Used to wrench my tongs closed with a pipe, now I upset the reins first and it saves me 20 minutes a pair
For my first 3 years at the shop I just clamped the jaws shut with a big pipe wrench and called it good. Then Dale over at the Columbus forge showed me how to draw out and bend the reins first so the jaws naturally line up, and now a pair of 3/8 inch bolt tongs takes me about 40 minutes instead of a full hour. The fit is tighter too and they don't spring open on me at the anvil. What is everybody else's trick for getting the jaws to meet clean?