i have got to say that your videos are getting clearer and clearer. you've always been very good at explaining projects, but lately the production value has just kept going up and up.
@@charlesvickrey1509 ouch. Most of the time I just use 1/4 round bar to rivet, because I keep alot of it in hand. But love their tong blanks from Ken's. Its cheaper to use those blanks when it comes to material cost and time put in to make them. The only exception are very nice custom tongs just for the pleasure. But for functionality. Love them to death.
I bought the rapid tongs blank kit directly from Ken's about a year ago. They were so easy to turn into tongs, and I LOVE them! Terrible that someone is doing Ken wrong. To anyone considering blanks, it's worth it to buy from Ken's. imho
I looked up Ken's custom iron tongs on Amazon a long time ago thouse cheap knock off blanks had your link and that's actually how I started watching you. And now I've watched alot. Always helpful in your explanations of things. Thank you for all of your very helpful videos !
I’ve had the same pair of tongs for 2-3 years and haven’t made them yet. Not exactly sure why I haven’t but this video reminded me that I need go do them. And they came from kens of course
i've been forging for 5 years in and out now, and, man you maybe don't realise it but: You good sir, are a life saver. For the explenation, for your dedication, for your talent, for your face (cuz' yes, we love to see ya happy blacksmith face !), and every words you say ! You've been a teacher since i began, and i can't thank you enough.
The Amazon seller price is almost double the cost. Now that the word is out hopefully everyone will buy from Ken’s. John why don’t you offer to Amazon seller to link to this video. That would make my day.😊
I built a little forge from a semi tractor brake drum . . . got an old hand cranked air fan like my grandfather had 100 years or so ago . . . Just had not gotten to the tongs yet . . . still need to get the chimney fixed for it. Your videos have been the most fun to watch . . . just wish I could afford that induction toy you have there. Anyway . . . have fun . . . May God bless, Dwight
You're the man! That's super cool that you have the back of your fellow smith. It's this kind of kindness that our world needs. For this, and your thoughtful videos of course, I thank you :)
My first good pair of tongs wear from Kens ,my wife and son got me 9 pair and a hammer . My first pair I made well that's an another story . And John the way you made the slot bigger was so simple but so smart . Cheers . :)
Also mention that they give you written directions with the set. When I started forging this was one of my first projects because of this channel. Then I reordered because I sucked at forging. But I leaned a lot about twisting metal riveting and adjusting metal. Lazy people have to steal from another’s instead of putting in the work. Ken’s is a great place to get all sorts of stuff.
My best tongs are after I got a broken set and try to match the better half of the broken set.. But I've have some success with video attempting.Just a challenge to draw in 3 dimensions and is part of my old brain at work.
I took the bait, thinking that Ken was selling on Amazon, I will say there was nothing wrong with the blanks but they didn't come with instruction...thats when I clued in to what I had done. How ever I made tongs with them, liked the results then went to Ken's web site and purchased directly from the source, they came with instructions, lesson learned. The drift...thats what I should have done. Thanks John
Sometimes its hard to know who you're really dealing with on a site like Amazon. Glad their blanks work out though and that you went ahead and did some business with Ken
Assembled all my tongs from Kens Custom Iron at your suggestion (and watching your videos)! Excellent product for the newbie - it really let me feel like I was gaining progress as a beginner, and the price was a bargain comparatively. Also, loving the chapters feature.
John great job. They turned out very well and use full. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work John. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Can't wait to see ur next videos. Forge on. Keep making. God bless.
Hello John Thank you for your Video and it is good to see that you Support the Real guy with his tongs Have a good week all the best Yours Frank Galetzka
Thanks John, I am finishing up my set of Slot Jaw Tongs tomorrow. and thanks for mentioning about the other folks impersonating Kens goods. Man I want one of those induction forges. SO Neat to watch it in action. ARMY SE Oregon
Thanks for the video, i had already been planning to make a set for a friend who does some knife making and it was nice just to watch the process again. sadly its been quite a few months since i fired up the forge so your timing (for me ;) was perfect!
