MilwaukeeJon

Mod Note: Link removed. The swage block can be found on line. Price $300 Plus shipping.

OK. Is this to keep it from moving around or to give it a hard, solid surface upon which to sit? Thanks in advance.

Thanks much for the advice and observations about the leg vice.

Where I forge nails...I’m a newbie so terminology may well be mistaken:

Nice old leg vise just acquired from my friend Aaron Cergol. As with my swage and nailing stations, it is attached to an ash stump.

Great post.

Thanks....it doubles as a Minimalist portrait of an elephant.

So for my little striking anvil I made a regular shaped holdfast with the 1045 square rod. Works fine but there isn’t much room because of the short work surface. So I then experimented with a really goofy looking holdfast that leans back to give me a few extra inches on the other side where it holds the work. Seems to secure things pretty well:

....and if you did were they heat treated?

....when you look at a toilet paper dispenser and think “Now how would I forge that?”

Yes indeed. And when you dream about forging hot steel!

Thanks all. I’ve started....man, hand forging the initial stake taper on that 6” x 1.5” 1045 steel (square) billet is a good workout!

Great info. I will buy some old wrought iron from Globe in Minnesota (I’m in Milwaukee so it’s not crazy far away....and yes I love Milwaukee tools). As for the Anglo Saxon anvil, I’m not striving for historical accuracy. Will try 1045 since I have a nice 1.5 inch square bar. Once this anvil is heat treated, should I come back with a propane torch to heat/air cool just the little horn so it is softer and less prone to break off?

Question: For this project Anglo Saxon Anvil what steels would be preferable. Could you make the whole thing out of a mid carbon steel instead of forge welding a harder anvil surface on? And then how would you heat treat the anvil? Cool little thing....

What is hard is that the curved hardy only allows for about 2” of travel for the bottom of the holdfast. I’ll play around. Seen the chain ones but I’d love to make one work on Madame Piggy.

I hear you....thanks for the search terms.

Can you post a pic from the book?

Clement & Nicolas Bourg de la Peage 1901, 198 kilos

Got it. The trick here is that my 1901 French (the Pig) anvil has an angled, side exit hardy hole. Will try a quick prototype.

Would a bent holdfast made from 1045 round bar work well (I also have 1018 and live near Speedy Metals)? Should the iron be heat treated and tempered after forging to make it more springy? Relatively new to the game so please forgive rather rudimentary question. Thanks in advance.

Thanks all and yes indeed I’m prone to be canted!

Many thanks for the drift info and advice on searching. For smaller hammers (under 2lbs) do you think a 1045 drift would suffice? I’m near Speedy Metals so I can get harder steel, but my arm won’t like it!

Would you recommend heat treating a 1045 hammer drift in any way, normalize it, or nothing at all? Thanks.