One Word: Tongs

[Entaris]

I'm by-hand two-part forging an iron anvil, fusing it together using borax and a hammer made from the heart of a meteor.

 

...while handling multi-thousand degree objects with a pair of sticks?

 

C'mon, guys.  Lemme forge some iron tongs at least. 

Edited August 13, 2025 by Entaris
Tags and grammar

[Krougal]

Well, the problem is, how are you going to forge iron tongs if you don't have a forge, hammer and iron tongs?

For that matter, where did you get that hammer? You need an iron anvil to forge meteoric. Jus'sayin'

 

I suppose from a realism standpoint; the wood tongs would only be good enough to lift the crucible out for casting, and you'd need to cast bronze tongs for forging.

From a gameplay standpoint; does it really add any value?

 

[zand]

Greetings Entaris,

There is this mod, https://mods.vintagestory.at/show/mod/16743 which adds metal tongs. Since wood does not melt or conduct heat well, it does make a good insulator that can stand up to the heat of molten steel for a while.

This video isn't really an example of that, but it is the first one that comes to mind and I figure others would find it funny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wex_yKfrTo4

[Krougal]

1 hour ago, zand said:

Since wood does not melt or conduct heat well, it does make a good insulator that can stand up to the heat of molten steel for a while.

I was thinking about that, but I don't know, how long would it hold up? The ignition point is a lot lower than the workable temperature for most metals.

It's amazing how many basic scientific things one can forget over a lifetime of not making use of the knowledge.

[Entaris]

1 hour ago, Krougal said:

Well, the problem is, how are you going to forge iron tongs if you don't have a forge, hammer and iron tongs?

Obviously, you'd use the wooden ones until you could make something better

1 hour ago, Krougal said:

For that matter, where did you get that hammer? You need an iron anvil to forge meteoric. Jus'sayin'

I was being figurative. I'm still working out wind power to process all these blooms.

The point being, we have all this other immersive, progression-y stuff, but I'm slinging around pounds of molten lead in a cup using chopsticks.

1 hour ago, Krougal said:

I suppose from a realism standpoint; the wood tongs would only be good enough to lift the crucible out for casting, and you'd need to cast bronze tongs for forging.

From a gameplay standpoint; does it really add any value?

For Realism, it would only be good enough to lift SMALL amounts of metals in SMALL crucibles. Leverage and the slow carbonization of the contact point would weaken the sticks over time for much of anything else.

For Gameplay? Well, no, hence the Cosmetics tag. However, it WILL make my tool wall look better to not have literal splinters next to my gorgeous gear.

As an Aside: We already have Hammers of varying materials that are mostly cosmetic outside of some small durability boosts (unless somebody is out there swingin hammer as a sidearm), and none of THOSE upgrades majorly affect the game, either.

5 minutes ago, Krougal said:

I was thinking about that, but I don't know, how long would it hold up? The ignition point is a lot lower than the workable temperature for most metals.

It's amazing how many basic scientific things one can forget over a lifetime of not making use of the knowledge.

This mainly. For the reasons I've listed above, both realistic and cosmetic, I think new tongs would be a good, low impact, high appeal addition

[Entaris]

1 hour ago, zand said:

Greetings Entaris,

There is this mod, https://mods.vintagestory.at/show/mod/16743 which adds metal tongs. Since wood does not melt or conduct heat well, it does make a good insulator that can stand up to the heat of molten steel for a while.

This video isn't really an example of that, but it is the first one that comes to mind and I figure others would find it funny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wex_yKfrTo4

Oh hey, that's neat!

I'm still kinda leery about how mod versions work with stuff, as we just got done with a huge stroke-out from our rc1 server, but if it updates I'll definitely give it a look!

[Krougal]

Ok, you got me at the cool factor on the tool rack.

Tools with durability, not cosmetic at all. As fast as I go through hammers, yes, maybe steel is a bit extravagant, but meteoric iron all day every day and twice on Sunday. If tongs had durability, would be using higher quality tongs too (it would be a nightmare to implement durability on them so I think we are safe). The last thing I want to do when I am in the middle of a job is stop to make new tools cause the one I was using broke, and cheaper tools break more often.

Compared to MC and some other games, mods are a lot safer. It isn't like there is pointless obfuscation that changes every version just because.

If the things the mod touches haven't changed, then mods can continue to work for several updates. Granted, 1.21 has broken a lot of mods.

Most of the time though, you will no right away if the mod is broken and you can remove it, no harm no foul. I've never had my VS save corrupted by adding or removing mods midstream.