Great video, thank you. My children bought a set of quick tongs for me as a fathers day gift. I thank you for your tutorials. I'm hoping to have my forge area completed soon. Could you possibly mention how to obtain or make a punch marker in one of your videos? I hope that I became proficient enough to use one.
Thanks for sharing with us John and warning about the knock offs. Some never learn about buying for less and some never learn about stealing from others. Keep up the good work and videos. Fred.🙏🏻🙏🏻👍👍👏🏻👏🏻👋👋
I can see the benefits of the induction heater for heat treating and keeping the shop temperature down in the summer. Have you worked out the electric /propane /coal costs?
Man, whatever the extra cost is in electricity would be worth not adding extra heat into the shop. Near 100% of the energy going into heating is going straight into the steel, so it's not like using an inefficient electric kiln for forging. Plus, if the shop has AC, there's no possible way to use a propane forge, but with induction it's feasible.
Great video. I've bought a lot of Ken's quick tongs over the years, but never those duckbill style. Might have to change that up! Real shame about people stealing his idea. I only ever buy Ken's tongs, but I can understand how folks might not know Ken originated the idea.
To be fair, lots of people have been cutting tong blanks for years. But in this case there is little doubt they copied Kens design and even use images from both his videos and mine in the Amazon listing and I find that to be highly unethical.
Ken's designs are great and I wish I could have afforded to buy from him direct, but here in northern Canada the shipping cost from him to me was 1 1/2 the cost of the blanks. So I'm sorry Ken I bought the knock-offs cause shipping for their kit was 15bucks from Amazon and their kit was 52bucks cdn. I would have bought yours if shipping didn't kill my wallet. Love your videos and have been subscribed for over a year now. Keep up the good work.
Always buy directly from Ken, Mark Aspery, etc and NOT through Amazon. Even if legit, they don't get the full fare. Another good video. That induction is cool for certain things.
Now this is appropriate - I came in from my shop where I am drawing out reins on my first tongs and find out there is a huge shortcut! Not only would my forge have been deep enough, I wouldn't have had to 'eat my Wheaties' too.
That induction forge is quite a marvel. I wonder, however, about the time spent holding the material while it heats. It seems to me that there might be something to be said for having the coal or propane forge going with 4 or 6 pieces in there, and not nearly as much down-time without the hammer in your hand. Maybe the down-time is valuable to avoid injury, but I'm just curious about your point of view on the 'hands-on' aspect of the induction forge.
Watched with sound this time. Much more instructive. Off-Subject question. My touchmark is real simple, "BS". I am at the Cheap and Easy stage of smithing, so I got a letter stamp set from HF. How hot do you recommend I get the metal before stamping in order to preserve the sharpness of the stamps?
Wish I could remember where I saw it, but there was a guy in a video who made a set of long dies just for reins on tongs. It made 4 are a time or 2 sets. One was slightly larger and you could reduce the first set in the second set if you want lighter reins. It had hefty hinge on the bottom and had 2 striking plates one in the middle and one in top. Great idea for making allot of tongs or making all your reins uniform.
I'm a big fan of your videos. The one you did about how to install your new anvil you said that you used silicone... did you put some to cover the complete surface of the base or just a joint to contour the base? Thanks for your time.
He made a video about it, it is still up. John put goo all over the underside and so did Torbjorn Ahman a few weeks or so ago when he remounted his anvil. It is the very best way to go. I used a soft piece of rubber sheeting. It works well but not nearly as well as goo.
great video! I know you've mentioned. this in a past video, don't remember which one, but where do you get your touch marks made? thanks again for a great video!
