Altusjg Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 I put the word out a few months ago when i started getting back into metal working and smithing particularly that i was looking for tools. I've had quite a few things follow me home recently and most of it has been completely free. My brother-n-law help put the word out as well and a fella he works with had this laying around his yard or in a barn for years. He said his grand father used to do some blacksmithing. When he told me he had a big chunk of steel and some tools to go with it, i was hoping for an anvil with a few hardie tools but he sent this picture to me a couple days ago. Is it a swage block or a stake anvil holder, hardie holder?? It has hardie tools and multiple differnt sized hardie holes. So help a newbie out and fill me in on what can be done on this thing so i can put it to use. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim McCoy Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Looks like a Pexto Stake Plate ... you can do your own research on the net. Great find and a great tool ... its a work station that allows you to use various hardy type tools such as bickerns, metal forming tools, cut-offs, and so on. You can search on this forum for threads about these. Congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 It is a stake plate, though I don't think it is a pexto. Very expensive, very desirable. They are mounted "let in" to a heavey wooden top work bench. Stakes themselves are also very rare and expensive. Great score! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fosterob Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Stake plate as said before. DO NOT use it as a swage block and hammer directly on it. Great score. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Made for working sheetmetal, stakes generally softer than ones used for smithing. Armourers and artists who work in sheet metal, old car body workers, etc lust after those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernforge Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Definitely a stake plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altusjg Posted May 5, 2011 Author Share Posted May 5, 2011 Thanks for the replies. It has the name Niagara stamped into the top left corner. Anyone ever heard of them? Im not sure of the actual weight or size. I'll be picking it up this weekend and will post them when i get it home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Niagara is the other big name in sheet metal tools, good old tools not the new imported junk. If you do not have a use for it you could sell it and go buy an anvil or swage block if that's what you need. Or hold on to it, cause ya never know you may need it some day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 That is sure a nice stake plate, a very nice find indeed! You may want to add a blowhorn stake, beakhorn, creasing, needle case, oh there are so many and all have a use. If you decide to sell don't let it go cheap. Stakes by other manufacturers will also fit that plate, Pexto, Roper-Whitney, etc. It seems that not too many of the stake plates have survived but lots of stakes have. You lucky dog you! Oh yeah, don't try to use them in the hardy hole on your anvil, these stakes are usually tapered and are not intended for use in an anvil. Right there you have about $300 to $500 in stakes and another $200 to $400 just for the stake plate depending what part of the country you're in. Last year I bought a blowhorn stake for $75 at an estate sale out here an thought it a good buy. Perhaps back east of the Mississippi River things go for less but not here in the thinly populated West. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 One of the NC smiths just put his whole tinsmith outfit on fleabay, look for museumsmith in Wilson, NC for the set. Bentiron, I have not seen anything as low as $75 for a single stake in a decade. That was a great deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermetal Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Yeah I dont know what the market is like today but 5-8 years ago when I was buying that kind of stuff I would have expected the set you have there to bring $500-$800 if sold individually on eBay... I dont use my stakes much but they are sure nice to have around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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