opw on tue 23 mar 99
We were sick of raku tongs coming loose or breaking at the pivot point. It
always seemed to happen when pulling our favorite pieces. We searched for a
better pair but couldn't find one, so we made them=21=21 Check it out=21
www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Bayou/6712/protongp.htm
Jamie =26 Brian
Ogeechee Pottery Works
1702-B Hwy
Richmond Hill, Ga
31324
912-756-POTS
Tom Herman on wed 24 mar 99
Every time my wife creates new pieces that we have to raku, I end up making
new tongs. Being a farrier, I simply open up my truck, fire up the forge
and bend some steel bar stock to fit around the new pot. Drill a couple of
holes, stick in a 1/4" bolt...viola - more tongs! These tend to be a bit
heavy, since I make them from 1/4" X 3/8" stock. The largest ones are
designed to fit through the hands and rest against the forearms. Lots of
leverage for heavy stuff.
I also have created some huge croquet-type "wickets" to slip under large
plates and tiles. Wickets take about 5 minutes to bend cold in a vise.
Turned out to be very handy. We place the pottery pieces on top of a small
IFB brick. This allows the wicket to get underneath quickly and easily.
The pottery then slides off easily into our garbage can reduction chambers.
tom herman Augusta, NJ farrier
therman@crystal.palace.net
Stephen Mills on thu 25 mar 99
Tom,
Do you have a web site? if so could you put up some drawings/photo's of
these Tongs. I think quite a few on this list would be interested, me
for a start.
Steve
Bath
UK
In message , Tom Herman writes
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Every time my wife creates new pieces that we have to raku, I end up making
>new tongs. Being a farrier, I simply open up my truck, fire up the forge
>and bend some steel bar stock to fit around the new pot. Drill a couple of
>holes, stick in a 1/4" bolt...viola - more tongs! These tend to be a bit
>heavy, since I make them from 1/4" X 3/8" stock. The largest ones are
>designed to fit through the hands and rest against the forearms. Lots of
>leverage for heavy stuff.
>
>I also have created some huge croquet-type "wickets" to slip under large
>plates and tiles. Wickets take about 5 minutes to bend cold in a vise.
>Turned out to be very handy. We place the pottery pieces on top of a small
>IFB brick. This allows the wicket to get underneath quickly and easily.
>The pottery then slides off easily into our garbage can reduction chambers.
>
>tom herman Augusta, NJ farrier
>therman@crystal.palace.net
>
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
home e-mail: stevemills@mudslinger.demon.co.uk
work e-mail: stevemills@bathpotters.demon.co.uk
own website: http://www.mudslinger.demon.co.uk
BPS website: http://www.bathpotters.demon.co.uk
Don Jones on fri 26 mar 99
This reply is to all who are responding to this thread. Have any of you
tried to forgo the tongs altogether and just use a mask and gloves?
It was a little scary for me at first but my work at the time would not
allow for any use of tongs or lifters. I watched a freind dress up like a
space man and just reach in and grab a piece, set it on some bricks to cool
a little so the cracks would form, and then immerse it in a garbage can with
a little shreaded newsprint. WHOOMPHH!! uncover the can and the piece was
done. I tried it too and it was FUN! Sometimes you get these hand-shaped
prints on the side where your white crackle glaze was.
Don Jones
http://www.highfiber.com/~claysky
----------
>From: Tom Herman
>To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
>Subject: Re: better raku tongs!
>Date: Wed, Mar 24, 1999, 1:55 PM
>
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Every time my wife creates new pieces that we have to raku, I end up making
>new tongs. Being a farrier, I simply open up my truck, fire up the forge
>and bend some steel bar stock to fit around the new pot. Drill a couple of
>holes, stick in a 1/4" bolt...viola - more tongs! These tend to be a bit
>heavy, since I make them from 1/4" X 3/8" stock. The largest ones are
>designed to fit through the hands and rest against the forearms. Lots of
>leverage for heavy stuff.
>
>I also have created some huge croquet-type "wickets" to slip under large
>plates and tiles. Wickets take about 5 minutes to bend cold in a vise.
>Turned out to be very handy. We place the pottery pieces on top of a small
>IFB brick. This allows the wicket to get underneath quickly and easily.
>The pottery then slides off easily into our garbage can reduction chambers.
>
>tom herman Augusta, NJ farrier
>therman@crystal.palace.net
>
Bruce Girrell on sat 27 mar 99
Don Jones wrote:
> Have any of you
> tried to forgo the tongs altogether and just use a mask and gloves?
Yes. Got some Zetex gauntlets from Marc Ward (as well as Nomex hood and
other protection).
They work great, though it does seem a little odd at first to be holding an
1800 degree glowing object in your hands.
I found that the coarse weave of the gloves left an undesirable imprint in
glazes where I touched them. I also had some trouble letting go of the piece
since the glaze started to set up after contact with the gloves. As I freed
myself from one point, I would find myself stuck to another (anybody here
old enough to remember Bre'r Fox and the Tarbaby?).
I refired one piece to smooth out the print and it smoothed out the glaze,
but there was still sort of a visual weave pattern left in the glaze (could
be used to advantage?).
Sooo...
1) If a piece is too large or too delicate to be picked up with tongs, the
gloves are a good idea.
2) If you have unglazed areas large enough that the mitts won't touch any
glazed areas, then the mitts would also be great.
3) If the piece is shaped such that you can touch only a small glazed area,
such as a thin edge or a point, then the mitts would work well.
Bruce "into the fire" Girrell
Tom Herman on sat 27 mar 99
At 08:37 AM 3/25/99, Stephen Mills wrote:
>Tom,
>Do you have a web site? if so could you put up some drawings/photo's of
>these Tongs. I think quite a few on this list would be interested, me
>for a start.
At this point in time, my tongs are >very< crude. I was not really trying
to solicite business when I posted my message, but you are not the only
person to inquire about getting tongs. Basically these tongs are flat
steel bar bent at the end in the shapes that will hold my wife's pots.
Easily made by your local farrier or blacksmith.
I suppose I cold start selling these things. I would have to do some
refining before I could actually sell them to someone. They will >never<
break, so I could also offer a lifetime warranty.
If anyone is still seriously interested, email me and I will respond with
more information and/or a product to sell. If the demad is there I will
also get some pictures together and post a simple web page somewhere.
tom herman Augusta, NJ farrier
therman@crystal.palace.net
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