Pipe/ember tongs?

[Geoff Keyes 672]

Has anyone here ever made them?  These are the tool one used in early America to take a burning ember from a fire to light things, candles, other fires, pipes.  I've found a very fancy version, which were sprung and multi-piece, but what I'm looking for are examples that might have part of a possibles bag.

 

The ones I've made so far are out of scale (too big), inelegant, and are either too stiff to use or floppy.

Pic's please, if you have them.

G 

[Gazz 22]

Yes, I have made these but maybe just a little bigger than what might be in a possibles bag.  When closed, they measure about 6.5"x6.5" and were made from flat steel stock 1/16" x 3/8" and when extended are nearly 14" long and about 4" wide at the finger holes.  These were made about 40 years ago and if I recall, we used a torch held in a vise to heat the pieces that needed forming and we sat on either side of an anvil forging away.  Another friend told us they were difficult to make as hole spacing had to be perfect but we didn't find it all  that difficult to do.  There are six pieces that were cold riveted together with bits of paper as spacers between the elements which were burned away after riveting while exercising the joints and they all moved smoothly.  A friend and I made a bunch of them intended for a museum gift shop ( they may have been copies of a noted blacksmith - I don't remember) but the order got cancelled while we were making them but we didn't know.  Guess what I gave away for various gift giving situations after that?  I still have several pair and they get used at the grill mostly.

Edited April 3 by Gazz

[Geoff Keyes 672]

Those are very cool, thank you.

 

[Don Abbott 347]

Here's some I made when I used to hang out with English soldiers in a Colonial fort back in the 1750's:

 

 

 

 

[Geoff Keyes 672]

Very nice!  I really like the ones with the mid shank twist

 

g