An old-timer told me my tongs were too fancy. He was right.

I spent 2 months forging a pair of box-jaw tongs with all these precise grooves and a spring handle. Brought them to a demo in Dayton last Saturday and this guy who's been smithing since the 70s just laughed. He said I was making jewelry, not tools, and handed me his plain pair that's been beat up for 30 years. I tried his on a stubborn 1/2 inch bar and they gripped better than mine ever did. So I went home and remade my tongs with flat jaws and a rivet, no fancy bits. It took one afternoon and they work way better. Anyone else had to strip down their work to make it actually functional?

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rosek7312d ago

Same thing happened with my first set of chisels. I spent forever grinding these perfect bevels and polishing the backs until they looked like mirrors. Then an old guy at a hammer-in grabbed one, knocked off the edge on a chunk of mild steel, and handed it back saying the edge needs to be tough, not pretty. He was right, I was chasing looks instead of function. Now I keep the edges sharp but I don't bother with the fancy finish, they cut better and hold up longer. It's humbling when the simple stuff beats the complicated stuff.