Subject: Re: Fwd: buying a swage block

From: [email-masked] (Elton O Grubbs)
Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 20:02:11 -0700

You wrote: 
>
>
>---------------------
>Forwarded message:
>Subj:    buying a swage block
>Date:    96-08-01 06:57:49 EDT
>From:    Cynthia5
>To:      theforge @wugate.wustl.com
>
>I have a question about buying a swage block.  I'm fairly new to
>blacksmithing and a friend of mine has a line on a swage block I can 
buy.
> I'm wondering if it's worth getting at this time or if my money would 
be
>better invested in other tools.  I have an anvil, two of them, 
hammers, a
>crank blower for a forge (just need to put a forge together--in fact 
if
>anyone has ideas of building a small coal fired forge I could use that 
too),
>cold chisels, etc.  Would like to buy a small drill press also, but 
I'm
>afraid if I don't move on the swage it'll be gone.
>
>Any advice?
>
>Thanks
>
>Cynthia
>
If you arn't going to be making a lot of special items requiring a 
swage I would spend the money on other tools(drill press, chop saw, gas 
forge,or chisels). Latter you could purchase a swage from LMF for 
around $80. Their swages are small but do a good job. They can be 
reached at:

Laurel Machine & Foundry Co
P.O.Box 1049/810 Front st
Laural MS 39440
(601)428-0541

Good luck and keep hammering
Buster

---

From: Jim McCarty <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 02 Aug 1996 11:40:57 -0500

> P.O.Box 1049/810 Front st

Another option are the hardy swages that are floating around. These 
give you four or five sizes, mount in the anvil or vise. You can also 
make these by driving different sized stock (rounds and squares and 
square on the diamond) into a hot piece of tool steel say 1 inch 
square. A piece of the tool steel is then drawn out to fit the hard 
hole and bent to 90 degrees to hold it inthe anvil. You can also weld 
pipe split in half to a piece of angle iron and fill in the joint 
between the two and make a crude swage.
-- 
Jim McCarty
Father Helias Forge
Taos, MO
Editor Rural Missouri Magazine
Newsletter editor, Blacksmiths Association of Missouri

³Foolish consistencies are the hobgoblins of little minds³