Blacksmithing is a popular activity nowadays, especially among young people who are trying to keep themselves busy by mastering the art of forging. Besides the anvil and hammer, tongs are an essential tool in blacksmithing. Without them, forging is not a complete process.
Usually, professional smiths craft their tongs depending on their needs. Tongs vary in different sizes, shapes, and functions. The best blacksmith tongs help to hold your metal stock tightly as you weld it to give efficient results. Also, they ensure your fingers are safe during hammering as they create a safe space between the hammer and your hands.
Moreover, blacksmiths use this tool to move around hot metal workpieces that you cannot hold with your bare hands. Having an appropriate set of tongs generally makes your work easier. Because of different forging needs, tongs are built in such a way that they can accommodate these needs conveniently.
Being a beginner, you may not have what it takes to craft your tongs, forcing you to buy your own. However, this may be difficult as there are many brands in the market while you have little or no knowledge about them. This article reviews the seven best blacksmithing tongs and factors you need to consider before purchasing.
[su_highlight class=”shortcodescolorpadding”]In a hurry? See here is our top 6 best blacksmith tongs list to pick from.[/su_highlight]
- Custom Iron Rapid beginner blacksmith tongs set
- Picard wolf jaw tongs for bkacksmithing
- Gedore 230-500 beginner blacksmith tongs
- Picard Blacksmiths pin Tong for easy use
- Long handle picard wolf jaw tongs
- Yoursme blacksmith tongs set
Best Blacksmith Tongs Types and their Reviews
Types of Blacksmith Tongs
V-Bit Tongs
These tongs have their jaws hollowed out in the shape of a v. The v shape grips both round and square metal stock with ease. To grip a finished workpiece, you hold it with the corners of the v jaw notch, while for a square stock, you place the edge of stock on the v-notch.
Uniquely, v-bit tongs are not limited to any specific stock size hence can accommodate a higher range of stock sizes. They are a perfect fit for beginner smiths. Most smiths use these tongs to forge knives and for bladesmithing.
Wolf-Jaw Tongs
Wolf jaw tongs are multifunctional as they work with different sizes of metal workpieces, whether round or square, thus versatile. They can grasp metal stock either on their ends or across the jaw. Also, they accommodate a wide variety of widths.
Additionally, they boast of multiple sets of teeth that have different sizes of teeth surrounding its jaw. They are generally suitable for beginner blacksmiths because they are short and suitable for smaller projects. We count these forging tongs for beginners as the best choice.
Box-Jaw Tongs
It features a straight lipped tong jaw on the bottom part and a wide jaw that fits over the sides of the lipped bottom jaw on its top part. They are most common for forging knives and work great with flat metal sheets.
However, they are not general-purpose tongs as they limit the size of stock, thus working with the stock having a consistent width size. If the workpiece is too wide or too narrow, then the box jaw tong is not able to give it a perfect grip; hence may fall off easily. We rarely recommend these jaws for beginner blacksmiths.
Z-Jaw Tongs
As their name suggests, their jaw is in the form of a z. They allow a blacksmith to shape a knife efficiently as they grip the blade properly in place.
Their flat handles with balls on the ends make it easier to hold the stock on the edges. Further, they feature an offset to allow the capital to extend past the rivet in the tongs. This makes the perfect for knife making and bladesmithing.
Editors Choice: 3 Best Blacksmith Tongs Comparison Table
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Custom Iron Rapid Tongs Bundle Set | 9.7 | Check Price |
 | Picard Hammer – Blacksmiths’ Tong | 9.5 | Check Price |
 | Yoursme blacksmith tongs set | 9.1 | Check Price |
1. Ken’s Custom Iron Rapid Tongs Set- Best Cheap Blacksmith Forging Tongs for beginners
If you are looking for the best quality DIY blacksmith thongs, then the bundle set by Ken’s custom iron rapid tongs sorts you out conveniently. It is easier to get a whole set of metals and assemble them on your own other than buying your own tong one by one, which is rather expensive.
The bundle consists of 10 long metal pieces and five rivets for binding them together to form five tongs. These tongs have different functions that are useful to a blacksmith in the workshop. The metal pieces have a lightweight design because of the mild steel construction, which allows for easy modification.
The rapid bolt tongs have an open jaw, thus making it easy to grab metals having bulky ends. Similarly, rapid flat jaw tongs are the most common and are ideal for any project available hence versatile. They can get shaped into box jaw, wolf jaw, or v-bit tongs.
Moreover, the rapid slot jaw tongs enable you to grip flat, square, or round metal stock using the same pair of tongs. Rapid v-bit tongs are made to match various sizes and shapes of workpieces, thus giving you a better grip.
