The other day i stopped at an antique dealer near where i live and he has a ton of old blacksmith tools! I was drooling over these swage blocks. The smaller on in the back is a Josh Greenwood i believe, and the larger on i didn't recognize. Josh greenwoods are circa 1975 so its not that old. He wants 125 for the Greenwood, and 150 for the larger one. They are both pretty pitted and rusted from sitting outside but they look as though they would clean up nice. tell me what you think they are worth. He has a bunch of hammers and tongs too but i didn't get prices.http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/images/attach/jpg.gifhttp://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=16440&stc=1&d=1250031892http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=16441&stc=1&d=1250031892http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=16442&stc=1&d=1250031892

I don't see any pitting in the photographs, everything looks real good as far as I can see. If the size of the larger swage block is as big as it looks, that would be an excellent price. I would grab both swage blocks if I were in your situation, as well as the anvil if it has a good price and brand.

Does he have any interesting wheelwright tools for sale?

Im sure he does. there was a huge wooden wheelwright sign near all the wagon wheels and such. He had his own smithy set up but i dont think he used it much. I think he maintains all the wagons and such himself. apparently some of the tools he doesnt want to sell. i spoke with a caretaker, the owner wasn't there, but he called the owner to get prices on the blocks. The anvil in the picture had some sort of coating on it that was really rough, so im not sure of the quality, but the edges looked super nice. i would have bought the swage blocks but ive been spending a ton of money on blacksmith stuff lately! The wife got me a nice hay budden anvil, a 148# for 350 bucks for our anniversary, god bless her! Im tempted to go buy the swage blocks and sell one of them to recoup my cost.

Lucky find!! I have been to just about every Antique shop in my area that I can find and none of them have anything like this! I love that one anvil with the anvil/vice combination really neat. I wonder how it is to work on it....

Im sure he does. there was a huge wooden wheelwright sign near all the wagon wheels and such..........

I would appreciate being kept in mind for wheelwright tools, especially machinery for "boxing" wooden hubs and other tools that might make the construction of large wooden wheels easier.

It drives me nuts to think about all the tools that likely go to the junkyard on a regularly basis. Especially tools important to the history of blacksmithing and wheelwrighting.

Sample of my work below. It took me a several months to make two wheels.

Edited August 12, 200916 yr by UnicornForge

Yeah, that anvil vise looked pretty cool. I need to pace myself though, what i really want/ need is a swage block, it would really be helpful with building up my tools. As for the wheelwright tools, i will definitely go talk to the guy and if i find anything i will take some pictures for you. If he has some stuff i would be happy to help you out how ever i can. I know how hard this stuff is to find. Of course i will be picking through the choice items (not the wheelwright stuff), for myself!

By the way thats some beautiful craftsmanship on that wheel!

What was he asking on the bear trap next to the blacksmith stuff?

The anvil vise is pretty cool.

If the jaws are not welded on the bear trap, and it looks like they aren't, I would bet it is worth near $1000.00. Most of the big traps that you come across now days are welded. I think it is illegal to have them without being welded shut.

I have seen plenty that were not welded, so I do not think it is a requirement that they be. They were probably welded when used for display-lawyer proofing them.

I will hit him up about the bear trap. probably go back by there this weekend, its kind of far away from me.

I was attending an auction in rural western Virginia a month ago and a large 1911 dated Newhouse trap brought $1980 !

thats a really nice bear trap in the back. they actually dont have to be welded shut to be legal. you can still purchase them new and i believe there is one state that you can still use them. not positive about the last thing but i know for sure that you can still but them

I have seen plenty that were not welded, so I do not think it is a requirement that they be. They were probably welded when used for display-lawyer proofing them.

Yea, may be a requirement in some states. I have seen them for sale both welded and not.

I was attending an auction in rural western Virginia a month ago and a large 1911 dated Newhouse trap brought $1980 !

Wow! never seen them bring quite that much.

thats a really nice bear trap in the back. they actually dont have to be welded shut to be legal. you can still purchase them new and i believe there is one state that you can still use them. not positive about the last thing but i know for sure that you can still but them

All I know is that in Utah, I have to have wire, buttons, or another device that provides a gap in the jaws on even my small fox and bobcat traps to be legal. I have not seen any new bear traps for sale, I think that is why they bring so much money. Do you have any info on where to purchase new bear traps?

I will hit him up about the bear trap. probably go back by there this weekend, its kind of far away from me.

Pick some of that stuff up if you can....Seems to be reasonably priced!

Duke trap company still makes a new bear trap. Maine was the last state you could legally set a bear trap but that ended last year.

Some states it is illegal to own a foot hold trap even in a collection. If you check on them LOL they are the states with run away critter populations. Beaver flooding properties and coyotes eating pets.

I will get off my soap box now . BTW I bought a hay budden at the National convention in Ohio. That is why I wondered into this thread.

Drifter

Edited August 12, 200916 yr by Drifter
spelling

That anvil/vise combo looks like a Stewart Handy Worker. My recollection is that they had attachments for different jobs, like a bead roller for sheet metal work. Been a while since there was a thread about them on IFI.http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f23/new-here-1874/

Would be a neat piece for conversation, but I don't think it would hold up to heavy use on the anvil part.

Anyone ever seen a vise like the one pictured. Looks interesting.

WARNING those are modern swage blocks and anvil currently being cast in Mexico using "real" ones as the positive for the mold.

Many of the swages are crudely cast and will have a lot of issues with porosity especially in the bottom of the dishes. They will take a lot of effort to clean up and are priced about double what I have seen them for around here.

The anvils may or may not be a decent cast---it depends on what they were casting the day that one was poured, if it was a decent medium carbon steel then it's a basic anvil with no heat treat---again requiring a lot of clean up as they run the molding line right down the middle of the face and horn. If they were running cast iron that day you are SOL.

I'd go maybe US$1 per pound on it *after* checking for hardness and ring with a ballpein

These items are not rare, old or antiques though they are often misrepresented as such at auctions around these parts.

Edited August 12, 200916 yr by ThomasPowers

Do you have any info on where to purchase new bear traps?

I know F & T carries them:
http://www.fntpost.com/Categories/Trapping/?gclid=CN-HtKvGnpwCFSBN5QodAx7rcw
$200.00 to $325.00 each

The Duke traps are made in Korea and are not particulary collectable. they are a couple of hundred new.

I liked the skeeter trap that F&T sells myself. A wee bit light for Wisconsin skeeters though.

Finnr

If you look at page 5 of SWABA's Aug newsletter:
Swaba News Letters

You can see several other of those swageblocks and anvils piled up on a pallet at a fellows anvil collection.

Compared to the size of those wheels, looks like that trap would be better suited for a elephant :-)

I went back to the gold mine of antiques today. I got a couple pairs of tongs, and was looking around at all the blacksmithing equipment. I took a few blurry pictures of some leg vises and some wheelwright tools, and some drill presses. I talked with the owner and he is getting ready to sell the whole place because he just doesnt have time to deal with all the stuff. Turns out those swage blocks ARE cast in mexico crap. Inside the holes is so rough it would take a mill to make those things actually function. By the way that gigantic bear trap is NOT welded shut, and he wants $450 for it. He probably has twenty or so in different sizes. Sorry about the pictures, i had to use my phone.http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/images/attach/jpg.gifhttp://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/images/attach/jpg.gifhttp://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/images/attach/jpg.gifhttp://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/images/attach/jpg.gif

Did he have any blowers laying around? I could really use a post vise, did he say what he wanted for one of them?

Thanks,
Dave