[Entaris]

30 minutes ago, Krougal said:

Ok, you got me at the cool factor on the tool rack.

Tools with durability, not cosmetic at all. As fast as I go through hammers, yes, maybe steel is a bit extravagant, but meteoric iron all day every day and twice on Sunday. If tongs had durability, would be using higher quality tongs too (it would be a nightmare to implement durability on them so I think we are safe). The last thing I want to do when I am in the middle of a job is stop to make new tools cause the one I was using broke, and cheaper tools break more often.

Maybe I just haven't really reached that level of "making metal eats metal" with my smithing yet.

Meteoric?!  You got some kind of strategy for finding space rocks, or just huge luck? We've found TWO. 

30 minutes ago, Krougal said:

Compared to MC and some other games, mods are a lot safer. It isn't like there is pointless obfuscation that changes every version just because.

If the things the mod touches haven't changed, then mods can continue to work for several updates. Granted, 1.21 has broken a lot of mods.

Most of the time though, you will no right away if the mod is broken and you can remove it, no harm no foul. I've never had my VS save corrupted by adding or removing mods midstream.

Hmm, I hear you, but we're definitely suffering from the 1.21 problem. Apparently they changed something something file path, so now things that add big swathes of entities to the library just aren't being found anymore. 

Ah well, maybe with rc15, 27 or whatever they're working towards, we'll get a Stable update I can pull the Server forward into. 

It'd be great to be able to sleep again. 

[Krougal]

11 hours ago, Entaris said:

Maybe I just haven't really reached that level of "making metal eats metal" with my smithing yet.

Meteoric?!  You got some kind of strategy for finding space rocks, or just huge luck? We've found TWO. 

Hmm, I hear you, but we're definitely suffering from the 1.21 problem. Apparently they changed something something file path, so now things that add big swathes of entities to the library just aren't being found anymore. 

Ah well, maybe with rc15, 27 or whatever they're working towards, we'll get a Stable update I can pull the Server forward into. 

It'd be great to be able to sleep again. 

Yes, mods that make it easier to find. There is actually quite a lot of it around usually.

If you aren't cheating though, look for small depressions in the ground. If you see suevite, then it is definitely a meteor. You may need to dig a few blocks of grass.

Hopefully 1.21 stable isn't too far away.

 

[Entaris]

5 hours ago, Krougal said:

Yes, mods that make it easier to find. There is actually quite a lot of it around usually.

If you aren't cheating though, look for small depressions in the ground. If you see suevite, then it is definitely a meteor. You may need to dig a few blocks of grass.

Hopefully 1.21 stable isn't too far away.

 

Ah. Well, I prefer the "root around and find rocks" method to digital stuff.

 

I'll see if I can Satellite Imagery some Meteors. Thanks

[Krougal]

41 minutes ago, Entaris said:

Ah. Well, I prefer the "root around and find rocks" method to digital stuff.

 

I'll see if I can Satellite Imagery some Meteors. Thanks

Yeah, it does change the gameplay dynamic quite a bit. I've been trying to use the propick more and "ground penetrating radar" less, but it is such a chore.

Finding meteoric without it or at least visible particles. Nah, but then I struggle to see a lot of little things.

Still a few good deposits can give you enough metal to keep you in tools and weapons until steel.

[Entaris]

7 hours ago, Krougal said:

Yeah, it does change the gameplay dynamic quite a bit. I've been trying to use the propick more and "ground penetrating radar" less, but it is such a chore.

Finding meteoric without it or at least visible particles. Nah, but then I struggle to see a lot of little things.

Still a few good deposits can give you enough metal to keep you in tools and weapons until steel.

Oh I kinda soft gave up on propick. My buddy does the prospecting while he's waiting on his crops to grow.

 

I'm more of a caver/bomber.

 

You ain't kiddin about the meteor deposits! I just got 110 ingots worth out of this one I found today! Might just get enough together to make myself some armor.

[Krougal]

21 minutes ago, Entaris said:

Oh I kinda soft gave up on propick. My buddy does the prospecting while he's waiting on his crops to grow.

 

I'm more of a caver/bomber.

 

You ain't kiddin about the meteor deposits! I just got 110 ingots worth out of this one I found today! Might just get enough together to make myself some armor.

Yeah, a set of meteoric plate isn't bad, especially since steel armor takes forever.

It was good enough for me to get through the first few story quests.

I make a steel pick and falx (and add silver or gold plate to that) and then I usually go full bore into making chain mail.