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how to make forging tongs

by AlexTheGreat on July 25, 2006 Table of Contents how to make forging tongs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intro: How to make forging tongs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 1: Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 2: Make the tongs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 3: Make the grips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 2 3 3 4 4

http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-make-forging-tongs/

Intro: How to make forging tongs

for forging with your forge http://www.instructables.com/id/EOY2LRP1USEPZY2TT7/?ALLSTEPS

Step 1: Supplies
for this you will need; 1/4 in steel sheet metal three washers bolt lock nut (or a regular) tools; arc welder plasma torch argon compressor welding protection wrench grinder sharpie

http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-make-forging-tongs/

Step 2: Make the tongs

draw the shape of one side of tongs on the metal draw it again cut it out with the plasma torch (due to the fact I don't want to kill my camera, there are no pictures of welding or cutting) grind down the sharp edges drill holes at the pivot points put a washer between the tongs and on both sides and screw the nut on

Image Notes 1. washer 2. washer and nut 3. washer

Step 3: Make the grips

also cut out two small rectangles use the grinder to put grooves in them weld them on the tongs (make sure that when the tongs are closed the grips are flat against each other)

http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-make-forging-tongs/

Related Instructables

Making a Large camp knife from How to make a an old rasp. Part forge by AlexTheGreat 1 by oldanvilyoungsmith

Make a Small Blacksmith's Forge by Vendigroth

Coke forge and sword! by [Tom]

Railway Line Anvil by aerohydro

Make steel Forging Tongs by Vendigroth

Comments
27 comments Add Comment

jtobako says:

Dec 18, 2006. 7:05 AM REPLY why not use the forge to make them? you know, bending metal with heat? oh, thats right, the only thing a forge is for is "i'm gonna make a sword" BTW, rivets are the way to go. the plastic 'lock' on a locknut will burn out.

geodez says:
Because you get halfway through with the pieces in the coals before realizing "oh S*** I don't have any tongs!"

Feb 14, 2011. 6:19 PM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-make-forging-tongs/

jtobako says:
Water-pump (or adjustable) pliers. Or the blacksmith's secret weapon-vice-grips : ) In the mean time, your iron has burned away as you try to start up the plasma welder...

Feb 18, 2011. 8:41 AM REPLY

geodez says:
I suppose, and most unfortunately that last line is true.

Feb 19, 2011. 9:55 AM REPLY

AlexTheGreat says:
because the forge sucks and i can't make anything on it.

Dec 18, 2006. 2:14 PM REPLY

!!!!!!! says:
Have you tried a brake drum forge? you can make a simple one out of on old car wheel and some rebar...

Nov 30, 2010. 6:30 PM REPLY

corey11 says:

Nov 20, 2010. 11:24 AM REPLY Well, a smith i know put together an awesome website to help people build their own propane forge, and this one is pretty efficient. Its called the Ammo Can Forge. I modified it so its coal and its pretty eficient, not as good as it could be though. But overall, no cmplaints. http://www.forgemonkeys.com/

Unkat says:

Feb 18, 2007. 3:32 PM REPLY Alex, If you're having trouble getting a home made forge to work, I suggest purchasing one. I spent almost a year fiddling around with pipes and insulation before I just got fed up. As it turns out, it takes a huge amount of skill and precision to make a forge that will burn half as efficiently as the ones that can be found at places like www.centaurforge.com. In the meantime, it would be good if you could modify the title of this instructable or remove it entirely, since it is misleading and discouraging to beginning metalworkers. Blacksmithing is something to take pride in, not to work around. And if you need additional help, I suggest browsing around Anvilfire.com, which has tutorial's on many small projects and links to other reliable websites. Best wishes, ~U

thoraxe says:
dude, you spent all that money on a forge? what kind of forge gas or coal?

Jun 18, 2008. 5:23 PM REPLY

Unkat says:

Jun 19, 2008. 7:33 PM REPLY A propane, dual burner forge. At this point the largest diameter of stock I've used in it is 3/4" mild steel, but it can handle much larger. I don't know if my arm can though.

thoraxe says:
how much did u pay?

Jun 20, 2008. 12:47 PM REPLY

Unkat says:

Jun 22, 2008. 4:36 PM REPLY $750 for the forge, plus I think $30 or $40 in shipping. http://www.centaurforge.com/prodinfo.asp?number=FORGEB My anvil came from from Thak.ca, which was good for me because I'm in canada, so the shipping ended up being only about $50 for 110 kg anvil. I would recommend finding a dealer who is at least local to your country, to save on shipping. And also if they are close enough that you can pay them a visit and check out their products before you buy, that is a very good idea. Also, never buy an anvil from china. Even a little jewelry one. I've heard horror stories about chinese made anvils cracking open, revealing sand or lead inside...

