Where do I get Forge tools?

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DaQo'tah Forge

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Aug 26, 2002
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hi, I need to get some of them tongs that guys use to hold onto the knife when working with the forge.

up untill now I have tried to use my big vice grips, but the jaws just dont hold in the right spots to keep control of the hot blade.

is there a on-line place to get the tool I need,,,,?

and what is the name of the tool?
 
Contact Tom Clark at Ozark School of Blacksmithing

He makes wonderful hammers and sells a high quality line of tongs and tools. I didn't see the tongs listed on the web site, but when he attends shows, he sets them out for sale. He carries few dozen diffent types. He also has anvils, powerhammers....and more.

Very, very high quality! ...and a great guy.

Sincerely,
Rob
 
For new ones, try the forgeandanvil.com He is making me knifemaker's tongs, he will make any type. I figure any others are going to come from antique stores, or I will make them myself.
 
Got a set of about 10 off Ebay...either old or lower quality home made but I think I only paid $30. for all of them.
 
i buy cheap pair of ajustable pliers streighten the ben in the pliers handle get some round steel tube stock from lowes force or grind the handles to fit in the tube stock weld together and viola tongs for 7 to 10 bucks and depending on how hard you abuse they will last 3 to six month and when the pliers break you can reuse the tube stock all you need is another pair of pliers i personaly use the 2 to 3 dollar pair.
 
making your own can be a pain but buying them can be worse... try some old antique stores and "antique(junk) stores" if you live near maine you could try the liberty tool co. they're full of tongs. Good Luck! if not try centaurforge.com
 
rotor...

I had a good laugh when I read your post,,,,"I thought to myself..."Now there is a guy who thinks like DaQo'tah"


HOWEVER,,,,,,I still have to ask about the problem I face now with the vice grips, and how you (or anyone ) could fix things..


The vice grips only seems to hold in the one little spot where the jaws clamp down on. Now sure it's tight for a while, but as I hit the steel it bounces around in the jaws and soon the steel is so free of the jaws that it can flop away anywhere...even onto the floor.

a normal pliers would still have this same problem...

the way I see it, I would need to alter the pliers somehow so that the "grab' for about a inch solid....also, I need to find a way to stop the side to side movement of the steel when I hit it.

Now I do weld a rod to the load shaft I forge down, But after a while I cut the flat blank free of the rod, or it pops off when I work the tang...I always have this problem with every knife...

I had a guy from work over last weekend and was showing him how my new forge works, and dropped the blade a few times...i bet he now tells the story how I spend most of the time trying to pick up a hot blade off the floor....

I got to get some good tongs,,,

ideas?
 
I have an old forging book that tells you how to make them, tongs, hammers chisels.
 
I have some very nice tongs Grant Sarver makes, I believe Centaur sells. Grant's blacksmith tools are sold under the name Off-Center Forge.

I will definitely second the antique store notion. I have bought several pairs of tongs at our local antique shop for $10. I have modified them to do exactly what I want.

Daquotah, the thing you must realize, is that a regular pair of pick-up tongs will do the same thing you're talking about (not as bad). In order to REALLY hang onto a blade, I recommend either a pair of BOX jaw tongs, AND/OR a good pair of "V" bit tongs.

With box tongs, you have the work-piece closed in. It is surrounded by the "box" that is created with the tongs and it won't bounce out. The same thing with a pair of "V" bits.

No offense, but I would not waste my time making "tongs" out of pliers and pipe. When for the same money you can buy an old set of tongs that will last the rest of your life and then some.

Forging you own is a great idea too. I think there are many bladesmith's that just don't have much blacksmith in them. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but the more you play with hammering out other things, the better you will come to understand the way hot metal moves. The biggest thing to remember, is there is not left and right...both halves will look the same.

Also, if you make youre own, you can make them as heavy or light as you wish.

I will probably buy that tong forging video, just because I love learning how other smith's accomplish their tasks at hand.

By the way, Vice grips are wonderful tools, but HORRIBLE for forging blades with. You need the long handles of tongs to keep your hands away from the fire and give you lots of leverage.

Just some thoughts,
Nick
 
When I first got started forging, making tongs was the first project I tackled. Well, they work ok, but you should see those things! Heeeee haaaaawwwwwww!!!!

Now, I find that the more I need something, the easier it is to talk myself into forging it up. Tongs really are quite simple to forge up. I'm surprised I don't have more of them. I bought quite a few on ebay though. You just have to be patient and stay with it and eventually you'll get all the tongs you need. The secret is to find the mis labeled tongs where folks don't know what to call them. It's been a while now so I don't remember all my search terms. You just have to use your imagination and try different combinations. Also, click the box to search inside the auction description. That makes a huge difference. Good luck. And in the meantime, try forging your own pair up. The easiest and best for knifemaking is the box tongs. First make a pair of flat tongs with about 1/4" closed jaw clearance. Then use tohse tongs to forge the box, which is just a piece of barstock bent in a 'U' and welded onto one of the jaws. You can do it! Give it a try.
 
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