A piece of scrap leather solved my tong pinch problem

I was working on a set of small S-hooks last week, and my tongs kept slipping on the 1/4 inch stock. I'd get a good heat, start the bend, and then the piece would shift. I wasted three heats in a row. I had a strip of old belt leather on the bench from a handle wrap job. On a whim, I cut a two inch piece, soaked it in water for a minute, and wrapped it around the jaw of my flat bit tongs where it grips the steel. I let it dry on there for about an hour. The next heat, the grip was totally solid. The leather charred a bit but didn't catch fire, and it gave just enough cushion to bite without marring the work. Has anyone else used a similar trick with different materials?

2 comments

2 Comments

kellylopez2d ago

Ever notice how the simplest fix is usually the one people fight the hardest? Someone finds a clever workaround with stuff they already have, and the first reaction is always to tell them they're doing it wrong and need to buy the "proper" tool. That leather trick is smart because it solves the immediate problem without a trip to the store. It's like using a bit of cardboard to shim a wobbly table leg. The obsession with the perfect gear often just stops people from making things.

ericjackson2d ago

Soaking leather and letting it dry on the tongs sounds like a mess waiting to happen. That charred material is going to flake off into your forge and stink up the place. For 1/4 inch stock, you just need proper tongs with the right bite... or even vise grips. That leather trick is a temporary fix for a tool problem.