Tong choices or big pliers maybe?

Smallshop said:
www.harborfreight.com

16 in. Long Reach Pliers Set, 2-Piece

Amazing deals on this 2Pc 16In Long Reach Pliers Set at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com

I use these. Stripped most the plastic off the shanks...
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I take all the plastic off of them and forge the handles (reins) out straight. In my opinion, plastic doesn't really have a place on any of my forging tools.

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I just looked at those Long Reach Pliers - those would be so easy to make tongs from. Perhaps even cutting the tip off and welding a new shape to fit the tongs you wish. For the oven work those are just fine. I think I'll get a set for my oven rather than the blacksmith tongs I normally use. Thanks for linking those., I've got them added to my "List" in HF.
 
KenH said:
I just looked at those Long Reach Pliers - those would be so easy to make tongs from. Perhaps even cutting the tip off and welding a new shape to fit the tongs you wish. For the oven work those are just fine. I think I'll get a set for my oven rather than the blacksmith tongs I normally use. Thanks for linking those., I've got them added to my "List" in HF.
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No problemo. (Or where you referring to Smallshop's link? We linked to the same thing...)

Either way, if you have the ability to forge, you can get the jaws hot, grab the size stock you're trying to work with, and hammer the jaws to fit it.

Otherwise, as you said, cut off the jaws and weld on new ones. I've done both.

I'm going out to the shop in a second and I'll take a picture of a pair that was using yesterday.

When I first started forging, I tried using what pliers I had (didn't have any tongs). I settled on the long needle nose. I've been re-forging 3 pair of long needle nose (actually 4, but I can't find the forth pair, now...) since I started.



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Doesn't have to be anything fancy. These have gotten shorter over time. The handles have been forged on multiple times and I broke one of the jaws a while back so I cut them off shorter.

The handles are forged out to be fairly wide.

Yeah... very sloppy forging. I know. I didn't want to spend time on it. I just wanted to get back to using them.

Edit: I should add that the jaws are sized to grab 1/8" or maybe 5/32" stock with the jaws parallel. I also put a groove down the middle of the jaws to grab small round stock, like pin stock for hot rivets.
51fc60583a45aa5c08f3050365e1a5ae.jpg


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52 Ford said:
(Or where you referring to Smallshop's link? We linked to the same thing...)
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I was actually referring to both of ya'll. I agree with your method of making tongs, that's how I did it. I've got 3 pair I made from horse nippers (used for trimming horse hoofs for shoeing) I ordered from ebay several years ago. A real deal, 3 pair for $15 to $20 shipped, not much more than $5 each. My last pair I build from scratch - used a tad smaller rod for the reins than needed, but they work just fine.
 
KenH said:
I was actually referring to both of ya'll. I agree with your method of making tongs, that's how I did it. I've got 3 pair I made from horse nippers (used for trimming horse hoofs for shoeing) I ordered from ebay several years ago. A real deal, 3 pair for $15 to $20 shipped, not much more than $5 each. My last pair I build from scratch - used a tad smaller rod for the reins than needed, but they work just fine.
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We'll see what I can do with some propane or I can pick up a can of Mapp. I really don't want to waste oxygen on them if I don't have to. Especially since I only have the small OA rig.
 
Absinthe said:
We'll see what I can do with some propane or I can pick up a can of Mapp. I really don't want to waste oxygen on them if I don't have to. Especially since I only have the small OA rig.
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I know you said you don't plan on getting into forging, but I bet you would benefit from a small coal or propane forge.

My forge is a hybrid. It's an old Champion coal forge and I use anthracite coal as the primary fuel, but I also have propane plumbed into the tuyere (Google Tuyere to know what I'm talking about). It serves two purposes - it use it to light the coal and I can also use it on it's own (in conjunction with the blower) sort of like an inverted propane forge.

ANYWAY, I've found anthracite coal to be a lot... like, a LOT more economical than a propane torch.

I haven't used MAPP in a while. Ya see, it's illegal to make MAPP gas now (not new news - it has been for years). The new MAP-Pro is not the same. All it is, is a blend of Propylene and Propane.... you can buy cylinders of straight propylene. As far as I'm concerned, MAP-Pro is a RIPOFF!
 
52 Ford said:
I know you said you don't plan on getting into forging, but I bet you would benefit from a small coal or propane forge.

My forge is a hybrid. It's an old Champion coal forge and I use anthracite coal as the primary fuel, but I also have propane plumbed into the tuyere (Google Tuyere to know what I'm talking about). It serves two purposes - it use it to light the coal and I can also use it on it's own (in conjunction with the blower) sort of like an inverted propane forge.

ANYWAY, I've found anthracite coal to be a lot... like, a LOT more economical than a propane torch.

I haven't used MAPP in a while. Ya see, it's illegal to make MAPP gas now (not new news - it has been for years). The new MAP-Pro is not the same. All it is, is a blend of Propylene and Propane.... you can buy cylinders of straight propylene. As far as I'm concerned, MAP-Pro is a RIPOFF!
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Does that put you in Pennsylvania?

I was unaware that MAPP was gone. I guess the real question is "is propane" sufficient for bending or whatever it is I have to do to the tongs?
 
