In last week’s all-new Tool Talk, I mentioned that I own a pair of blacksmith-made blacksmith tongs. And here they are. While I admittedly don’t own a forge — I had to sell the one I inherited from my father — I kept these around because they’re just about one of the coolest tools I own.
They were made by my friend Ray Robinson, whose touchmark you can see on them in the photo below.
So far they spend most of their time in the pliers drawer, but one of these days I’m going to get around to setting up a forge and spending some time with it. I’m in a suburban neighborhood now, so a classic coal-burner (like my father’s) is out, but I’ve been considering a small gas forge — and maybe a foray into bladesmithing.
(PS: Yes, those are bits of Sean’s table project laying on the floor in the background. I promise I’ll clean ‘em up later today.)
