Pro tip: Stop quenching your tongs in the slack tub after every heat

I kept seeing guys at the shop near Pittsburgh do this and wondering why their tongs kept cracking at the rivet. After I wrecked a pair of diamond jaw tongs in like 3 months, I figured it out. The constant hot to cold cycle makes the metal brittle right where you need it to grip tight. I stopped dunking mine last year and they last way longer. Plus who wants wet gloves handling hot steel anyway? Has anyone else dealt with this or am I the only one who thought it helped cool things down faster?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_cora7d ago

Oh man, you are SO right. I did the EXACT same thing with my first good pair of tongs and cracked them at the rivet in no time. Felt like such an idiot once I realized the quenching was the problem. Now I just let them air cool and they've been solid for over a year.

max8087d ago

Yeah I felt that @the_cora. That rivet crack is brutal. It took me three busted pairs before I wised up. Now I just set them on the anvil and walk away for a bit. Slow cool is the only way to go.