After seeing recent toaster tong postings by Eric and pottz, I decided they'd be a nice quick project for me and my niece to work on for some gifts for family and friends. My initial intent was to incorporate the oven rack hook like pottz's, but due to a late start on the project, I decided to skip that feature.
Using some scraps of cherry and maple, I put together a prototype. I thought that it seemed a little featureless and lacking personality.
The black magnet and the shape of the base called to mind a bald head and open mouth, so I put a face there.
I had messed up on the carving paths for a few of the "heads", but that worked out okay since I had only prepared enough tong strips to make 8.
My niece took care of painting the eyes and nose. A little dressing with the card scraper took care of any paint on the surface. My mistake here was to glue-in the magnets prematurely. I should have held off until after all the final sanding so that I wouldn't have to carefully work around them.
Judging by their expression, I may have clamped them too tightly.
We used Odie's oil to finish them.
In no time at all, we had our completed chorus. (-1 that was quickly gifted)
Those are great, Ross! They also make me think of Kevin fromHome Alone after he tries the aftershave. In the clamps, they look like they’re wearing ear muffs.
Thanks for all the kind words, guys. The clamp ends do look like earmuffs. If there's a repeat of this project, that would make a fun addition. And the Home Alone reference is spot-on. This feels like a project that could be taken in a number of different directions. We need a tong contest. 😀
