Evolution

Of designs. About a year and a half ago I made some 'distance increasers', or a pair of tongs. The blog entry is here:

First generation

and a picture of the tongs are here:

 In the best tradition of evolution, there was some selection pressure from the user of these tongs. The first problem was the size. My hands are bigger than the person using these and, while they fit me fine, they were a bit too chunky. Secondly, my handmade hinge, while an outstanding item in it's design and execution, did unfortunately have the side effect of being painful to have around.
The same goes for the stop on the side, which prevents the spring from popping out if the tong are opened too far.

So, the second generation:

 Altogether less chunky and softer in features. The hinge is now part of the wooden arms, and the stop is a leather strap between the two arms:

The hinge is simpler and should be less sharp. This was pretty easy to do on the bandsaw:

We'll have to see how the second generation goes...