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- GURU
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Tonight's demo is a very special one.
Bill Epps is demonstrating the making of Dragon Tongs.
After the demo these will be listed on the anvilfire auction page, the proceeds to go to anvilfire.
WHY make such fancy tools?
It is the artist in us that wants to decorate our tools.
Over the centuries smiths have carved images into hammers, anvils and vises.
Some of the finest expamples of iron carving are armourer's tools found in museums.
Decorated tools are also an example of ones work as well as measure of the status of the craftsperson.
How many of us can afford to keep our finest work?
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Figure 1 |
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BILL
EPPS
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To get to this point, refer back to I-Forge Demo No. 5. I start w/a pair of tong blanks. The head end is 1/2" square X by about 3/4" long to start.
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Figure 2 |
Figure 3 |
Figure 4 |
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BILL
EPPS
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In Figure 2, I am setting down on the side of the anvil (put a 1/2 blow, hammerface hitting 1/2 on the anvil and 1/2 off the stock) about 1/2 way back as shown in Figure 3. In Figure 4 I go to the vice and hammer the corners at a 45 deg. angle back into theirself.
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Figure 5 |
Figure 6 |
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BILL
EPPS
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Then I use a center punch after I 45 the corners to start the nostrils. Then I use a dull center punch to give the nostrils flair and more definition. I use a center punch again to start the eyes (trying to keep the eyes and nostrils as centered as possible). (All dragons are a little gotch eyed anyhow).
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Figure 7 |
Figure 8 |
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BILL
EPPS
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Now I take the eye punch and go into the center punched holes and drive the eye punch good and deep and allow the eyes to bulge.
Then from the top, I use a hot cut down between the eyes to give me a line to cut my horns out from.
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Figure 9 |
Figure 10 |
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BILL
EPPS
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Figure 9, I am starting the cut on my horns. I start them from the back, and cut down and inward towards the eye. Then I come from the top and cut down at an angle (this should be done closer to even than what I did on this one here).
After you make the cut, follow your cut line with a blunt hot cutter to raise the horns up (now this is where I use a 1/2 Round file to even the horns up as much as possible before bending them forward and putting the shape on them.) Also, using a blunt chisel, put some accent marks on the top of the muzzle and anyplace you thing you want to to define the face.
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Figure 11 |
Figure 12 |
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BILL
EPPS
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Then we take another heat, (I forget to say when you heat and don't, assume you know I am working this metal hot), and turn the back side up in the vice and cut him some teeth with the sharp hot cutter. Also, you can use a sideset punch to draw him a lip line. This also helps to define the teeth.
Now I check it against the other 1/2 of the tong piece, just to see how much I will need to adjust and fit up.
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Figure 13 |
Figure 14 |
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BILL
EPPS
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I draw the bottom jaw out on the other piece, to get the length that I need, and taper it down to the nose.
Then I turn it with the jaw side up in a 1/2 round bottom swedge and releave the center. (This makes it easier to grab small round stock as well as flat stock). This is done with a blunt hot cutter.
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Figure 15 |
Figure 16 |
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BILL
EPPS
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Now come from the jaw side, and cut in the bottom teeth w/a sharp hot cutter, and this finished the bottom part of the tongs. I join the two pieces together w/a rivet and rivet it down with a ball pien hammer. I adjust the reigns and line the jaws up with each other.
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Figure 17 |
Figure 18 |
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BILL
EPPS
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Then I add my touch mark on the reigns, and it looks something like this. This pair of tongs (these are the first pair I have ever made like this), will go on the Auction Page and the proceeds from whatever they auction for will go to help support Anvilfire. Any questions??
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Ntech
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VERY nice tongs Bill. I like the photos also.
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Ralph
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Cool tongs Bill! And as usual an exellent demo. And Miz Sharron, you did an excellent job of inputting all the words
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Steve
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Bill, when you punch the nostrils, how do you keep it from curling up the end?
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dunchadh(jerry)
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very nice i need to try to make my own tongs before i get fancy
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BILL
EPPS
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Do any of you have any questions???
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BILL
EPPS
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Steve, I just have it good and hot and well secured in the vice.
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JOCK D.
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Nifty tongs. And functional too!
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Milt
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Bill --- VERY NICE! Almost too nice for the forge, do you & Sharon use them to serve food at parties --- like hod dog servers?
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BILL
EPPS
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Jerry just check out I-Forge Demo no. 5 and you shouldn't have any problems making a pair of tongs.:)
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PF
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Hey Bill. that lo0oks like it belongs on the dinner table, not the forge. Mighty nice!
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BILL
EPPS
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No, Milt, that is a dadgum good idea. I hadn't thought of it, this is the first pair, but certainly not the last pair, of the Dragon tongs I have made. I am going to sign and number these dragon tongs, so whoever gets this pair will get the No. 1 Pair.
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jerry
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Bill, fine demo!!! should be a good item for the auction
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BILL
EPPS
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Thanks for watching. Hope ya'll have fun making your own pairs of tongs. Gonna go back to Pub now.
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