How do you hold your work when forging?

lastbrunneng

lastbrunneng

Joined
Mar 5, 2014
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I have three pairs of tongs, but I've found that I prefer to remove my blade from the forge with the tongs and then grab it with vise-grips for the actual handling and hammering. I'd like to try making a pair of box tongs, and I haven't tried welding a handle onto the work yet.
What do you guys use?
 
I weld damascus billets to a handle. But all my blade forging with tongs. Takes at least 6 pair and sometimes that's not enough.
 
Standard blacksmithing tongs in a variety of sizes. As the knife takes shape, you'll need a different pair of tongs to fit that shape. Welding on a rod for a handle works if you have a welder and make stick-tang knives.
 
I use the whole bar and a gloved hand to get started, then cut the blade off and continue with tongs to finish the tang. On shorter pieces, I weld another bar to it and cut it off when the blade portion is done.

A couple "Z"box or "U"box tongs will work for most steel bars and knives. I find 1" and 1.25" by 1/4" the most useful sizes.

What makes a good tongs work is alignment with the blade and your arm. It should make your arm flow into the as straight as possible. If there is an angle in the flow of force along this line ( called a vector) it will transfer shock and force into your wrist, elbow and shoulder.

Vice grips will have an pretty good angle between the blade and hand. The vector force trying to transmit through the angle in the vise grips will try and pull the blade out...which happens easily and often. I really hate picking up red hot blades...don't you?

Funny story:
I had a friend that I was teaching to forge. In the preparatory steps, I assured him of this - "At some point you will drop a blade...and to just let it fall. The reflex is to try and push it back on the anvil or pick it up. No matter what, you will sooner or later think a blade is not hot because it isn't red....you will burn your fingers. " He assured me he knew better, and I just nodded and smiled. He was really doing well after a few hours forging. I went in the house to get some bottles of cold water while he was cleaning up the shape of a blade he forged completely by himself. When I came back out he had his fingers in his mouth. I grinned and said, "Hot, wasn't it!" He loves to tell folks this story.
 
Look up Larry Langdon at Quick and Dirty Tools.

Larry is a fabricator, blacksmith, knife maker, do-it-all kind of guy here in WA. His new company is making some great tongs at VERY reasonable prices! :)

Vise-grips are going to fail and will never allow you to use good body mechanics while forging.
 
NickWheeler said:
Look up Larry Langdon at Quick and Dirty Tools.

Larry is a fabricator, blacksmith, knife maker, do-it-all kind of guy here in WA. His new company is making some great tongs at VERY reasonable prices! :)

Vise-grips are going to fail and will never allow you to use good body mechanics while forging.
Click to expand...

I tried to order tongs from them today, and they apparently don't ship to Canada. :grumpy:
 
I picked up a couple of pairs of Tom Tongs Z Tongs and already want more! Really like the alignment and sturdy grip.
 
I have had issues with the blade knocking around in the grips; Stacy, how do I know if everything is aligned with my arm? Should I imagine a rod going through my arm and hand into the work?
I always say that I've learned my lesson (that all steel is hot) but every few months I learn it again.
Thanks for the tip Nick, I'm looking into those, he certainly has some good feedback on his Facebook page.
 
I forge 2"-3" rounds down to bar form. I forge different size bars according to the size of knives I want to make, so I have a few bars in various stages of forging.

Once I have a round forged out about 3' long, I start forging knives off the end of it.

Stick tangs or full tangs, it doesn't matter. The point is forged first, then it's easy to finish either way. My full tangs taper to about 1/16".

I have all kinds of tongs, but I rarely use them. It seems way easier to not have to deal with them.

I use a really good welder instead.
 
.....Stacy, how do I know if everything is aligned with my arm? Should I imagine a rod going through my arm and hand into the work? ....

Grab an 18" bar of steel and set it on the anvil just like you were forging it. That is the natural way your arm and the steel would be. It should be more or less straight with the arm.
Grab an 8" piece of steel in tongs. It should be aligned with your arm the same as if it was a bar of steel only.
 
Can someone please post a link to the Q-D tool co website. I have been googling ever way it could be searched and have yet to find anything but a facebook link. Im at work so i am unable to follow such links.
 
lastbrunneng said:
I have had issues with the blade knocking around in the grips; Stacy, how do I know if everything is aligned with my arm? Should I imagine a rod going through my arm and hand into the work?
I always say that I've learned my lesson (that all steel is hot) but every few months I learn it again.
Thanks for the tip Nick, I'm looking into those, he certainly has some good feedback on his Facebook page.
Click to expand...

You've got to wedge the tang against the riveted area where the tongs join. It applies a counterpressure as you hammer. I can take a picture that will make more sense when I get home.
 
Off Center Products brand chainmaker's tongs are great and will hold a range of sizes outside their designated size. Tom Tongs are also great.
 
Thanks for the heads up about the Quick And Dirty tongs. First I'd heard of them, and they look to be good. I'll probably be getting some at some point down the road.
 
Hopefully this will help. I used to get the blade bouncing around on me then someone showed me this. Just make adjustments for knocking a point on or flattening the bevels by wedging it in opposite the force of the hammer.

wjwdxc.jpg
 
I have exhausted my google-fu. Does anyone know of a Canadian seller? Shipping is a huge issue on things like this.
 
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