irontwister Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 if it would'nt of been for the fat ground hog that lives in the side shop at g-pa's farm i never would have found my swage block.it had a hole in the old shop right in below a pallet(the pallet beside i had placed an anvil of his that i had found in the rubbish and pulled out for him which had gotten stolen last week!!! verrrry angry!)i was lookin at the hole when i moved an old tool box to see the hole better when i then realized what it was setting on.A SWAGE BLOCK! i had been really wanting one. i decided i needed a propane forge more but this one i dont know how to use. its a regular one without spoon shovel or bowl swages which is the ones that i needed the most. how and what do i use them for. its 200 - 225pounds. thought id get a hernia carrying it to the truck.lolany info will be appreciated. how do i find the maker too.thx willie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 (edited) Congratulations for finding grandpa's swage block, sorry to hear that someone stole his anvil. I have only seen maker's names on modern swage blocks, old ones would be difficult to identify. Swage blocks are used for forming stuff in their groves, and as stake holders. They are useful for such things as making chisels, bending heavy iron bands for wheels, making spoon and bowl swages, and such. I find them very useful. One of my swage blocks has only groves for wagon bands/tires. Edited October 26, 2009 by UnicornForge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Generally old swage blocks are not marked by the maker and even if you can match it up to one in an old catalog it's quite possible that the engraving in the catalog was reused from a different one. It's only the modern ones that we tag with things like a Yeater swageblock or a salt fork swageblock so we can differentiate when we talk about them. How to use it? You use it with or without top swages when you need the forms it has. I don't use mine much as I have made or found swages for my anvil that are the forms I use most often---but it's a lifesaver when you need a form for a quick one off project. You are very lucky to find that one---now chain it to something immovable before it walks off too! I had my first anvil stolen 200# from my back yard in OKC about 28 years ago and I'm still mad about that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irontwister Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 Congratulations for finding grandpa's swage block, sorry to hear that someone stole his anvil. I have only seen maker's names on modern swage blocks, old ones would be difficult to identify. Swage blocks are used for forming stuff in their groves, and as stake holders. They are useful for such things as making chisels, bending heavy iron bands for wheels, making spoon and bowl swages, and such. I find them very useful. One of my swage blocks has only groves for wagon bands/tires. what i want to make is bowls and spoons,but it doesnt have swages for them.what should i do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 (edited) A good hardwood, oak or the like, grind a dish into the stump on the end grain and go to work. A good idea is to have the wood wet before you start your forging on it. You can do this by soaking a rag or towel and laying it on the block before forging. Cuts down on the smoke and your wood will last longer. When it burns out to a larger size than you want just pick a new spot on the stump or if needed get another stump. The bottom of an oxy cyl. works real good for dishing bowls. Cut a piece of pipe the dia. you want and forge the end to a nice smooth radius. There are more ideas but I'm sure you get the jest...you don't have to have a swage block. Edited October 27, 2009 by Thomas Dean wee ned spel cheak one dis hair compooter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irontwister Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 the round sswages on the side might be handy as i could forge weld a handful of 1/4 inch round stock together? could i do that? again i would Never sell it, but itwould be nice to know how much it is worth. it has a few chips in the sides and a little wear on the insides but other than that it is in tip top shape.its at least 200 lbs how much would it sell for? my grand pa likes for me to research stuff like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irontwister Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 A good hardwood, oak or the like, grind a dish into the stump on the end grain and go to work. A good idea is to have the wood wet before you start your forging on it. You can do this by soaking a rag or towel and laying it on the block before forging. Cuts down on the smoke and your wood will last longer. When it burns out to a larger size than you want just pick a new spot on the stump or if needed get another stump. The bottom of an oxy cyl. works real good for dishing bowls. Cut a piece of pipe the dia. you want and forge the end to a nice smooth radius. There are more ideas but I'm sure you get the jest...you don't have to have a swage block. oh really. that sounds like a neat project. that gives me an idea that i have had for a while that i might put into action.i will tell later when i have more time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Lifting rings and tow toroids (doughnuts) make good dishing forms too. I have a collection of them going from small to quite large indeed! As for prices somewhere between free and say $2 per pound depending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 what i want to make is bowls and spoons,but it doesnt have swages for them.what should i do? As said above, using a chunk of wood works. You could also make spoon and bowl swages by hammering a flat piece of iron against wood, the end of a piece of pipe, grooves in the sides of the swage block, or a steel ring that you either made or found. Once you have the iron dished out the way you like it, you can then attach a stem to the bottom for your hardie hole or vise. Since you are hammering hot metal against the forged swage it should last if it is made of sufficiently thick iron. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irontwister Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 what about getting a piece of 1/8 inch steel and getting it really hot so that i can pound a spoon into it so that itmakes a swage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 what about getting a piece of 1/8 inch steel and getting it really hot so that i can pound a spoon into it so that itmakes a swage. I have some doubts that a spoon would hold up to that much beating. I recommend taking a piece of flat steel at least 1/4" in thickness and using a ball-pean hammer and a block of wood to form a spoon or bowl swage. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irontwister Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 thanks i think that i'll do that.just to play around with it. that or buy it. im so cheap that it is not funny, it would kill me to buy an object that im supposed to be able to make! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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