Forging coil spring into knife tongs

[@ricoloco2803]

Coil springs usually go through tons and tons of stress before they're salvaged. To get ahead of the problems that creates, heat and slowly cool it several times before working it. This isn't my first hand knowledge, but what have gathered from others with knowledge and experience. Makes sense to me though for what it's worth. I believe it's called thermocycling or normalizing. More likely, thermocycling is the process used to normalize, which restructures the grain, repairing microscopic cracks that weakend the steel. I'd love if anyone could confirm or correct me. So far I have forged half a dozen sets of tongs from mild steel and rebar, and so far they've held up great, not counting twice when they cracked where the reigns meet the boss but that was defect in workmanship, not material, (and useful lessons). I just got two monster coil springs that will be the thickest and some of the hardest stock I've worked with as of yet. Over the next couple days I will be heating it up and then burying it in ash to cool, several times before I start trying to work it. Fingers crossed. Thanks for sharing.

[@Anderson-HandForged]

thats a great job you did well congrats they look great

[@WJBlades]

I'm actually not a fan of how they look... however, they have functioned very well over the last couple of years. Thanks for the compliment.

[@MrJamesjustin]

Nice job mate.

[@mattforbes2571]

I was actually just wondering about coil springs. Thank you

[@aforcedeforger9652]

Great work! Coil spring in junk yard often have stress fractures in them...

[@allopez9791]

I usually use coil spring on something I need to be able to harden like chisels and that sort of thing. That is some great practice work though!

[@WJBlades]

You're not the only one who's told me that. I do find it interesting though that I've had several sets of tongs since then and the one I made here is what I use the most. (Might be because it's my only set of knife making tongs.) 😎

[@allopez9791]

@@WJBlades awesome! Yea i think they will continue to make great tongs for you! Just a little harder to work but looks great!

[@DERWALDRUFT]

I have the opportunity to get coil springs in masses by a local car service. I am very happy about that because i do my tonges quite similar. How would you harden them for chisels or so?

[@WJBlades]

I start with any mystery steal by quenching in oil. If I don't get the results I'm looking for I will go with a water quench.

[@MinistryOfStrings]

Looks better then my first forged set. Good job. I enjoy your videos. Keep on hammering.

[@WJBlades]

Thanks for the encouragement! I've been doing this for almost a year now, I should've made tongs long ago. 😊

[@dogf4ther]

i think you need to make a taller anvil block seems you have to split your legs to get too the right level

[@WJBlades]

I do that on purpose because I've had three back surgeries. 😣 Spreading my legs out further hurts less than standing normal. ☺

[@dogf4ther]

@@WJBlades oh cool man it just looked hard work. Awesome effort on that steel I was looking into making some knifes from spring steel.

[@williambarnhartblacksmith414]

I'm not sure if I was looking at it right, but it looked like you were forging the reigns (handle sections) down round. The easiest way to draw any shape of stock down is square, then make it round when you have it about the size you want it by forging the squares corners down, then going to octagon, then to round. Just a tip. Good luck man. These turned out pretty dang good.

[@WJBlades]

William Barnhart lll You saw it right, I was just turning and hammering out the reigns. Your suggestion sounds like good advise. I'll have to remember to try that next time. (FYI I forged out the reigns before the vise restoration video. You may have noticed the vise change in this video.) I appreciate your respectfully presented tips... cheers. 😎

[@acik0886]

Amazing knife . Im from indonesia

[@vegahowell5813]

Butt the advantage of spring steel it will hold form longer lot hotter then mild steel, if they ever get to a orange never cool them in water they will super hard and brittle. Ie mild steel at orange will deform easy

[@americanfreedom2324]

As soon as I saw you was using a gas forge, I thought, "Oh man".

[@kraftro1]

I have watched most of your videos and I really like what I see. I have watched other knife making videos and I see them normalizing the blade several times before it is reheated and then oil quenched. I don't know if this will help your projects or not.

[@WJBlades]

Normalizing is like a quick form of annealing. It's not really meant to get the metal to it's softest state the way annealing would. Instead it is intended to (primarily) release stresses in the atomic structures of the steel. Annealing does the same thing while affecting carbon placement in a more significant way through a controlled slow cool down. I do both depending on what the situation calls for. Most people normalize a few times before a full on rapid cool down to avoid warpage and cracks. Personally, I think even heat distribution and how you quench make just as much or more of a difference. However, to your point, I could've done more to relieve stresses. No matter how much you relieve those stresses the steel can be compromized no matter what you do. I think it was compromized from the get go or I compromized it with poor heat distribution while I was uncoiling it. Either way thanks for your support. 😎

[@codiw1990]

Use the far edge of your anvil to draw out quicker

[@blakehorton8110]

Yhea lol I made the same mistake and didn't study up as much as I should have when i first started but mild steel is the way to go , you also never have to worry about hardening it because it doesn't harden lol , also it's cheap and if it deforms it's less likely to break and you can just heat them back up and refine them again , love the vids and been with you for a while now , you said weeks to between that project what were you up to for that long lol

[@WJBlades]

Excuse the pun but I always have too many irons in the fire. Three kids, two jobs, junk vehicles that always need to be fixed and a bunch of scar tissue (in and) around my sciatic nerve root.

[@blakehorton8110]

@@WJBlades ok lol gotcha heard that , well hate to hear the nerve damage I have the same and be careful of narcotics they took me down a long hard road sorry but had to be said i felt just in case I apologize , good luck and keep em coming man !!!

[@WJBlades]

@@blakehorton8110 I will say, I've adjusted and used those tongs a lot. Out of the 8 sets I have available to me these are definitely my favorite, even if they're ugly. When/If they break I'll post a quick video. As for narcotics, I use them very sparsely. In my former life, I was an addict and I have no intention on returning to that life. Thanks for you comments. =)

[@blakehorton8110]

@@WJBlades good man , that's awesome and proud for you brother and hope your new life stays that way new and interesting , same road here brother and I'm loving things like this blacksmithing now those are my drug of choice now lol

[@theriverwoodtrader4433]

Coil springs make fret tong shapes but terrible tongs. They will heat and cool to many times and crack or shatter.

[@WJBlades]

The Riverwood Trader That's a strong possibility. I don't quench mine often for that very reason. I didn't have mild steel on hand and I wanted to learn with what I had available. I completely agree with you. Thanks. 😎

[@theriverwoodtrader4433]

your fine its good to learn how to make tools. Your right also about the rebar as well. It will do the same thing as spring steel and break after a bit. the bets way I make tongs without a power hammer is to get some 3/8 x 1" and make it outa that. a bar 20ft long should cost about 16 bucks.

[@МурадГаджиев-о8ю]

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