Below is a video on forging a set of BBQ tongs. It will take you through the major steps I took in making these tongs. I had not made a set of these before I started this video so it was a learning process for me as I forged them. This is reflected in the video. There were several false starts and changes of approach as I went through it. I had to heavily edit the final recording to get it down to about 30 minutes from the 1 hour and 20 minutes of the full video.
That said, the basic approach I took is sound and will work well. Some things to keep in mind as you watch this:
- We are using 5/16 round stock – 2 pieces 24 inches long
- Initially I was trying to make a triangular loop on the jaw end. In hind sight the loop should be round. It will make a much better jaw when flattened out and it is easier to keep the symmetry between the two halves of the tongs.
- The key to doing a good job is to concentrate on making the two halves of the tongs as identical as possible in length and positioning of the elements.
- A fair amount of time went into the adjustment of spacing and positioning of the elements.
Watch the video and feel free to login to make comments or ask questions.