joshua.M Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I am looking for a small-medium sized swage block. It is not an urgent search but if anyone has one that they want to get rid of. I need it to have a 1" hole so i can make hardies and i would like it to have V's on one edge. thanks Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Hard to beat these swage blocks for a deal.http://www.saltforkcraftsmen.org/swage.shtml They do not have hardy holes though. I would suggest that you'd be better off with an anvil or at least a post vice to mount a hardy. BTW I think these blocks do have two vee shapes on the far ends in the pictures... you can see their tops where the shovel end is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Great blocks, I have had one for several yrs and use it more than I thought I would. They need some dressing up as they come to you straight from the mold. A good grinder with a sanding disc will have it ship-shape in no time tho. The cone mandrel comes the same way and are a heck of a deal. Tsur Sadan and Amit Har-Lev made a bending fork for the hardie at the 2010 ABANA conference and used the hardie hole of the anvil to make the shank. I bought that one at the auction on Sat. nite and then came home and made one just like it for the Saltfork Craftsman tool box. I have made several other hardie tools by this method and am very satisfied with the results. And yes, I do have a large swage block with the sq/rd holes. When you do use your anvil's hardie hole make sure that you have the shank HOT when you drive it into the hardie hole, only use 2-3 good blows, let it cool and then remove. Reheat to HOT again and repeat til you get the size you want. If you drive it into the hole and it is too cold it won't shrink enough to come out and then you do have a mess! :wacko: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshua.M Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 i have seen the saltfork blocks, i want to use it mostly to make hardie tools as thomas said, i am worryed about upsettin in the anxil because i have heard a ton of storys about people that tryed it and cracked the heel of their anvil off... is there any thuth to that happening? Thanks Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Yes, that can happen IF you are driving it too COLD. As I mentioned earlier, I have made several hardie tools and have used the hardie hole of my anvils to size them. Granted, you need to forge them down close to what you need and the you will need to make sure that your part is HOT and then only stike it 2-3 good solid blows then let cool to remove. One other thing, just because you have a swage block with sq. holes doesn't mean the hardie tools made in them will fit your anvil! Most likely they will not fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshua.M Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 ok thomas i just wasnt sure if it could be done without damaging(sp?) the anvil. I also forgot about the sizing differance of the hardie holes in the block Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 As many of us use quite old anvils we have no idea of the possible abuse it may have seen earlier in it's life and tend to err on the side of caution WRT the hardy hole. If you have someplace else to drive the piece into I'd use it and then just do the very last run on the real hardy hole---or if you are close an angle grinder will usually dress it to fit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshua.M Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 thanks for the ideas i think i have a plan now Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Countryforge Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I have some ball mill liners about 80 to 100 pounds. All have holes about one inch diameter you can cut your own v groove. Free for pick up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Falzone Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I have some ball mill liners about 80 to 100 pounds. All have holes about one inch diameter you can cut your own v groove. Free for pick up. Countryforge ... what are ball mill liners and where do you live??? Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Falzone Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I am looking for a small-medium sized swage block. It is not an urgent search but if anyone has one that they want to get rid of. I need it to have a 1" hole so i can make hardies and i would like it to have V's on one edge. thanks Josh Joshua, John Newman here in Hamilton casts his own swage blocks and he has a few different styles/sizes - they're the ones listed on the Blacksmith Depot site and others. I figure the drive over to pick one up would be cheaper than shipping form the US. You can PM John and ask him all about his swages. Good luck. Sam. Hamilton, ON. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshua.M Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 Countryforge ... what are ball mill liners and where do you live??? Sam ya??? same question lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshua.M Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 Joshua, John Newman here in Hamilton casts his own swage blocks and he has a few different styles/sizes - they're the ones listed on the Blacksmith Depot site and others. I figure the drive over to pick one up would be cheaper than shipping form the US. You can PM John and ask him all about his swages. Good luck. Sam. Hamilton, ON. thanks for the tip hamilton is 4 hours from me but alot better than the states Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Menard Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 This is something new I am working on that makes it easier to forge top and bottom tools without risk to your anvil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petere76 Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Bob, Great idea. Let me know if you do a production run. Peter Carrabassett Valley Forge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I'd weld on a couple of side spacers and then put an extension to make it a saddle for your anvil and skip the chains---perhaps a could of big wing bolts to hold it to the anvil; but I'd more likely run a piece back to the hardy hole leaving it over the sweet spot but keeping it from moving back and forth with the side extensions covering the other axis. But yes, I'd like one too ifn I could afford it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I made a 1 inch square hole in a piece of 1 inch mild....took about an hour with cold chisels from 4 drilled 1/2 inch holes to a neat square. Just throwing it out there, not any kind of superhuman task. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Menard Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 I am doing a production run of the anvil block. It is best to contact me outside of iforgeiron so as to not run afoul of selling restrictions. I would be happy to talk to anyone about it.ballandchainforge@yahoo.com Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Shears Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 (edited) Joshua - there's a swage block listed on kijiji.ca in the Odessa (Kingston) area. Link below.http://belleville.ki...QAdIdZ398196516 I've no idea of your budget or travel resources. If it comes to it contact me before SOFA's Quad State, I plan on going down this year. There are usually a few people selling smaller (about 40 lb) blocks there. Don. Edited August 11, 2012 by Don Shears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshua.M Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 Thanks for the link Don, but I got off my butt and NADE what I needed, a Brian Brazeal striking anvil Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HenryDowning Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 I want to make a spetsnaz shovel and I need to know how to do it. Any tips. I will only make like three so I don’t want to spend a ton on a swage block. Any tips? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Yes make at least 6 to get good at it. Which version are you planning to duplicate? (controls how you do it.) Do you have welding skills? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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