triangle bottom swage

[Sam Salvati]

Made up this swage today for use under the power hammer, it is for making triangular cross section stock, for use in some types of daggers or rondels. works great! Waste not want not, I used the bandsaw cuts as anvil devils (like a hardy cutter) and also tried one as a punch.

 

 

 

 

[Jim Coke]

Greetings Sam,

 

Slick tool...  I especially like the temper colors...  I call it possum ear blue...   In my world as yours there is nothing that I call a true drop.. 

 

 

You do good work

 

Jim

[Sam Salvati]

Thanks Jim.

[Alan Evans]

What profile do you start with for your blades is it round square or flat? Will you be taking the sharp edges off the vees? And are they for tapers or parallel? Is it made from mild or tool steel? questions questions questions!

 

Alan

[Sam Salvati]

Alan, I push square into it, there is a little bit of flash I grind off if I just slam it in, but if I feed and turn it a little feed and turn it fits in nice no flash. No need to take the sharp edges off, it was not a problem. They are for straights, not tapers. I made it from 4140. :D

[Alan Evans]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, and thank you , in that order.

[metalmangeler]

Hi Sam as ussual your tools look great, now if you put a wedge on your bottom hammer die you can take one of the triangle cross sections you are making and a hot 4140 and make a triangle taper swedge. Might be just the thing for finishing a triangular pointy item. No doubt you have already thought this through and likely have the tool finished.

[ThomasPowers]

Got a chunk of an old gear I use for similar stuff with my hand hammer.  May have to flatten it with a press and see about using a power hammer.

[JNewman]

Be careful with that tool Sam it looks good but the bottom of the v is a little thin  I would think about welding a heavy piece of steel to the bottom or making a heavier one if you plan on using it under your power hammer. .    Hammering steel hard into a v block with a power hammer can cause the the 2 sides  to separate "vigorously"    I had a V block that I made a little thin on the bottom,  The 2 pieces shot across the shop in opposite directions like bullets. Luckily there was no one either side of the v block, but it is something I am now careful about using a v block under a  hammer being aware of the possibility of the block splitting. 

 

A handy tool you can make using the 60degree v block is a triangular hot cut like the anvil devil with a handle.  It is handy if you want to cut off the end of a bar leaving a single sided chisel edge.  You have 3 cutting edges just like the devil. 

 

I have had good luck making triangular sections starting with round.  You have to be careful to not drive the top corners past the top corners of the swage.  The bottom of the v never sharpens the corners. the 2 top corners sharpen as you hammer. 

[Sam Salvati]

John thank you! Yes, sadly that is what happened to another V swage I made, POP and half of it went across the room(no one hurt). I am contantly aware of it now, in the shop i work now there is nowhere to be in the path of the piece if it goes (stuff in the way). I like the sound of a handled devil! I tried round square and hex, so far the square I like the best as the corner orients into the swage and leaves a nice sharp corner to start with, then rotation sharpens up the rest. I did as you said and slammed it in and made a bunch of flash the first time, but going slower and hotter and now i consolidate it in there well with no flash. Thanks for the advice!

 

Thanks Mark! Yes an angled V swage is next on order :D

 

Here is a product of the swage.

[Alan Evans]

The reason I asked what stock you are starting from is that I found it depends on what the end result needed is. For instance the nearest i have done to your tool and process I started from square knocked the corners in on one diagonal and used the now more acute other diagonal top and bottom to go into the vee. Nice clean result you have achieved.

 

Alan