Im awear this has nothing to do with this video but i watch ur video's. To learn as much as i can was interested in building my own porpane forge for cheap can i use 1 to 1.25 ceramic blocks would they be efficient enough. For the heat of a beginner forge
Again SIR Thanks for your videos are very highly recommend by myself,Sir you are a great inspiration and you have teaching skills and my favorite teacher and role model, You are a credit to a person. John Switzer I thank you
Been following for years now, big fan. Happy to see the improvements in your shop, and recording equipment, and that you seem well in general. Thanks for all the great content, keep it up! Also, I just bought some tongs from Ken’s website kensironstore.com I had always heard of them but never bothered buying them because I had access to cheap steel and plenty of time, but I never knew they were so fairly priced. I got four pairs, one rapid slot, one quick slot, one rapid knife and one quick railroad spike. Nifty!
John: Off subject but- i always notice that you have your leg vise mounted under your bench somehow so top of bench is nice and flush.. How about showing us a view of the mounting? thanks so. much..
Wow, I can't believe that company was blatantly using your content and misrepresenting Ken's. I just did a video reviewing some of the rapid tongs from Amazon this month, but fortunately, they didn't seem to be dishonestly advertising. Still, I would always say it's better to buy from a place like Ken's instead if you can.
Quick tongs , have been for sale n the uk for over a decade on ebay i am not sure the guy you mention holds any patent on the name and by the sounds of it it was not even his idea , plasma cut tongs have been on ebay in the UK for at least 10 years
Its certainly true that pre cut blanks have been around awhile. But with this particular Amazon seller selling the exact blanks that Ken sells, it seems less like a confidence and more like they are intentionally giving the impression you are buying from Ken. So much so that, people complain to him when the product they receive is of poor quality or incomplete. Without a patent, there is probably nothing illegal going on. But it still seem pretty unethical in my view.
@@BlackBearForge I know what you mean i once found some one on you tube saying he was making hammers Alec steel didn't have time to make , he had nothing to do with Alec and disappeared shortly after i reported the video back to Alec ... i think Alec buried him under one of his power hammers lol
A good solution to heat coming from forge is a small fan. Maybe a scrap squirrel cage blower . Set this up to blow an air curtain perpendicular to forge door. This will make it possible to remove parts from forge with tongs and most of heat is blown away.
Savage Porkchop no it doesn’t. The exhaust has to go somewhere. Your putting in gas and air. So whatever you put in has to exit aswell. If not then it would be like a ballon, which wouldn’t work.
Any thoughts on doing a Kens Custom Iron vs the knockoffs video? I've got a knockoff set coming from Amazon, as I needed something to pad an order to get free shipping. Never had luck making my own tongs, to the point even my "Collins Tongs" didn't come out right. I parked the forge 5yrs ago and fired it up for the first time since Sunday night. Substandard tongs as well as being stuck using anthracite are the main reasons for parking it. The local TSC doesn't even carry anthracite anymore, so once my stock's gone, I'll likely be reverting to charcoal, at an exorbitant price. Another reason for resurecting it is that after 5yrs, I finally found a post vise I'll hopefully be buying this weekend(been listed for sale for over 3 months, being called a "barn vise".)_
As a brand new black smithing hobbyist, I’m ashamed to say I did purchase the knockoff tong set from Amazon. I my defense, I had to go the cheapest way possible (we get free shipping with Prime) which was more palatable to my wife with me starting yet ANOTHER hobby. Plus…I didn’t know about Ken’s yet.
Fell for that John, well not me, my wife! I detest tong making, something I have always struggled with and junk produced far out numbers useful tools! She found and bought me a set of five finished tongs on facebook! Just under half the price I can get tongs from my coke supplier, seemed like a good deal.They arrived as blanks from china and exact copies of Kens tongs! As blanks they worked to produce tongs but a blatant rip off of Kens tongs!
It is sometimes really hard to know who you're dealing with when they look like the same product. I first found out about it because someone commented on my video about the tiny rivets included, which isn't something Kens would have done.
I'm glad your tong blanks worked out. A good smith makes good tools, no matter the material source. Sad for someone to rip off Ken's. Good people there.
