A swage is a tool for forming metal by hammering. While not the ultimate definition of swages these are my "vise" swages. All of the swages on this page only fit into my vise, not into my hardy hole on my anvil.
Hardy/Vice Swages
 Cup Swage |
 Ladle Swage |
 Leaf Swage |
 Rose Petal Swage |
 Spoon Swage |
A spring swage for swaging pipe (I'll use
it for making flower vases and bamboo)
Spring swages have both a bottom and top fuller in one tool. The "spring" allows swaging on either an anvil or power hammer beause they can be positioned on either side of the stock metal and leave either an imprint or other action on the stock by a smith using one hand to hold the spring swage and the other hand to swing a hammer. A power hammer would allow the blacksmith to use both hands to control the spring swage.
Swage Blocks
Swage blocks are large pieces of iron (usually ductile iron) with various indentations and forms to aid in making all sorts of items. They usually have some variety of spoon swages, ladle swages, maybe even a shovel swage, along with forming swages for rounding and angles.
 Really neat swage block with, among other features, leaf veins, star & heart forms, as well as more traditional spoon and ladle forms. Just located a possible source. Apparently it's available from India at Indiamart (https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/swage-block-10433889648.html) |
 Nice swage block with rounding, spoon, ladle, and right angle swages |
 Sort of "standard" swage block (if such a thing actually exists) |
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 Kind of unique rotating swage block, round with built-in cone mandrel |
 Rotating swage block in stand |
 A rotating (trunion) swage block |
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I just bought a new swage block, from Holland Anvils, at a fantastic price. It wasn't my first choice (number 1 above is), but the price was too good to pass up since it included shipping. I bought it from Holland Anvils. It's 9" x 9" square and 3" thick. I just freed up a bench grinder stand that used to hold my mini-bench grinder that was used only to regrind tungsten electrodes for my TIG welder. It got freed up because I bought a new Eastwood Tungsten Grinder.
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Gee Mom, look what else I've found!
- Tool Smithing with Peter Ross
- How to Make a Blacksmith Cupping Tool // Swage Block Alternative
- How to Use a Blacksmith Cupping Tool // Forging a Bowl with This Swage Block Alternative
- forging a cupping tool
- Hand Forged Cupping / Convex Radius Tool (for hammer faces) & New (old) Bench Vise
| Wisdom of my father: "It takes more of a man to walk away from a fight than to stay and fight." |
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