[TheForge] Scrolling Tongs from Tinsnips?

[Bruce .]

Frosty,

The big deal is *time*.  It took me *one day* at flea markets (where I was
going anyway) to buy several pair of tinsnips.  I don't know where the
rumor came from that once one retires one has time -- *it doesn't seem to
be true for me!**   It would probably take *me* many hours across several
days to forge six pair of scrolling tongs from bar stock.

(Yes, Dan Tull, if I *were *a blacksmith I probably *could *forge such
tongs fairly quickly.  I'm *not *a blacksmith.  I'd *starve *if I were a
blacksmith.  I'm an *amateur* blacksmith, committed to demonstrating the
basics to the public and to helping others learn the art -- which I can do
because I have a broad *understanding  *of blacksmithing, even though I
lack the skill to forge everything I might like to forge.  As I've told
Peter Ross and others, I don't expect *ever* to reach anything approaching
his skill level.  I could *improve  *with more practice, but my forte is in
design -- brain to paper.  My great weakness is hand-to-eye coordination.
I'd rather concentrate on what I do well than to work to improve my forging
skills from "mediocre" to "just okay". )

I, too, make a point to teach scrolling with hammer and anvil.  I find too
many folks seem to think they must scroll over a mandrel -- or the horn.
Even when taught good technique, the beginner often doesn't do a neat job
scrolling, and a pair of scrolling tongs can take a poorly executed scroll
and turn it into something of beauty.  But our toolboxes lack these tongs,
hence the need.

Already, I've come up with a means of *fabricating *tongs *(I'll pause here
a moment while you guys finish gasping in horror and can take a breath or
two)* -- so as to be able to produce six sets of three different types for
these toolboxes.  (The fabricated tongs work well, BTW.)  *And I haven't
even finished all of those -- which I started about six months ago.  *

Unfortunately, the twisting strength required of scrolling tongs, combined
with the desired delicacy of the jaws so they will enter spaces needing
tweaking, probably precludes the use of mild steel for their construction
(i.e., by fabrication), hence the interest in forging them from preexisting
tools.

(It doesn't help me that scrolling tongs could be forged from lineman's
pliers or other tools.  I don't doubt that, but the problem remains the
same:  *How do you do it?*  *What does the resulting scrolling tongs look
like?*)

ANYWAY, What I'm getting from all these responses is that *nobody else*
remembers or can locate for me a description of how to forge scrolling
tongs from tinsnips.  That's too bad because my memory keeps telling me I
saw an article *somewhere (*within the past 22 years)*.*  And I'd like to
see it again if it exists.

At least two of you have suggested grinding the jaws to shape, rather than
forging them.  I may give that a go.  I'm even considering normalizing the
jaws and fixing the half-snips to my 4-jaw chuck or to a face plate,
somehow, and turning the jaws to shape in the lathe.  (*...ducks under desk
to ward off the thrown rocks...*)

Bruce
NJ

-------------

*Don't ask me why I lack time -- I really don't know.

I'm sure it's a combination of spending time with friends or on necessary
chores, having way too many projects ("irons in the fire") like gardening
(which could be a full-time occupation in its own right) and running NJBA
-- in which I'm acting chairman, co-editor, treasurer, and handler of
membership and elections, fetcher of mail from our P.O. box, and fairly
regularly in charge of our weekly open forge meet -- and *yes, *I'm looking
to off-load some of those responsibilities, and have done so to some extent
but not enough!

If anyone out there in NJ and adjacent areas (including Long Island) cares
to pitch in, get back to me.  We can elect an active, committed NJBA member
to the NJBA Board within a week!

I haven't used my own gas forge in maybe a year -- though I do use a coal
forge maybe monthly at our open forge meets.  I'm backlogged on coming up
with lightweight blowers for our lightweight forges (See ** below), and, as
I say,  haven't got back to those fabricated tongs since discovering a few
extra pair of tongs in a misplaced toolbox reduced the urgency of
fabricating those.

-------------

**As for the "nesting stands", I take it you're referring to our
lightweight forge project.  That's finished - six complete forging stations
including forge, anvil & stand, vise & stand, toolbox and canopy (the
anvil, blower and canopy purchased, of course).  We even modified an old
shipping container to house all that.

The only major lack is that I could locate only three lightweight
hand-crank blowers, and we have to resort to using three heavyweight
blowers at those events, 2-3 times per year, when we need all six forging
stations simultaneously.  (Another of my projects:  Trying to assemble
lightweight hand-crank forge blowers from commercial components.)

As to "nesting", the hoods nest.  Or one can nest (small) slack tub over
coal ash bucket over hood over anvil-stand base over firepot, if only
schlepping one station.  The rest just break down.  EZ-Up canopies or the
like.  Folding forge table.  Vise stand that disassembles into 2-3
relatively compact components.  Adjustable- anvil stand, likewise.  Flue
sections that nest, 2 to 12 taking up roughly the same amount of room as
one.   I haven't figured out how to fold up an anvil, blower or leg vise,
but if I do I'll let you know...

(FWIW, I fabricated the first forging station myself, and only organized
workshops to fabricate the others after the proof of concept.)

BTW, it *really *helps that these forging stations have no loose hardware,
that no tools are needed, and that everything is color-coded by station --
that makes all the difference when setting up or when stowing the forging
stations after a tiring day.

I've inquired whether ABANA would be interested in publishing the plans for
these forging stations, but so far, they seem to have dropped the ball
*twice*, so I don't know whether they'll ever see light of day.

On Sat, Jul 21, 2018 at 1:43 PM, jerry Frost <akfrosty at mtaonline.net> wrote:

> What's the big deal about scrolling tongs Bruce? Grind needle nose pliers
> round and smooth or forge them. Seriously, even if you start with twist
> tongs there can't be an easier "special" set of bits to forge.
>
> When I teach I don't start a student off with tongs but scrolling tongs are
> basic enough for a first session if the student has the knack. Heck, I
> scroll on the anvil face I only made a pair of scrolling tongs as a demo,
> I'd have to empty a couple travel/demo buckets to find them.
>
> It seems to me you've spent so much time trying to spec out and get someone
> to build these basic kits you could've forged most of the components
> yourself and gained by the practice. Did you finally come up with nesting
> stands?
>
> Frosty
>