I don’t like the induction. It’s probably just me. This is certainly not meant to be an insult. How far do you go with modern tech? Are we going to have 3D printed steel next? I’m sure it will exist, but not for a craftsman.
The issue you talked about with Ken's custom irons, is an issue across the board ot seems. These companies are ripping off RUclips videos, and in many cases making inferior products. Misrepresenting both the company and the RUclipsr. I saw it on two other channels just this month. I'm always vigilant and report such things I find. Hopefully this doesn't hurt either of you...
In truth it doesn't hurt me. All they are doing is sending people to watch my video. But it still feels unethical since many of those people thought they were buying from Kens. I do suspect that it has cost him some business.
I plasma cut blanks all the time and they are not unique to Ken's. The same method of finishing is used for all of them. Don't try to hate on people who cut blanks, you discredit yourself when doing so.
The issue isn't that other people make pre cut blanks. Most of those are somewhat unique and each person has their own design or variation in style. In this case it seems like they not only copied Kens exact design, but that they are also leading their customers to believe they are buying from Ken. I have seen ken mention online that he is receiving complaints about poor quality and poor customer service from people who thought they were buying his product. Since they link to my video about Kens product, I have also received complaints from people think that I somehow represent this other seller.
That induction forge seems incredibly useful. And kudos for speaking out in support of Ken's.
i have got to say that your videos are getting clearer and clearer. you've always been very good at explaining projects, but lately the production value has just kept going up and up.
Wow, thank you!
If you browse Facebook marketplace for the knock offs, you can report them as counterfeit. I'm a full supporter if Ken's.
Will Amazon do anything about it?
@@BCM1959 not sure. Amazon is typically pro knockoff. Hence the cheap competitive items.
@@dkironworks4037 got it, thanks.
I am guilty of buying the knock off and got what I paid for. They came with aluminum rivets. :(
@@charlesvickrey1509 ouch. Most of the time I just use 1/4 round bar to rivet, because I keep alot of it in hand. But love their tong blanks from Ken's. Its cheaper to use those blanks when it comes to material cost and time put in to make them. The only exception are very nice custom tongs just for the pleasure. But for functionality. Love them to death.
Some day I will have to stop being stubborn and build a set of tongs from blanks, they look like real time savers. Thank you sir
I bought the rapid tongs blank kit directly from Ken's about a year ago. They were so easy to turn into tongs, and I LOVE them! Terrible that someone is doing Ken wrong. To anyone considering blanks, it's worth it to buy from Ken's. imho
Just bought 4 pairs. Can never have too many tongs, and ive never used slot jaw tongs before.
I looked up Ken's custom iron tongs on Amazon a long time ago thouse cheap knock off blanks had your link and that's actually how I started watching you. And now I've watched alot. Always helpful in your explanations of things. Thank you for all of your very helpful videos !
Every pair of tongs I have are from Ken's Custom Iron...and I think it's time to order more! Thanks, John, for the heads up!
I’ve had the same pair of tongs for 2-3 years and haven’t made them yet. Not exactly sure why I haven’t but this video reminded me that I need go do them. And they came from kens of course
i've been forging for 5 years in and out now, and, man you maybe don't realise it but: You good sir, are a life saver. For the explenation, for your dedication, for your talent, for your face (cuz' yes, we love to see ya happy blacksmith face !), and every words you say ! You've been a teacher since i began, and i can't thank you enough.
Glad I could help
Glad you addressed the Amazon issue, I bought a set of those tongs and couldn't believe they would have a instruction card that linked to your page.
The Amazon seller price is almost double the cost. Now that the word is out hopefully everyone will buy from Ken’s. John why don’t you offer to Amazon seller to link to this video. That would make my day.😊
I built a little forge from a semi tractor brake drum . . . got an old hand cranked air fan like my grandfather had 100 years or so ago . . .
Just had not gotten to the tongs yet . . . still need to get the chimney fixed for it.