Finally, the rapid scroll tongs are tiny and feature a tapered jaw, which helps in scrolling stock. This bundle suits both a professional and beginner smith as it is cheap. Once you follow the instructions manual that comes with and have the right tools for making holes in the jaw boss, then you are good to go.
2. Picard wolf jaw tongs for bkacksmithing– cheap blacksmith tongs
If you are looking for a multi-purpose tong to use as a beginner or a professional blacksmith, then the Picard wolf’s jaw tong is the best choice. Picard GmbH is a world-class manufacturer from Germany that is famous for quality products, including this tong. we consider these tongs for knife making as well. it can be the best choice if you are a beginner.
It features a wavy-tooth-like shape that ensures it adapts to the different shapes and sizes of stocks you are working on. This increases its gripping ability, thus making your work easier. The front end has a notch that holds round stock and a back area that is large enough to hold any other steel pieces.
Moreover, they are lightweight, but despite this fact, they efficiently withstand tough forging conditions. Its lightweight design causes you less fatigue hence allowing you to hold it for long hours while working. Also, it can be easily moved from one place to another for storage or transportation.
Additionally, its length of 16 inches enables it to provide grip to various shapes of metal stocks with much ease. The forged steel construction enhances its durability and strength making it withstand any forging conditions.
3. Gedore 230-500 Blacksmith’s Tongs– Best For Beginner
This is a German-manufactured tong that aims to provide optimum performance during forging. Entry-level and professional blacksmiths can efficiently forge their knives and blades using this tong. Its jaw is flat-nosed to allow it securely grip metal stocks of different sizes and shapes thus reliable.
Additionally, it constitutes a steel forged construction that ensures durability, thus serving you for a long time without fear of wear and tear. Also, the steel material enhances its strength, thereby allowing it to cope with harsh forging conditions.
Moreover, its length of 500mm (20 inches) enables you to keep your hands safe from hot metals during forging. Besides, a longer handle increases grip, thus convenient. It weighs about 3 pounds, which is quite heavy for a tong. It may cause you fatigue if you have to hold it for long hours. Similarly, this weight limits it from being carried around.
4. Picard Blacksmiths’ Pin-Tong– Best For Easy Use
The Picard 0004930 pin tong is among the models from Picard manufacturers who produce the best quality tools. Its build consists of two long metals with a rivet joining them together at the center. As much as the design is simple, it produces maximum performance during the forging of metal stocks.
Moreover, the positioning of the rivet in the center is what increases the tong’s efficiency of performance. The two metals pivot over each other with its help, therefore, improving its grip to allow for smooth operation. It weighs about 1.1lbs, which is the average weight of most tongs of the Picard brand, thus lightweight.
Furthermore, it features a C-35 steel material that is very strong and can handle the toughest of conditions during forging. Also, this material makes sure that you use it for a long time.
However, it measures about 12 inches, which is slightly too small to work with hot workpieces as you may risk burning your hand. Nevertheless, it still is a quality tool that will not disappoint you. They are usually perfect for gripping square, round and flat tongs.
5. Picard Blacksmiths’ Tong – long blacksmith tongs
This is another model from the Picard manufacturers featuring a flat-nosed jaw that makes forging a comfortable experience because of its long handle. It is a general-purpose tong as it can help with many tasks at the blacksmith’s workshop without limitation to a specific function.
It measures approximately 16 inches long to enable users to have a comfortable grip while hammering or interacting with hot metals. Besides, longer handles ensure that your hands are safe from the warm temperatures of the metal stocks. Many people prefer longer handles to shorter handles due to their optimum performance.
Additionally, its weight of 1.1lbs makes it more substantial than some other tongs falling in the same category as it. This may affect its portability and the fact that the user may not be able to hold it for long hours due to fatigue. But again, this entirely depends on you. Are you ready to manage its weight on your hands?
Moreover, its simple but strong design makes it stand out. The steel forged construction ensures that it is strong enough to work through any harsh forging conditions, including hot temperatures. It rarely shows any signs of weakness after using it frequently. This is an excellent choice for the money!!
6. Yoursme DIY Rapid Tongs Bundle– blacksmith tongs set
Applying the DIY aspect, this blacksmith set comes with a set of metal pieces that you can use to forge your tongs. This idea is brilliant in that you get a cheap set of metals and create five different tongs, which would otherwise be expensive if you buy them individually.
The bundle constitutes ten long metal pieces and five rivets for joining them together to form five tongs. These tongs have different functions that are useful to a blacksmith in the workshop. They are very sturdy and durable because of the 5/16” thick mild steel material construction.
The rapid bolt tongs have an open jaw, thus making it easy to grab metals having bulky ends. Similarly, rapid flat jaw tongs are the most common and are ideal for any project available hence versatile. They can get shaped easily into box jaw, wolf jaw, or v-bit tongs.
