Home made swage?

[goinslow]

Anyone seen one or know of a doable idea for one? Anvil idea's seem abunden't but I've never seen a homemade.

Thanks Aaron

[Hungry Horse]

 It depends on what kind of swedge block you are looking for. If you just need V grooves, or U grooves, you can make one of those from a piece of large railroad rail. If you want spoons, ladles, and things like that you pretty much need to buy one ready made.

                   Hungry Horse

[goinslow]

Thanks, I'll try that for U and V.

Aaron

[Jay Close]

I've sunk spoon and ladle bowls into depressions carved in the endgrain of an oak stump. It's a bit smoky, but wetting the wood first helps.

[wet willy]

Seen something similar for forming spoons and small shallow dishes from horn. Very similar to a two-piece mold with a hinge, made from oak 2" thick. One half is the female shape, the other part is a male shape to nearly fill the female. Horn was cut, heated, flattened, then heated again for softness and pliability, placed in the mold and closed. Voila! A spoon & handle (or whatever) with just some edge trimming needed.

I found a high scrap rate with this process, as some horn does not flatten well and crack. Some items s formed in the "swage," despite going slow and heating for pliability, develop cracks.

I don't have enough experience to tell which horns in their round state will flatten and shape OK, and which will not. Perhaps there are some on this forum that can offer advice.

[BOB HILL]

I have made a fast swage by taking a piece of pipe with the right radius and cutting a short length in half.Then this piece is welded to a piece of angle iron to be held in a vice while using or you can forge a piece of square stock to fit your hardy hole and weld it to the bottom of the piece of pipe.Makes a quick tool if you are working away from your shop and do not want to haul another heavy tool.The same could be done with a piece of angle iron

[Jackp]

This doesn't answer your question but might help.

I just bought one of these. They are priced reasonable and need some clean up but I think, worth the cost.


http://www.saltforkcraftsmen.org/swage.shtml

Jack

[Curt Lyles]

I have a block just like that and it is a good one. I t has the best shovel shape I have ever found in a swage block and you cant beat that price. Curt

[Jackp]

I agree CL, the first thing I made with mine was two shovels. I use one of them at my forge to move coal around on the table. I put a short handle on it and it sure is handy.

Jack