Your videos have been the most fun to watch . . . just wish I could afford that induction toy you have there.
Anyway . . . have fun . . .
May God bless,
Dwight
You're the man! That's super cool that you have the back of your fellow smith. It's this kind of kindness that our world needs. For this, and your thoughtful videos of course, I thank you :)
My first good pair of tongs wear from Kens ,my wife and son got me 9 pair and a hammer . My first pair I made well that's an another story . And John the way you made the slot bigger was so simple but so smart . Cheers . :)
Kens tongs are great and I suggest to newbies like me to buy the set.
Thanks . . . was gonna make my tongs from scratch . . . after seeing this . . . changed my mind.
That anvil looks gorgeous in your shop! I'll be making these tongs next week.
Also mention that they give you written directions with the set. When I started forging this was one of my first projects because of this channel. Then I reordered because I sucked at forging. But I leaned a lot about twisting metal riveting and adjusting metal. Lazy people have to steal from another’s instead of putting in the work. Ken’s is a great place to get all sorts of stuff.
correct. But too late to add it to the video
Looks great and thank you for promoting Ken I’ve seen quite a few places make blanks and such since Ken started making them
Another great video. Being a left handed this was very helpful
My best tongs are after I got a broken set and try to match the better half of the broken set..
But I've have some success with video attempting.Just a challenge to draw in 3 dimensions and is part of my old brain at work.
I just put this set together today. It was a great starter project
Ken's tong are very convenient and time saving
Ken's tongs are great and he's a great guy too! I took a class from him and buy from him whenever I can!
Bought my first set of tongs from Ken’s today! The Rapid Tongs Bundle set is an absolute bargain! MaryLou was great!
I took the bait, thinking that Ken was selling on Amazon, I will say there was nothing wrong with the blanks but they didn't come with instruction...thats when I clued in to what I had done. How ever I made tongs with them, liked the results then went to Ken's web site and purchased directly from the source, they came with instructions, lesson learned. The drift...thats what I should have done. Thanks John
Sometimes its hard to know who you're really dealing with on a site like Amazon. Glad their blanks work out though and that you went ahead and did some business with Ken
One of the few ads I haven't skipped.
Just placed an order with Ken's. Thank for the info.
Assembled all my tongs from Kens Custom Iron at your suggestion (and watching your videos)! Excellent product for the newbie - it really let me feel like I was gaining progress as a beginner, and the price was a bargain comparatively.
Also, loving the chapters feature.
Glad to help!
Had to watch w/o audio, momma was sleeping next to me. Can't wait to listen.
Really nice job on the Tongs and great instruction.
Glad you liked it
Induction forges really s time saver. Heat the metal so fast. Slotted jaw tongs are really handy👍👍🔥🔥
Thanks for all you do to provide quality content. Keep up the good work!
Nice John! Thanks I have a couple of pairs I bought. I may buy some of Kens as well.
John great job. They turned out very well and use full. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work John. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Can't wait to see ur next videos. Forge on. Keep making. God bless.
Love your work brother.
I really enjoied this video and the project
Hello John
Thank you for your Video and it is good to see that you Support the Real guy with his tongs
Have a good week all the best
Yours Frank Galetzka
Thanks John,
I am finishing up my set of Slot Jaw Tongs tomorrow.
and thanks for mentioning about the other folks impersonating Kens goods.
Man I want one of those induction forges. SO Neat to watch it in action.
ARMY
SE Oregon
Thanks for the video, i had already been planning to make a set for a friend who does some knife making and it was nice just to watch the process again. sadly its been quite a few months since i fired up the forge so your timing (for me ;) was perfect!
I see you have the rivit headers from Kens, as do I, they are very well made.
Great video, thank you. My children bought a set of quick tongs for me as a fathers day gift. I thank you for your tutorials. I'm hoping to have my forge area completed soon.
