My tongs snapped right at the hinge during a critical heat last Tuesday.

Was working on a custom fire poker, holding a piece of 1/2 inch square stock at a bright orange heat. Heard a sharp crack and the piece dropped into the slack tub. They were a pair of old bolt jaw tongs I'd had for maybe three years. Had to stop everything and forge a quick pair from some scrap rebar to finish the job. Anyone have a good source for more reliable tongs, or should I just make all my own from now on?

4 comments

4 Comments

robert_scott572mo ago

Got any good steel lying around? Just make your own, it's the only way to be sure they won't break. Buying them is a gamble.

hill.margaret2mo ago

Forgot about the fire poker for a second, you forged a new pair from rebar on the spot? That's some serious MacGyver energy right there. I'd have been swearing at a pile of scrap for an hour. Makes a strong case for just making your own tools when they fail that badly.

iris9272mo ago

Man that sucks, but forging a new pair from rebar right then is so hardcore lol. Had a cheap pair of box jaws snap on me last year, sent a hot chunk of steel flying way too close to my leg. Scared me straight into making my own since then. It's a pain but you just can't trust the store bought stuff when you're working with real heat.

miller.rowan2d ago

You ever see a pair of tongs just... give up on you mid-swing? Had a buddy who was working some railroad track into a blade, and his cheap store tongs slipped right when he was pulling it from the forge. That hot bar swung loose and hit him square in the shin. He limped for a week. Said after that he went straight to the scrap yard, grabbed some old coil spring, and spent a whole weekend forging his own set. Took him three tries to get the jaws to line up right, but he says he'll never trust a store bought pair again. Just ain't worth the risk when you're dealing with red hot steel and your own legs.