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Tools and Equipment

Blacksmith's Tongs

Metalworking and Blacksmithing Tools

A pair of long-armed gripping tools with the pivot set close to the jaws, made to hold a workpiece too hot or too awkward for a bare hand steady against the anvil while the hammer falls. A working smith keeps several pairs, each jaw shaped for a different stock size or profile. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Introduced When (Circa)
Known from Ancient Egypt; bronze tongs are attested from as early as 3000 BC 1
Origin
The earliest tongs were likely simple wooden pincers; bronze tongs are attested from as early as 3000 BC, well before iron and steel smithing themselves existed to need them. 1
Introduced era (class)
Classical Antiquity 1
Connections

Used In

Blacksmithing, Crafts
Source Tongs (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Tongs (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section
    the pivot or joint is placed close to the gripping ends
  • History section
    Tongs are known to have been used by the Ancient Egyptians. The first tongs were probably basic wooden tongs, which were eventually followed by bronze bars from as early as 3000BC.
  • Used In: Blacksmithing
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