Could you possibly mention how to obtain or make a punch marker in one of your videos? I hope that I became proficient enough to use one.
thank you
I'd definitely watch a course made by you on skillshare! Such great content. Please keep it up
I still buy from kens custom iron. It makes making tongs to easy not to.
great stuff yet again, keep it the great work John.
Love your videos! I could watch you all day ✌️
Thanks for sharing with us John and warning about the knock offs. Some never learn about buying for less and some never learn about stealing from others. Keep up the good work and videos. Fred.🙏🏻🙏🏻👍👍👏🏻👏🏻👋👋
I'm a full fan of Ken's and You
I can see the benefits of the induction heater for heat treating and keeping the shop temperature down in the summer. Have you worked out the electric /propane /coal costs?
Man, whatever the extra cost is in electricity would be worth not adding extra heat into the shop. Near 100% of the energy going into heating is going straight into the steel, so it's not like using an inefficient electric kiln for forging. Plus, if the shop has AC, there's no possible way to use a propane forge, but with induction it's feasible.
Great video. I've bought a lot of Ken's quick tongs over the years, but never those duckbill style. Might have to change that up!
Real shame about people stealing his idea. I only ever buy Ken's tongs, but I can understand how folks might not know Ken originated the idea.
To be fair, lots of people have been cutting tong blanks for years. But in this case there is little doubt they copied Kens design and even use images from both his videos and mine in the Amazon listing and I find that to be highly unethical.
THANK you!!
Ken's designs are great and I wish I could have afforded to buy from him direct, but here in northern Canada the shipping cost from him to me was 1 1/2 the cost of the blanks. So I'm sorry Ken I bought the knock-offs cause shipping for their kit was 15bucks from Amazon and their kit was 52bucks cdn. I would have bought yours if shipping didn't kill my wallet. Love your videos and have been subscribed for over a year now. Keep up the good work.
Nice job John 👏 👍
Always buy directly from Ken, Mark Aspery, etc and NOT through Amazon. Even if legit, they don't get the full fare. Another good video. That induction is cool for certain things.
The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/blackbearforge06211
Now this is appropriate - I came in from my shop where I am drawing out reins on my first tongs and find out there is a huge shortcut! Not only would my forge have been deep enough, I wouldn't have had to 'eat my Wheaties' too.
Why does the steel get scale on it when using the induction forge?
Scale is an iron oxide, so as long is there is oxygen in the air when heated, it will scale.
Nice John.
Thanks for the great video John 👍🇺🇸
perfect ,as always
Nice job. Kind of you also, we know you don't really need to use blanks. You are skilled enough to easily make tongs from scratch.
Damn I wish I seen this video sooner. I just got a 5 set of tong blanks today from Amazon. Sorry Ken. I'll keep you in mind for my future purchases.
That induction forge is quite a marvel. I wonder, however, about the time spent holding the material while it heats. It seems to me that there might be something to be said for having the coal or propane forge going with 4 or 6 pieces in there, and not nearly as much down-time without the hammer in your hand. Maybe the down-time is valuable to avoid injury, but I'm just curious about your point of view on the 'hands-on' aspect of the induction forge.
Depending on the project the induction forge can run on a timer and it is great for production work.
Watched with sound this time. Much more instructive.
Off-Subject question. My touchmark is real simple, "BS". I am at the Cheap and Easy stage of smithing, so I got a letter stamp set from HF. How hot do you recommend I get the metal before stamping in order to preserve the sharpness of the stamps?
Dull red seems to be fine
Wish I could remember where I saw it, but there was a guy in a video who made a set of long dies just for reins on tongs. It made 4 are a time or 2 sets. One was slightly larger and you could reduce the first set in the second set if you want lighter reins. It had hefty hinge on the bottom and had 2 striking plates one in the middle and one in top.
Great idea for making allot of tongs or making all your reins uniform.
I'm a big fan of your videos. The one you did about how to install your new anvil you said that you used silicone... did you put some to cover the complete surface of the base or just a joint to contour the base? Thanks for your time.
