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Took a trip to the old ironworks museum in Scranton and spotted something in the forge room
They had a display of 19th century tongs, and one pair had a really unique twist in the reins I've never seen before. It looked like it was made to lock onto a specific size of square stock, maybe for repetitive work. Has anyone run across a design like that or know what that style is called?
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tara6426mo ago
Ever see those locking tongs for wagon wheel rims? Sounds like the same idea, just sized for square stock. Probably a real time-saver for some poor smith doing the same job all day.
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viola_allen6mo ago
You mean those self-locking rim tongs? I actually made a pair for square stock last year. I used a heavy spring and a simple latch that catches on the second jaw. It holds tight enough to let you set a weld without your hand cramping up.
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oliverhernandez3mo ago
The latch placement is the tricky part. I found it works best if you set the catch pin a little further back on the jaw so the spring tension pulls it tight against the work instead of trying to push it off. A rat tail file is your friend for getting that notch just right.
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miles_hall6mo ago
Wow, that's a game changer.
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