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Ngl, I was cleaning out my old shop in Toledo and found my first set of tongs from '92, all hand-forged and rough.
Honestly, back then I'd spend a whole afternoon just making a pair of tongs to hold the work, but now I grab a $45 pair of V-Bits off the rack so I can focus on the actual blade, which makes me wonder if anyone else misses that kind of foundational work or if it's just me getting old.
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susan_ward5mo ago
Totally get that feeling! What worked for me was setting aside one Saturday a month just for tool making. It keeps your hand in the foundational skills without slowing down your main projects. You could start by making a simple hold-fast or even just re-handling a hammer.
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the_felix6mo ago
Man, it's not even about missing the work for me. It's about losing that direct connection between the tool and the hand. When you make the tongs, you learn EXACTLY how they flex and where the hot spot is. A store-bought pair is just a clamp. You don't know its soul, so you fight it a little on every twist. That subtle fight changes the final piece.
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