| SM Publications |
| Silver Salon Forums - The premier site for discussing Silver. |
| SMP | Silver Salon Forums | SSF - Guidelines | SSF - FAQ | Silver Sales |
|
|
|
|
The Silver Salon Forums
Since 1993 Over 11,793 threads & 64,769 posts !! General Silver Forum
|
| REGISTER (click here) |
How to Post Photos
|
|
 SMP Silver Salon Forums
 General Silver Forum
 silver salad tongs
|
 SSFFriend: Email This Page to Someone! |
next newest topic | next oldest topic |
| Author | Topic: silver salad tongs |
|
middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 12-11-2011 04:54 PM
  
[01-2994] I recently made silver salad tongs for a customer and took pictures along the way. This first one shows the silver bar hammered a bit. We didn't have the right length bar which should have been 12 inches long by 1 inch wide, so as nine inches was all the length I could get, I made it 1 1/2 inch wide. middletom IP: Logged |
|
middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 12-11-2011 05:27 PM
Sorry about he size on the first one, I forgot to re-size before posting. This next one shows further hammering between the utensil ends. middletom IP: Logged |
|
middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 12-11-2011 05:30 PM
And it is beginning to take shape. middletom IP: Logged |
|
middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 12-11-2011 05:35 PM
Here the utensil ends are beginning to take shape. The spoon end is hammered out like any spoon but the fork, near the handle, is hammered out fully before the rest of the fork to allow that upper portion to be annealed for shaping while the rest of the fork remains hardened. middletom IP: Logged |
|
middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 12-11-2011 05:39 PM
In this photo the center portion has been forged out more and the utensil ends will wait further hammering until after the final annealing. mddletom IP: Logged |
|
middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 12-11-2011 05:43 PM
Here the tongs are hammered out fully. You can see that on the fork end the upper portion near the handle is still annealed while the rest of the piece has been forged to size and is hard. You can tell by the coloration, the harder portion being shiny. middletom IP: Logged |
|
middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 12-11-2011 05:48 PM
In this shot, the spoon end is being shaped in the foot drop. The photo is looking down the length of the piece toward the bowl and you can see that the fork end is vibrating a bit from the spoon being shaped. middletom IP: Logged |
|
middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 12-11-2011 05:53 PM
I needed to make a new lead form for shaping the fork end so the container for holding the lead as it was formed was mounted in the drop and Chloe lowered the punch down into the molten lead as I poured it into the holder, making the impression you see here. midletom IP: Logged |
|
middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 12-11-2011 05:57 PM
So, now with that new lead form mounted in the drop, I have shaped the fork end of the tong. There will be further hammering to smooth it out. middletom IP: Logged |
|
middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 12-11-2011 06:00 PM
With both utensil ends shaped, he piece is taking on the appearance of tongs.  middletom IP: Logged |
|
middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 12-11-2011 06:04 PM
Now that the bending has the utensil ends at proper angles to the handle and the tines are shaped the tongs are ready to go to the finisher for polishing. middletom IP: Logged |
|
middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 12-11-2011 06:07 PM
Now that it is polished it looks rather pretty, especially on the red background. middletom IP: Logged |
|
middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 12-11-2011 06:11 PM
Here I'm bending the tongs over s stake, hammering the bend for shape and to stiffen the silver.  middletom IP: Logged |
|
middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 12-11-2011 06:15 PM
And, so, they are done. I tried photographing them on that red fabric but they appeared all red, so I used a neutral background. middletom IP: Logged |
|
allentownboy Posts: 67 |
posted 12-11-2011 08:53 PM
Spectacular. I am in awe of your talent! IP: Logged |
|
June Martin Forum Master Posts: 1326 |
posted 12-11-2011 09:12 PM
Thank you, thank you so much for sharing this process. It never ceases to amaze me. I hope lots of lurkers see this and really appreciate the artistry! IP: Logged |
|
dragonflywink Posts: 993 |
posted 12-11-2011 09:13 PM
Lovely! ~Cheryl IP: Logged |
|
Richard Kurtzman Moderator Posts: 768 |
posted 12-12-2011 08:28 AM
Your workmanship is great! Thank you for documenting this process. (How long did it take to make this piece?) IP: Logged |
|
Sgt Silver Posts: 41 |
posted 12-12-2011 02:39 PM
Terrific, Tom. Thank you for showing it to us. IP: Logged |
|
jersey Posts: 1203 |
posted 12-13-2011 03:52 PM
Hi Tom ! Formidable! what I would love to have one like it . Jersey IP: Logged |
|
middletom Posts: 467 |
posted 12-16-2011 10:47 PM
Richard, It took about three hours to get to the point of being polshed and the bending was perhaps twenty minutes. When I first came to ONC and learned the forging of the flatware, the owner had us on a bonus system, so the best way to make money was to do the place setting pieces in quantity. Tongs were a one-off thing and one couldn't make money making them, so I did all the tongs as I wasn't interested then in making the bonus. Everything from Bon Bon tongs up to the large salad tongs as I showed here became something of a specialty for me. middletom IP: Logged |
All times are ET | next newest topic | next oldest topic |
  |
|
Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46a
|
1. Public Silver Forums (open Free membership) - anyone with a valid e-mail address may register. Once you have received your Silver Salon Forum password, and then if you abide by the Silver Salon Forum Guidelines, you may start a thread or post a reply in the New Members' Forum. New Members who show a continued willingness to participate, to completely read and abide by the Guidelines will be allowed to post to the Member Public Forums. 2. Private Silver Salon Forums (invitational or $ donation membership) - The Private Silver Salon Forums require registration and special authorization to view, search, start a thread or to post a reply. Special authorization can be obtained in one of several ways: by Invitation; Annual $ Donation; or via Special Limited Membership. For more details click here (under development). 3. Administrative/Special Private Forums (special membership required) - These forums are reserved for special subjects or administrative discussion. These forums are not open to the public and require special authorization to view or post. |
|
copyright © 1993 - 2022
SM Publications
All Rights Reserved. Legal & Privacy Notices |
