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?

4 comments

4 Comments

tara6423mo 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.

viola_allen3mo 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.

oliverhernandez19d 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.

miles_hall3mo ago

Wow, that's a game changer.