Kiln Tongs???

H

Hypocrite

Joined
Apr 23, 2008
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234
Those of you using kilns for HT of simple-carbon steels... what are you using for tongs to securely grip and transfer your blades to (and agitate your blades in) your quench tank. I'm not a forger, so I don't have the skill to build my own tongs. Will long-handled pliers work? Do they need to be modified so the jaws do not bite into the hot steel? What do you use?

Erin
 
Sorry I can't answer this- but I'm looking forward to see the answer because I have been thinking about this for some time now. I still haven't gotten anything that I think would be best. Thanks for asking so I didn't have to!

PS- If you don't need a long-handled grip (which I do) I know some guys use those locking surgical tongs. Since I have a Paragon, I need something to reach over the oven face when it is open.
 
Some people weld a rod on the end, to hold by that. Probably not what you're looking for though.
 
I use a pair of long handled pliers to move to the quench tank, I grab it by the tang, so I don't worry about the teeth digging in. I have a basket in my tank, so I just drop her in point first, and grab the handle on the basket and move it up and down. Hope this helps.
 
If you have a welding equipment it is pretty simple to make it. Just grab an old pilers, if it has some plastic or rubber handle, remove the cover exposing steel handle, weld two pieces of iron as long as you want, voila, a kiln tong. That is what I use all the time to grab blades from the kiln and to transfer them to my plates....
 
HF has some pretty cheap pliers that are about 18 inches long. They work pretty good to reach and grab a blade for heat treat. I think they were about 8 bucks.
 
Get some old pliers and get some small diameter black iron or steel pipe to press fit over the handles.... voila! longer handles! :p
 
^Thats what I did. Cheap steel tube from home depot, cut in half... heated and hammered onto the ends onto old pliers.
 
Cap tongs with the face roughed up on a 60g belt. Most farm stores that carry Farrier supplies will have them. They dont cost much.
 
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