Additionally, the rapid slot jaw tongs enable you to grip flat, square, or round metal stock using the same pair of tongs. Rapid v-bit tongs are made to match various sizes and shapes of workpieces, thus giving you a better grip.
Finally, the rapid scroll tongs are tiny and feature a tapered jaw, which helps in scrolling stock. This bundle suits both a professional and beginner smith as it is cheap, and self-assembly makes it easier to concentrate on your needs while you forge.
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Buyer Guide on the Best Blacksmith Tongs
Before buying the best blacksmith tong, there are several factors you need to consider to make the right choice of the tong.
1. Types of tongs
There are various types of tongs, depending on their functions. Usually, you need multiple tongs for metal stocks having different sizes and shapes. Each tong plays a separate role, as we briefly highlight below.
- Flat Jaw Tongs– these have flat and rectangular jaws that grip flat pieces of metal
- V–Bit Tongs- they have their jaws hollowed out in the shape of a V to grip both round and square metal stock.
- Wolf Jaw Tongs– are multifunctional as they work with different kinds of metal pieces, hence versatile.
- Box Jaw Tongs– These work great with flat metal sheets and commonly used in sword making.
- Bent Knee Tongs– are useful for picking up flat objects that rest flat on an anvil or picking pieces that have a hollow opening.
- Pickup Tongs– they pick up the hot metal that drops during forging or holding punches and chisels while hitting them with your hammer.
Those are some of the most popular types of tongs standard for blacksmithing. As you can see, each of them has a different function. So as you decide to buy a tong, ensure to get one that fits your forging needs appropriately depending on their roles.
In addition to this, tongs have a DIY concept. This means that you can forge your tongs as long as you have pieces of metals and rivets. A set of the DIY tongs has ten parts of metals and five rivets, allowing you to craft five different types of tongs that carry out various functions.
The DIY tongs bundle is cheap and convenient because you get five tongs at once other than buying them individually, which could cost more. We highly recommend this because of its convenience. However, it may be a cumbersome task to assemble these tongs from scratch.
Length and Weight of Tongs
Generally, most tongs have a varying length of between 11-16 inches and can go up to 36 inches. If you are crafting your tong, then the distance can either be longer or shorter than this, depending on how you like it.
Nevertheless, most people prefer using more prolonged tongs to keep them safe from hot temperatures during forging, thereby providing mechanical leverage. However, more prolonged tongs always tend to be more substantial.
On the other hand, shorter tongs bring your hands closer to the fire, which is a risk, thus providing less mechanical leverage. The quicker the tong, the lighter it is hence is easily portable.
All in all, the length of a tong entirely depends on your preference and needs. But we recommend lengths of between 14-20 inches for the tongs. You can be able to find your perfect choice within this range.
Material of Tongs
It is vital to consider the material of your tong before purchase. Do you want a tong that does not easily break or wobble during use? Then it is good to consider buying a hardened steel tong. These perform efficiently to give you the best forging experience.
The hard forged steel material allows your tong to withstand even the hardest of conditions during forging, including high temperatures. Again, steel rarely bends under pressure, thus making it the best material for your tong. If you buy a tong that is not made of steel, then you are likely to regret it as it may easily break.
FAQs on the Best Blacksmith Tongs
How much should my blacksmith tong weight?
Ans: This entirely depends on the size of the metal stock you are planning to work with. Also, are you able to maneuver around with a light or heavy tong? The standard weight is usually between 1 and 2lbs.
What are the best tongs for beginner blacksmiths?
Ans: The v-bit tongs, wolf jaw, and flat jaw tongs are the best because they are the most basic.
How long should my tong be?
Ans: The length usually varies depending on personal preference and intended use. The standard length recommended is between 12 to 20 inches.
Where to buy blacksmith tongs?
Ans: You can get your tongs from trusted online stores, for example, Amazon, which is the most popular or any blacksmith workshop near you that crafts tongs.
Can I use a pair of kitchen tongs for blacksmithing?
Ans: Yes, you sure can, but this will be a challenging experience for you as these tongs not intended for the heavy-duty purpose of forging.
Conclusion
Buying your own set of the best blacksmith tongs is an enjoyable experience as you get to forge your tools comfortably. You may get tempted to forge your tong, but this may prove difficult if you are a first-timer, and that is why we recommend you to buy your own first.
The v-bit, flat jaw, and wolf jaw tongs are the most popular for a beginner as they are user-friendly and are all-purpose to give you a good forging experience. Also, they are useful accessory tools for a professional.
For more information, you can visit our website so that you get detailed information concerning our services. You can also find other related details that you have been looking for a long time. Therefore, do not hesitate to visit our site. We hope that you find this article helpful enough to be able to buy the best blacksmith tong from our website.
