ugly, but gets the job done. The stock is rock solid and doesn't budge a hair.
First pic is empty, second pic is holing half of the damascus I worked with today. The other half was forged to a razor blank, and currently annealing/QUOTE]

Function over form is the main thing

Funny story.In my local we have alot of barn and farm sales,Bought a huge anvil (maybe 150 lbs).
Got it loaded in the back of my truck and sold it 10 mins later to a guy for 3 times what I paid for it
In the barn was also a wood box full of tongs and hammers,I paid no attn. to them,I guess I should have