Well, I think I will put a spoon and ladle shape in the bottom of my ASO, and worry about cracking another day. It is an ASO, and getting used with a hand hammer not a multi-ton press.

Phil

I wonder how dangerous it is to use an ASO as a substitute swage block. Cast iron is weak, but its elastic limit is pretty low, and it seems that it wouldn't store all that much energy. Would flying chunks be much of a hazard, or would they just crack off? ......

My understanding is that the swage blocks that I purchased from Centaur Forge over 20 years ago are cast iron and I have yet to have any problems with them. My humble understanding is that modern swage blocks are cast iron and not cast steel, or does anyone have information to the contrary?

The only swage blocks that I have seen that are cast steel are the Yater blocks

Perform a spark test on that anvil to determine if it is steel or cast iron. The anvil form looks serviceable If it is steel I would use it unmodified or sell it to provide funds for a proper swage block.

One possible means of toughening up mild steel is to use a super quench solution for hardening. That way you may be able to extend the life of your existing veining tool.

Folks, it is low grade cast iron, I can plainly see the porosity (bubbles) where it has been ground clean. He only has 10 bucks in it, I paid more for dinner last night. It has no historic or aesthetic value, and virtually no practical value to a blacksmith in its current form. Anything done to it or with it at this point counts as an improvement and/or experience points. I say go for it!

Folks, it is low grade cast iron, I can plainly see the porosity (bubbles) where it has been ground clean. He only has 10 bucks in it, I paid more for dinner last night. It has no historic or aesthetic value, and virtually no practical value to a blacksmith in its current form. Anything done to it or with it at this point counts as an improvement and/or experience points. I say go for it!

Ding ding ding! We have a winner!!

It's sooo low grade that I was finding more bubbles as I ground deeper. It's value as a swage block is very low. I'll grind deeper later to see if I can pass the current bubbles. I'll post some pictures later on.

Some porosity won't affect its performance.

Phil

My understanding is that the swage blocks that I purchased from Centaur Forge over 20 years ago are cast iron and I have yet to have any problems with them. My humble understanding is that modern swage blocks are cast iron and not cast steel, or does anyone have information to the contrary?

Swage blocks typically are cast iron, which make sense since casting is an easy way to reproduce all those odd shapes. Swage blocks also aren't expected to take the heavy beating that's dished out to anvils. Even so, I've seen quite a few old swage blocks that were riddled with the sort of chipping you see on cast iron ASOs. Ductile iron would probably give better service.