seems like a bullet mold, but thats too easy

[skipskip]

about 12 inches overall "ball" part is the size of a dime.


AUG 283 by skipskip, on Flickr



AUG 282 by skipskip, on Flickr

[jimwrench]

 Looks like a farriers tong shown on page 487 of Sellens Dictionary of American hand Tools. Says hollow in jaw can be used to hold welding flux while installing toe calk. Not sure if yours is same but seems similar.

[Mac53]

They're called "Fire Tongs"

[anglesmith]

Richardson on pge 192  (picture on pge 185)of vol 1 of Practical Blacksmithing calls them horseshoe tongs, saying that they are short and round so they wont project passed the inside of the shoe and get in the way of the horn of the anvil and the smith can shift the postion of the tongs without losing his grip. (Picture in your mind.. a length of 1 or 1/14 x 1/2 inch steel being turned (curved) on edge into horseshoe shape over the horn of the anvil.) I've always thought that the relieve in the middle was to improve grip, but I guess it could be used as a flux spoon as Sellens says.
Graeme


clarification

[Branson]

Yeah,  tongs for farriers.  I've always known them as horseshoe tongs, but I see that a lot of companies sell them as fire tongs.  Seems strange to me since all smithing tongs are used in the fire.

[anglesmith]

Branson , I agree with you calling them fire tongs is strange, I checked  my Pieh and Centaur catalogues which cofirmed what your saying. I also found them called fire tongs  in Hickman's Farriery, a classic English horseshoeing text! (I dont have many horse shoeing books!)
Skipskip, Terminology aside, they are a nice pair of well made tongs.
Graeme