Ok I get it.
tongs in the fire -> not a good idea. They will get soft and lose grip. They'll bend like a noodle if you try to grip your piece. In fact, it'll be worse. If the tongs are plain construction steel whle the blanks are tool steel, you might end up burning your tongs (literally) by the time your tool steel hits welding heat.

the bracket thingy will work. Just be sure to make it out of something that won't melt or burn during extended periods at welding heat.
If you make it in metal, you might be in for a surprise