I'm using the ones shown in the very top of your pic. squared end, flat jawed. I found mine at a antique mall in Louisiana, they aren't the greatest for anything but flat stock, but they do the job. Lately i've also been using some needle nose vise grips that work well for a tight grip, but it does get a little warm holding stuff that close up.

Hello Allen. My two favorites are a wolfs jaw tong that I use for heat treating and other things and a box jaw tong that i use for just about everything. I also have about five other pairs, evrything from flat jaw to offset bar stock, but those ar the two I use most.

Brion

I use plain, flat tongs for adjusting things in the forge & other occasional use - but for getting a grip I have a pair of duckbill tongs like the bottom ones in the photo that I like for short chunks of bar stock - then move to the next one up in the photo when I've got a blade worked more into shape... I've got 2 versions of that box tong - one is small for handling small blades - the other full size like your photo for heavier pieces.

A type I don't see there that I've found very handy is an offset V-bit tong - here's a photo - very useful! I know you can get them from Blasksmiths Depot - and I'm sure other suppliers...

Note that the tongs can be used to grab a piece of work either straight on or at 90 degrees.

Michael Kemp

I use box jaws for flat stock. I started out with some flat jaws, but got tired of having hot steel go flying by my head after a misstrike with the hammer. I also like wolf jaws for holding things and have some of the v-bit for holding tangs.

Dale

I started out with some flat jaws, but got tired of having hot steel go flying by my head after a misstrike with the hammer.

I started out with some flat jaws and bunch of bulky antique tongs, and I know just what you are talking about with the flying hot steel. Then I took a class with Bob Patrick (Who made the tongs in my first post.) and discovered the joy of using tongs that actually fit the stock/object you are working on. Things work a lot easier and more safely with properly fitting tongs.

Like anything else, it's all about safety. The right tool, for the job, makes it go smoother and safer. A piece of hot steel flying aorund can make an old man move like a kid again.

Dale

Funny you guys say that about the flat jaws Dale and Allen, i got my first really decent burn just a few days ago from some flying steel!

Hello,

Has anyone out there tried these tongs, by Glen Stollmeyer? Amongst other various types, he makes a tong specific for blades. I'm in the market for tongs and am curious to hear about anyone's experience with these:

http://www.gstongs.com/id9.html

Regards,

Greg

Greg,

I've been using Glen's blade tongs for a while and I really like them his prices are reasonable and his workmanship is excellent. I bought mine when he was still here in the us so I don't know how much shipping from his new location is going to effect the cost.

Tim

There was just an announcement on Blade Forums that Glen, www.gstongs.com, is making and selling tongs again from Thailand. He is reducing shipping costs to serve his American clientele.

Here's the original thread, http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/threads/836408-got-an-update-from-GS-Tongs .

My first set of tongs (standard flat jaw) is recently from Glen at his new location; also got a few hammers from him as well. Quality is amazing and shipping is fast and efficient.