by J.M. Drew St. Paul Publishing Company
1918
To make a pair of ordinary blacksmith's tongs take a pair of
three-fourths inch round Norway iron or 60ft steel, heat one
end, and placing it upon the anvil, as at a. in Fig. 23, strike so as
to drive it down past the corner of the anvil to form a shoulder,
next placing it across the anvil at an angle of 45 degrees with
the length of the anvil, as at c. so that the inside angle of the
shoulder first formed comes just over the further edge of the
anvil, flatten down the part on the anvil about two inches back.
This will make a beveled shoulder, as shown at c. E is another
view of the same. Out off at the dotted line in e. Draw out and
round the end just cut off, and scarf it for welding on handle, as
shown at g. Be sure to make the scarf on the same side as the
beveled shoulder. Now lay this jaw aside and make another
exactly like it; then take a piece of seven-sixteenths round iron
or mild steel two feet long; upset both ends to the size of the
scarfed ends of the jaws; scarf and weld a jaw to each end.
Next cut in the middle and draw out and finish the ends; then
half-inch iron, as shown at h, leaving, a shoulder for the head of the rivet; cut nearly off on the hardy, so nearly that it
can be easily broken off after being inserted in the jaws. Heat it white hot, insert, break off and rivet down. In
riveting, do not strike a flat blow, but hold the hammer at an angle so as to give a beveled edge to the rivet head. If
the riveting has tightened the jaws so that they do not work easily, simply heat red hot and open and shut them a
few times while hot. If intended for chain tongs, cut off the corners as at l, and shape the ends of the jaws, as shown
at m, by heating and bending over a piece of three-eighths inch iron or the end of a small punch.
To make a pair of bolt tongs draw out the iron as at Fig. 24; drawing it square first, then rounding. Shape the end by
flattening out; then make the groove by placing the iron in the angle between face and horn See Fig. 24 D. After
bending the jaws, shape over the shoulder of the anvil the same as in the case of the of anvil, and striking with the
ball end of the hammer. plain tongs; then cut off and scarf for welding on the handle. After riveting the two jaws
together the grooves may be finished by heating hot and shaping over a piece of round iron or the end of a punch.
Tongs of many shapes and sizes are useful for different kinds of work; but the two kinds just described are used
most often, and anyone who can make them any kind which his work may call for. Fig.2r shows two kinds which will
be found handy in many ways. The first ones are used in dressing hand hammers and all anvil tools having eyes for
handles. The second pair is used in dressing ball pein hammers or in handling short bolts. Horse shoer's tongs are
usually made with short and wide jaws, usually rounded. See Fig. 26.