52 Ford said:
As far as I'm concerned, MAP-Pro is a RIPOFF!
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I agree - the temp difference between propane and mapp isn't anywhere near worth the price. I do get conflicting info, from one site I read: "MAP-Pro gas burns at a temperature of 3,730 degrees Fahrenheit, while propane burns at 3,600 F. " note only 100F difference. While a different site says: "3,450 degrees F for propane".

An even different site also says 3700F for Mapp gas, but that "it doesn’t affect the flavor of the meals it is used to sear."

I purchased a bottle of mapp gas for my torch and really never noticed any real difference between mapp and propane in actual use.

Will a propane (or mapp) torch get the ends of the needle nose pliers in question hot enough to bending? Either one "might" work.
 
It's just that I've never tried. If it was something critical, I just automatically went to O/A but with my little bitty tanks, I don't want to waste the O2 if I don't have to :(
 
"However, many current products labeled "MAPP" are, in fact, MAPP substitutes. These versions are composed almost entirely of propylenewith minuscule impurities of propane (<0.5%).[1]"
en.wikipedia.org

MAPP gas - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

The stuff actually in the bottle doesn't get as hot as it used to, in many cases.
 
KenH said:
I agree - the temp difference between propane and mapp isn't anywhere near worth the price. I do get conflicting info, from one site I read: "MAP-Pro gas burns at a temperature of 3,730 degrees Fahrenheit, while propane burns at 3,600 F. " note only 100F difference. While a different site says: "3,450 degrees F for propane".

An even different site also says 3700F for Mapp gas, but that "it doesn’t affect the flavor of the meals it is used to sear."

I purchased a bottle of mapp gas for my torch and really never noticed any real difference between mapp and propane in actual use.

Will a propane (or mapp) torch get the ends of the needle nose pliers in question hot enough to bending? Either one "might" work.
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Same experience. I never noticed a difference between MAPpro and propane. If I wanted to get more BTU out of my MAPP/propane torch, I'll just go to the welding supplier and buy a cylinder of proplylene.

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Absinthe said:
Does that put you in Pennsylvania?

I was unaware that MAPP was gone. I guess the real question is "is propane" sufficient for bending or whatever it is I have to do to the tongs?
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Virginia. Little east of Richmond.

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52 Ford said:
Virginia. Little east of Richmond.

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I grew up in NE PA and of course, I constantly heard about Anthracite Coal. Used to go to the state park and pick up chucks of it the size of bowling balls off of the ground. Cool stuff. There were plenty of homes still burning it when I was growing up, and they would put out the ash cans on the streets for pickup. They would use it on the snow/ice for traction, but if you fell into it on your sled or whatever it was like a pit of razor blades. :) Good times...
 
Absinthe said:
I grew up in NE PA and of course, I constantly heard about Anthracite Coal. Used to go to the state park and pick up chucks of it the size of bowling balls off of the ground. Cool stuff. There were plenty of homes still burning it when I was growing up, and they would put out the ash cans on the streets for pickup. They would use it on the snow/ice for traction, but if you fell into it on your sled or whatever it was like a pit of razor blades. :) Good times...
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LOL! Yeah, coal is actually hard get where I'm at. I like it, though. Might be easier to forge with propane (I wouldn't know), but they did it like this long before they knew what propane even was.

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By the way, the razorblades you're referring to are "clinker". When you burn coal, you end up with ash and clinker. It's all the non-flamable stuff that's left over. It's melts into clumps. Hard and brittle.

Ya know, I bet that would hurt!

When I was younger, me and some of my friends went sledding on a huge hill. My buddy hit some hard packed snow and veered off into a briar patch.

Now, these aren't like rose bush thornes. These briars are huge. I'm talking 1-1/2" thorns.

Not sure where I was going with that story... good times.

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52 Ford said:
By the way, the razorblades you're referring to are "clinker". When you burn coal, you end up with ash and clinker. It's all the non-flamable stuff that's left over. It's melts into clumps. Hard and brittle.

Ya know, I bet that would hurt!

When I was younger, me and some of my friends went sledding on a huge hill. My buddy hit some hard packed snow and veered off into a briar patch.

Now, these aren't like rose bush thornes. These briars are huge. I'm talking 1-1/2" thorns.

Not sure where I was going with that story... good times.

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Yeah, well that clinker was all over our roads as of first snow. So if you were sledding hills you would eventually hit it. It would slice you up but good!

Thorns are fun too.

I wasn't sure you could get much anthracite outside of PA, figured there would be plenty bituminous elsewhere.

But one could use hardwood or charcoal, or briquettes.... Or electricity.

I will be trying to see if I can get some redness with the propane alone. Worst case, I imagine it would work cold for how much it needs bent. The v-bit one only needs a short offset in 2 directions rather than a 90° twist like the other ones
 
I got the Pittsburgh 15 in. Long Reach Locking Pliers from Harbor Freight: https://www.harborfreight.com/15-inch-long-reach-locking-pliers-97609.html They worked well so far and are vise grip style, so I can clamp them before dunking in oil so the blade doesn't fall to the bottom of the tank.

I got these gloves: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1VJDIQ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

I have a Kiln as well, but it's only 6" deep and I put 3" of KaoWool on the bottom to get up to temp quicker and I don't have to reach as far into the kiln. The elements on mine are all on the lid, not in the Kiln itself, but you will want long and thick gloves to protect your arm!! Those coils get hot and the heat coming off of them is impressive!
 
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