Bright Shadow says:

Sledge hammers work good for a light anvil...

Sep 13, 2008. 7:10 PM REPLY

cowscankill says:

Jun 28, 2009. 6:44 PM REPLY THAT IS GENIUS! I never thought about that! I have been looking for an anvil around the house for ever!

http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-make-forging-tongs/

Bright Shadow says:

You're welcome, I guess?

Jun 28, 2009. 6:52 PM REPLY

thoraxe says:

Jun 23, 2008. 11:07 AM REPLY dang. for that much, i'd rather just buy whatever i need forged. I would never buy a forge for that much. but alot of people think they need fancy stuff to blacksmith with. I get along great with my concrete charcoal forge and my anvil made from a cast iron weight. Of course, propane forges are wonders to forge with, easy to light, no cleanup, and real anvils are great also, with hardy holes and horns and the rebound that comes with steel. To make things short, i still dont understand why people would buy something for that much, especially when they are a beginner. But you have it, and thats great, it will last you for years and years.

ironsmiter says:

Feb 14, 2007. 2:32 AM REPLY not to open old wounds, but if you have a plasma cutter, a nice lincoln electric mig/tig welder, and that nice shop to use them in, you must have air/gas torch of some kind too, right? could use that as your heatsource for bending stock. Hint on the tong construction. you only need 2 washers. one in the middle, and one on the bolt side. Add a quick tack weld to the nut, to lock it semi-permanently in place. Also, instead of tacking on the flats, take a hacksaw and split the buisness end of the tongs. Use a steel wedce, or cold chisel to split the halves to 45 degrees, for holding round or square stock. Make a second set of tongs exactly the same way, only spread to 180 degrees(flat) for plate stock. The UBER GHETTO/professional looking version of this s, grab a pair of vice grips. weld either plate(as you did in this Instructable), V-channel, or even C channel onto the holding end. In my blacksmithing classes, we only used those long handled pliers when we had to heat a small piece, and couldn't leave it attached to the bar stock we started with. As in trying to do finish forging on jewelry pieces, or spons, or such. for everything else, vice grips worked just fine :-) Feb 8, 2007. 7:28 PM REPLY then why do you need the tongs? rebuild the forge first (and second and...) forget the tongs, use longer stock to test the forge. anvilfire.com, look around for the tutorials.

jtobako says:

sonny davis says:

what do you do when you cant afford a plasma tourch

Dec 14, 2010. 5:29 PM REPLY

Gksarmy says:
i want a plasma cutter... :(

Apr 17, 2010. 9:11 AM REPLY

thoraxe says:

Jun 18, 2008. 5:14 PM REPLY also! you shouldn't make your jaws fit flat together unless your forging thin sheet metal. the jaws have to match or closely match the size and shape of stock you plan to use. most smiths need a couple pairs of tongs, one for bar stock, one for flat stock, and then they have larger sizes of those. a pair of tongs like this would be horrible for grabbing bar stock or large peices.

toogood says:
they would be much stronger if they were made out of 1 bar and hammered into shape

May 7, 2007. 1:30 AM REPLY

pissant says:
To make a real pair of tongs try this: http://www.blksmth.com/tong_article.htm

May 3, 2007. 8:41 AM REPLY

master-of-chaos says:
you could always spend a shit load of time making a mold that will stand molten iron then using thermite

Apr 22, 2007. 1:22 PM REPLY

Vendigroth says:

Dec 29, 2006. 2:32 PM REPLY why not just make them out of rod that's flattened out a bit and bent at the ends into that pincer shape. you can grind away the bits for the hinge, too, then rivet them together. it's always nice to have made your own tools, anyway....

DiamondBack says:

Sep 22, 2006. 3:53 PM REPLY You know, if a person can afford to BUY a welder, a plasma cutter, and compressor, they can certainly afford to BUY a pair of tongs

Cheyyne says:

Aug 1, 2006. 12:21 AM REPLY Nice and simple. You don't really NEED a plasma cutter, I think you could get away with a radial disc cutter or an abrasive hacksaw edge. Nevertheless, an easy way to get it done.

http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-make-forging-tongs/