I put it over the complete surface
He made a video about it, it is still up. John put goo all over the underside and so did Torbjorn Ahman a few weeks or so ago when he remounted his anvil. It is the very best way to go. I used a soft piece of rubber sheeting. It works well but not nearly as well as goo.
What is that long bristle brush you use, and where can one purchase one? I enjoy your videos.
Those are called casting brushes. www.blacksmithsupply.com/Block-Brush-Casting-_p_315.html
great video! I know you've mentioned. this in a past video, don't remember which one, but where do you get your touch marks made? thanks again for a great video!
Henery Evers company
@@BlackBearForge thanks!
Im awear this has nothing to do with this video but i watch ur video's. To learn as much as i can was interested in building my own porpane forge for cheap can i use 1 to 1.25 ceramic blocks would they be efficient enough. For the heat of a beginner forge
With a good burner it should work
Silly question- why not drill or punch the rivet hole first?
Tong handle clips next, please John. 🐾🔥⚒
Done, ruclips.net/video/xYbBFnLRU7c/видео.html
@@BlackBearForge
Yup. Remembered the video just a moment after I inquired! You da man, John! 🐾🔥⚒
Again SIR Thanks for your videos are very highly recommend by myself,Sir you are a great inspiration and you have teaching skills and my favorite teacher and role model, You are a credit to a person.
John Switzer I thank you
Been following for years now, big fan. Happy to see the improvements in your shop, and recording equipment, and that you seem well in general. Thanks for all the great content, keep it up!
Also, I just bought some tongs from Ken’s website kensironstore.com
I had always heard of them but never bothered buying them because I had access to cheap steel and plenty of time, but I never knew they were so fairly priced. I got four pairs, one rapid slot, one quick slot, one rapid knife and one quick railroad spike. Nifty!
John: Off subject but- i always notice that you have your leg vise mounted under your bench somehow so top of bench is nice and flush.. How about showing us a view of the mounting? thanks so. much..
I'll see if I can get a shot of the mounting and include it in an upcoming Q&A video
Wow, I can't believe that company was blatantly using your content and misrepresenting Ken's. I just did a video reviewing some of the rapid tongs from Amazon this month, but fortunately, they didn't seem to be dishonestly advertising. Still, I would always say it's better to buy from a place like Ken's instead if you can.
very good video i love
Quick tongs , have been for sale n the uk for over a decade on ebay i am not sure the guy you mention holds any patent on the name and by the sounds of it it was not even his idea , plasma cut tongs have been on ebay in the UK for at least 10 years
Its certainly true that pre cut blanks have been around awhile. But with this particular Amazon seller selling the exact blanks that Ken sells, it seems less like a confidence and more like they are intentionally giving the impression you are buying from Ken. So much so that, people complain to him when the product they receive is of poor quality or incomplete. Without a patent, there is probably nothing illegal going on. But it still seem pretty unethical in my view.
@@BlackBearForge I know what you mean i once found some one on you tube saying he was making hammers Alec steel didn't have time to make , he had nothing to do with Alec and disappeared shortly after i reported the video back to Alec ... i think Alec buried him under one of his power hammers lol
How big is your anvil and where did you find it?
460 pounds fontaninianvilandtool.com/
It’s funny, I use a much longer rein on my tongs, now, because the blast coming out of my propane forge is incredibly hot and long-reaching.
Doesn't that mean you're wasting gas?
A good solution to heat coming from forge is a small fan. Maybe a scrap squirrel cage blower . Set this up to blow an air curtain perpendicular to forge door. This will make it possible to remove parts from forge with tongs and most of heat is blown away.
Savage Porkchop no it doesn’t. The exhaust has to go somewhere. Your putting in gas and air. So whatever you put in has to exit aswell. If not then it would be like a ballon, which wouldn’t work.
