Got a knifemaker forge from NC Tool recently. Now looking for set of tongs. Quite an array of different style tongs in my Centaur Forge catalog. I need advice on what style/type tongs to start with to use on steel for dirk blades and targe spikes,etc.. Any suggestions?
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Tongs?
- Thread starter Hielander
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 23, 1999
- Messages
- 1,409
When purchasing bolt tongs, go for the square jaw models, they allow you to handle both square and round stock. You'll also need some pickup tongs, and a couple different sizes of flat tongs. I personally favor box jawed flat tongs, as they don't allow your work to "slip" out the sides, and smack you when you least expect it. I usually wind up making a set ot tongs when the need arises....guess that's why there are so many sets around my shop, some I can't even remember why I made. Another note....if your going to purchase tongs, always get a heavier set than you think you need, you'll have the light weight ones wrecked in short order without realizing it.
Ed
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Ed Caffrey
"The Montana Bladesmith"
www.caffreyknives.com
Ed
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Ed Caffrey
"The Montana Bladesmith"
www.caffreyknives.com
Over at www.anvilfire.com on the iforge page is a tutorial on making tongs, I think there is one at www.keenjunk.com on the scetchbook page
As usual Ed is right. The box nose tongs are the answer to the work flying up and putting your eye out if you hit it with the work not placed exactly right on the anvil. A friend of mine from Morgantown, KY was up Sunday and we had a grand time in the forge. He brought his tongs, which I liked, and did not like. I was surprised how light weight they were; he said they were farriers tongs, and worked great BUT I quickly discovered that the big advantage to the vise grips is that you do not have the continuous muscle strain of holding the tongs shut, plus can take your hand off the vise grips(with the work laying on the anvil) for a second and reposition your hand turn it over, etc. with out loosing your grip. with my arthritic hands , every little thing helps. MOST important is placing the work correctly on the anvil and hitting it squarely so that the energy goes into forging, not into bouncing the work up.