"spaco" wrote in message
.. .
#1648: These are tongs that are used to hold large pieces of steel that
are being forged under a steam hammer. Note the L shaped handles sticking
out the sides of the pair in the cradle.
In use, the tongs are supported close to the pivot point by a crane. One
or more workmen manipulate the reins to close them to hold the workpiece
as it is taken from the furnace. The reins are clamped to hold the
workpiece. A crane operator works in concert with the workmen as they
move the work into place under the steam hammer for forging. As the crane
operator and the workmen at the reins push and pull the workpiece in and
out under the hammer, 2 or more other workmen use those L shaped handles
to rotate the workpiece as needed. The Blacksmith is the team leader.
He is the guy who will be measuring the work as it proceeds. He may or may
not be one of the workmen already described. One other workman uses a
broom to brush scale off the lower die as the forging proceeds.
The reason I say things like "are used" rather than "were used" is that
these tools are still used in some large forge shops today, particularly
in third world countries.
for heavier work or in more modern forge shops, the tongs have been
replaced by a machine called a "manipulator". It replaces both crane and
tongs. It looks like a fork lift with jaws that can rotate 360° of
thereabouts. It's still amazing to me to watch those teams work together
to get large parts forged to very close dimensions.

You can still see these processes around the Chicago area. We visited
one of them last summer.

Pete Stanaitis


a while ago someone posted a link to a blacksmith shop in present day india,
guys using tools and techniques from the turn of the century, i just tried
to find it to see if they were using those mongo tongs, i didn't find it but
i came across this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_LA_R4ifYk

i kept saying "wow" out loud. i didn't know they welded up wrought iron
objects by laying incandescent wads of metal upon it (5:54, etc.) and hammer
welding it to the object. and the coordination of the "striker crews",
amazing. men were men then huh?

On 2009-06-18, William Wixon wrote:

[ ... ]

a while ago someone posted a link to a blacksmith shop in present day india,
guys using tools and techniques from the turn of the century, i just tried
to find it to see if they were using those mongo tongs, i didn't find it but
i came across this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_LA_R4ifYk

i kept saying "wow" out loud. i didn't know they welded up wrought iron
objects by laying incandescent wads of metal upon it (5:54, etc.) and hammer
welding it to the object. and the coordination of the "striker crews",
amazing. men were men then huh?

Note that they were not hammering as fast as it seems. Movies
were taken at fewer frames per second back then, and when played back on
more recent equipment everything seems speeded up.

That said -- those hammer crews were still rather impressive.

Enjoy,
DoN.

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