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I needed two sets of tongs for two steel crucibles made out of pipes with a wall thickness of 5mm. The two crucibles are 120mm in height and have diameters of 76 and 102 mm respectively (i.e. one slightly larger in volume than an A4 crucible and the other slightly smaller than an A3 crucible). I prefer tongs that do not place the user’s hands or other body parts above the crucible while handling or pouring molten metal. My tongs allow the user to be to the side of the crucible at all times. My foundry is on the small side. I therefore needed tongs that do not require a lot of clearance between the crucible and the walls of the foundry when gripping or releasing the crucible.
The tongs were made from 19 mm square tubing and 25 x 5 mm flat bar. The components of the tongs are shown in Photo 1 and are assembled as in Photo 2. When closed on the crucible the handles are still slightly apart (Photo 3). Squeezing them together (Photo 4) provides a very firm grip on the crucible and, if desired, they can be locked in the closed position by the simple clip made from 6mm round bar (Photos 2, 3 and 4). The handle (at the arrow in Photo 4) provides good control for pouring. An end view of the tongs is provided in Photo 5.
The tongs can be adapted for tapered crucibles by adjusting the flat bar vertical side arms to suit the crucible shape. For fragile crucibles a set screw can be added in the position as indicated in Photo 6, allowing the maximum pressure on the crucible to be pre-set.
In use the tongs have worked well, providing a firm grip on the crucible and allowing good visibility when pouring.
The photos are self explanatory, but the .dwg drawings I made on AutoCad can be made available if required.
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