[TheForge] Tongs & power hammer - a safety issue?

[John Newman]

I  DID learn not to put my fingers between the reins the hard way.  I was
demonstrating at a re-enactment and had something to make for one of the
re-enactors so I modified the jaws on a pair of tongs I was using,  I forgot
that they were made from medium carbon steel and I quenched them so that I could
get to work. I had a ring on the reins and was hammering at the anvil when one
of the reins broke and I had the tip of one finger between the reins the end of
the finger burst and I lost my fingernail.  This was just from the tension on
the reins so have to agree that under the right circumstances they could take a
finger off.

John