Tool Talk

What's-It Forum => What's-It Forum => Topic started by: skipskip on August 21, 2012, 07:40:51 PM

Title: seems like a bullet mold, but thats too easy
Post by: skipskip on August 21, 2012, 07:40:51 PM
about 12 inches overall "ball" part is the size of a dime.

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8431/7834843476_4aa027507e_m.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/skipskip/7834843476/)
AUG 283 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/skipskip/7834843476/) by skipskip (http://www.flickr.com/people/skipskip/), on Flickr


(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8289/7834842882_ff7912b009_m.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/skipskip/7834842882/)
AUG 282 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/skipskip/7834842882/) by skipskip (http://www.flickr.com/people/skipskip/), on Flickr
Title: Re: seems like a bullet mold, but thats too easy
Post by: jimwrench on August 21, 2012, 09:52:48 PM
 Looks like a farriers tong shown on page 487 of Sellens Dictionary of American hand Tools. Says hollow in jaw can be used to hold welding flux while installing toe calk. Not sure if yours is same but seems similar.
Title: Re: seems like a bullet mold, but thats too easy
Post by: Mac53 on August 22, 2012, 12:07:05 AM
They're called "Fire Tongs"
Title: Re: seems like a bullet mold, but thats too easy
Post by: anglesmith on August 22, 2012, 02:31:41 AM
Richardson on pge 192  (picture on pge 185)of vol 1 of Practical Blacksmithing calls them horseshoe tongs, saying that they are short and round so they wont project passed the inside of the shoe and get in the way of the horn of the anvil and the smith can shift the postion of the tongs without losing his grip. (Picture in your mind.. a length of 1 or 1/14 x 1/2 inch steel being turned (curved) on edge into horseshoe shape over the horn of the anvil.) I've always thought that the relieve in the middle was to improve grip, but I guess it could be used as a flux spoon as Sellens says.
Graeme


clarification
Title: Re: seems like a bullet mold, but thats too easy
Post by: Branson on August 22, 2012, 08:15:30 AM
Yeah,  tongs for farriers.  I've always known them as horseshoe tongs, but I see that a lot of companies sell them as fire tongs.  Seems strange to me since all smithing tongs are used in the fire.
Title: Re: seems like a bullet mold, but thats too easy
Post by: anglesmith on August 22, 2012, 05:08:42 PM
Branson , I agree with you calling them fire tongs is strange, I checked  my Pieh and Centaur catalogues which cofirmed what your saying. I also found them called fire tongs  in Hickman's Farriery, a classic English horseshoeing text! (I dont have many horse shoeing books!)
Skipskip, Terminology aside, they are a nice pair of well made tongs.
Graeme