These Kentucky Spring salad tongs are handcrafted in Louisville, Kentucky from unstained sugar maple,with solid brass hinge fittings. The wood is protected with clear mineral oil. Each pair of tongs is hand steamed and bent into shape until cool to create the distinctive springs. As opposed to inexpensive wood tongs that are simply flat, these steamed tongs are elegantly bent. These salad tongs are longer than the norm, which makes them more challenging to steam-bend, but they are more efficient and long-wearing for the user. The springs keep the tongs open for the user, and when flipped inside out, they allow the tongs to fold flat for storage. These steamed wood spring tongs make it easy to serve pasta, steamed vegetables, hot bread and salads with one hand. Great for potlucks, when one hand is holding the plate while the other hand is holding the salad tongs to load up on a healthy serving of salad!

These original Kentucky Spring salad tongs measure 11" long x 1-3/8" wide, and fold flat to 1-1/4" across the springs and 1/2" at the tips. Unfold the tongs by rotating one arm completely around until the wooden springs engage. Squeeze the arms together. Natural spring action returns the tongs to an open position. Return tongs to flat position for storage. Care: Handwash only. Avoid boiling water. Apply mineral oil occasionally to preserve finish.

 The designer of the original Kentucky Spring salad tongs says this about his product: As with many hand crafted production items, my tong design can be "knocked off" or copied in ways that affect the function, durability and aesthetics of the piece. When you see tongs which look like Kentucky Spring salad tongs, please compare them with mine. Salad tongs with the Kentucky Spring trademark feature: Durability and Functional Use. Wider tongs: Handcrafted Kentucky Spring salad tongs are up to 25% wider than "look alike" salad tongs and can be used to serve a baked potato or ear of corn. Narrow tongs lack strength and durability. Curved jaw tips: The tips of handcrafted Kentucky Spring salad tongs are curved to fit the rounded bottoms of salad bowls. Square tips are easier and cheaper to machine and sand, but do not fit salad bowls as well. Long wood springs: Long wood springs make my handcrafted Kentucky Spring salad tongs easy to use, and they hold their shape when washed normally by hand. Other tongs have springs up to 50% shorter. This makes the steam bending a lot less work, but the short springs feel stiff and can lose their shape, causing them to open less wide and lose their capacity to fold flat. Tips meet perfectly: I steam bend a slight curve along the entire length of each Kentucky Spring salad tong piece so the tips "bite" together firmly when used. Failure to steam bend this curve results in a gap at the tong tips, making it difficult to pick up small items. My tong tips make a distinct clicking sound. Quarter Sawn Lumber: Although this is the most expensive way to cut lumber, it produces maximum durability for Kentucky Spring salad tongs, and often makes a beautiful flake figure. For these reasons, quarter sawn wood is found in the finest antique furniture. Aesthetics. Detail Sanding and Sawing: I cut the ends of the wood springs at an angle and also across the end, adding to function and beauty of design. We then hand sand all 16 corner edges of the wood springs, and both hinge and jaw tips. Smell: How do the tongs smell? Vegetable oil can get rancid, but the mineral oil finish of handcrafted Kentucky Spring salad tongs never has an odor. The designer of the Original Kentucky Spring Salad Tongs is a Juried Exhibiting Member of Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen since 1992