I finally figured out why my tongs kept slipping on round stock

Last week at the shop in Fresno I got fed up after dropping a 3/4 inch rod for the third time in an hour. I've been forging for about 5 years and always blamed cheap tongs or sweaty hands. Turns out my jaw curves were cut too shallow and too flat for round material. I spent one afternoon reworking the bites with a grinder to match the radius, like a V with a rounded bottom instead of a straight notch. Now the same old tongs grab tight with way less squeeze pressure. Anyone else found that regrinding the jaw profile fixes more than buying new tongs ever does?

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the_tara16d ago

Have you ever noticed how much time you lose just fighting your tools instead of the metal? I spent a whole weekend once reshaping a set of old farrier tongs because I got tired of the same slippage, and it blew my mind how much of a difference a little radius makes. My grandpa used to say that a good pair of tongs is like a good handshake, it should just fit without you thinking about it, and I guess he was right. I even started keeping a small file in my apron pocket just to touch up the bites whenever I feel them grabbing weird on a different stock size. It's funny how you can use something for years and then one small change makes you wonder why you didn't do it sooner, you know? Now I almost look forward to the grind work because it means less cussing later.