@@erikcourtney1834 When he wrote "blast" I thought he meant flames were coming out of the forge
Can you the name n size of your anvil in lbs. N how do I get in contact with the co. That sells them
Its the 460 pound Fontanini. fontaninianvilandtool.com/
Imagine how that induction heater would speed up production work.
Any thoughts on doing a Kens Custom Iron vs the knockoffs video? I've got a knockoff set coming from Amazon, as I needed something to pad an order to get free shipping. Never had luck making my own tongs, to the point even my "Collins Tongs" didn't come out right. I parked the forge 5yrs ago and fired it up for the first time since Sunday night. Substandard tongs as well as being stuck using anthracite are the main reasons for parking it. The local TSC doesn't even carry anthracite anymore, so once my stock's gone, I'll likely be reverting to charcoal, at an exorbitant price. Another reason for resurecting it is that after 5yrs, I finally found a post vise I'll hopefully be buying this weekend(been listed for sale for over 3 months, being called a "barn vise".)_
Ken's also sells on ebay if that's your preference. You just have to make sure the seller is "kenscustomiron".
That induction forge is a great idea.
What is the initial price outlay?
Thanks for bringing this fraud to our attention.
Around $2,000 including buying a cooler. There are lots of home built cooler options out there that would save some money.
As a brand new black smithing hobbyist, I’m ashamed to say I did purchase the knockoff tong set from Amazon. I my defense, I had to go the cheapest way possible (we get free shipping with Prime) which was more palatable to my wife with me starting yet ANOTHER hobby. Plus…I didn’t know about Ken’s yet.
Fell for that John, well not me, my wife! I detest tong making, something I have always struggled with and junk produced far out numbers useful tools! She found and bought me a set of five finished tongs on facebook! Just under half the price I can get tongs from my coke supplier, seemed like a good deal.They arrived as blanks from china and exact copies of Kens tongs! As blanks they worked to produce tongs but a blatant rip off of Kens tongs!
It is sometimes really hard to know who you're dealing with when they look like the same product. I first found out about it because someone commented on my video about the tiny rivets included, which isn't something Kens would have done.
I'm glad your tong blanks worked out. A good smith makes good tools, no matter the material source. Sad for someone to rip off Ken's. Good people there.
Is that a new anvil???
Its been here for a few months now, but new this year. ruclips.net/video/XuHG6DWEQIY/видео.html
I don’t like the induction. It’s probably just me. This is certainly not meant to be an insult.
How far do you go with modern tech? Are we going to have 3D printed steel next? I’m sure it will exist, but not for a craftsman.
Unfortunately, I made mine a week ago! Oh well, next time.
Its really hard to know sometimes who you're buying from.
@@BlackBearForge No, I bought from Ken. I meant it would have been helpful to watch your video before I did my slot jaw tongs last week!
The issue you talked about with Ken's custom irons, is an issue across the board ot seems. These companies are ripping off RUclips videos, and in many cases making inferior products. Misrepresenting both the company and the RUclipsr. I saw it on two other channels just this month.
I'm always vigilant and report such things I find. Hopefully this doesn't hurt either of you...
In truth it doesn't hurt me. All they are doing is sending people to watch my video. But it still feels unethical since many of those people thought they were buying from Kens. I do suspect that it has cost him some business.
@@BlackBearForge
Totally agree. Glad it causes them to come see the actual video though.
I plasma cut blanks all the time and they are not unique to Ken's. The same method of finishing is used for all of them. Don't try to hate on people who cut blanks, you discredit yourself when doing so.
The issue isn't that other people make pre cut blanks. Most of those are somewhat unique and each person has their own design or variation in style. In this case it seems like they not only copied Kens exact design, but that they are also leading their customers to believe they are buying from Ken. I have seen ken mention online that he is receiving complaints about poor quality and poor customer service from people who thought they were buying his product. Since they link to my video about Kens product, I have also received complaints from people think that I somehow represent this other seller.
I hope you contacted Amazon to have your video removed.
Imitators everywhere. :(