Blacksmith Forging Tongs by Hand - Video

After heating the steel bar until it glows red-hot, the worker uses the pointed horn of the anvil to gradually bend it into a ring, then employs repeated hammering to adjust the curvature and the position of the opening, ultimately forging it into the jaw of a pair of pliers. The key to hot forging lies in shaping the metal while it is soft from high heat; the same steel requires significantly less hammering force in this state. What truly tests a craftsman's experience is the precise placement of each blow: the ring must be gradually formed without thinning any specific area too much, as doing so would make the jaw prone to deformation under stress. While it may appear to be nothing more than tapping around the anvil, the process actually utilizes the anvil's various curved surfaces as a mold, integrating heating, bending, and shaping into a single, simple workflow—a testament to the practical ingenuity of traditional forging.