tong question

[rotor]

I bought a pair of tong at an antique shop for 19$ when i got home i inspected them alittle closer an noticed that the handels had been forged welded on. the strange part is that the rest of the tongs looks like it is made up of several layers of steel forge welded together so i gruond off the corrosion to expose the bare metal sanded it to 400 grit and hit it with some ferric chloride and which revealed a random damascus pattern this pair of tongs has no markings so im assumeing that a blacksmith made them was there an era when this practice was common your help will be greatly appreciated Russ

[This message has been edited by rotor (edited 05-06-2001).]

 

[Nikk]

I don't know about the damascus jaws but it used to be common practice to weld steel of lighter weight or lower carbon for the handles.

 

[Bruce Bump]

In those days a black smith made all his own tongs. There were no yard sales yet. Many of them were forge welded from anything metal laying around the farm. Wagon wheel rims were commonly used and are made of wrought iron. The real wrought iron then was forge welded and has strands of nickel much the same as damascus. Im thinking maybe they are the old wrought iron ones. A good find! Bruce B

 

[rotor]

thanks for the info i am going to have do some more antiqueing Russ

 

[mikeS]

I think it was Ed Caffrey, said he etched an old wagon wheel hub, said you see nails, scrap barbwire,etc. Smiths often used old scrap to make stuff.

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