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Uses : Swage Block How-To

1. Punching and Drifting:

The block is used to support work for punching

and drifting where the hardy hole or pritchel hole
of the anvil is not suitable.

This is best done on a heavy stand with open

bottom. It is helpful to have a sand box under
the stand to catch loose drifts and punches
preventing damage to them.

2. Upsetting and Heading :

Upsets, once started unsupported are more

efficiently finished while supported in a suitable
hole in the block. If a suitable sized hole is not
available then a bolster plate can be used.

A set of bolster plates with fine increment holes

with the minimum clearance (about 1/32") for
the sizes is a fine swage block accessory that
can also be used with the anvil.

3. Heading with Bolster:

Many fasteners have special shoulders, squares

such as on carriage bolts, tapers for plow bolts
and flat head screws, and cylindrical shoulders
for various purposes. These are made with a
smith-made tool, a bolster plate. Bolster plates
are often made with a variety of heads for one
sized shank.

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4. Support for Mid-bar Upsetting:

When upsetting a place in the middle of a bar it

is often difficult to support the bar. A heavy
swage block resting on an anvil, heavy bench,
floor or on a stand can useful for this purpose. In
this case the block is only helping hold the work
and is something to push against to keep the
bar straight as it tried to bend at the upset.

5. Mid Bar Upsetting with Bolster:

For large mid-bar upsets or formed upsets a

bolster with a hemispherical or conical
depression can give better control.

Where the shape of the shoulder is suitable to

the shape of the block the upset can be done
directly against the block once it has been
started.

6. Upsetting in Special Upsetting Hole:

The upsetting hole is a new feature suggested

by Josh Greenwood in 1999 and used by John
Newman on his artist blacksmith block.

The upsetting hole prevents the bar from moving

around while striking the cool end and the taper
of the hole helps produce a well centered upset.

7. Swaging (bottom swage):

The primary purpose for the edge grooves is

finish swaging while using a top swage. The
alternative to a swage block is a dozen or more
bottom swages to fit the anvil. The block is more
economical and it does not suffer from shanks
that do not fit when an anvil is replaced.

The swage block should have well radiused

edges on the shoulder side when dressing
shapes.

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8. Swaging Odd Sections :

The standard grooves on a block can be used to

forge half rounds, 90° and 60° triangles and half
hexes. Special blocks often have octagons (for
rifle barrels), half ovals and rectangular grooves.

It is helpful for this purpose to have large

radiused edges on the starting side of the block.

Starting with round stock of the same cross

sectional area as the finished shape requires the
least work when making odd sections.

9. Bending using holes:

The holes are useful for supporting a bar while

making a bend in round, square or rectangular
bar.

A block securly attached to the bed or tailgate of

a truck can be very useful in making field bends
such as for adjusting a railing to fit.

A block resting on the ground can also be

threaded onto a long bar and the leverage of the
bar and the block together can be applied for the
same purpose.

10. Bending Using External Radius:

Bar can be hammered hot or cold in the larger

external radii of a block. This is very handy for
quick cold work in stock up to 1/2" (13mm).

Blocks with large radii were designed for

wheelwrights to start bends in tires prior to going
to a roll bender, dress welds and take kinks out
of wheels. Any large curve can be dressed on
these surfaces.

11. Edge bending sheet and thin plate.:

This is a task often done in a special block. V's

in larger swage blocks substitute for this
purpose.

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12. Forming Stock with Fuller:

U shapes from sheet metal beads up to wood

workers gouges and round stock tongs can be
made within the range of the block. A handled or
hand held fuller or a piece of round stock the
proper size is used to form the shape in the
groove.

Small grooves can substitute for a sheet metal

grooving or creasing stake.

13. Dishing over Holes:

Dishing can be performed over the holes in the

block. The large holes that are almost useless
for other purposes should have large smooth
edge radii for dishing.

Modern smiths often make tools for doing this

from sections of pipe welding them to a flange or
a flange and shank to fit a hardy hole.

14. Dishing over Special Depressions:

One of the earliest uses of blocks was dishing of

ladles and spoons. Larger depressions are
useful for armours to make a helm. Most raising
is started with a dishing operation but not too
much as this thins the metal. Artist blacksmiths
use these depressions for everything from the
curvature of leaves to bodies of animals.

Large radii on the edges of the depression

reduce maring or cutting of the work.

15. Substitute Hardy Hole or Stake Plate :

Many square shanked blacksmiths, armourers

and tinsmiths tools will fit the square holes of an
industrial swage block. Tapered shanks should
only be used in blocks with tapered holes
specifically made for them.

Using dogs the industrial swage block can

substitute for a small weld platten for bending
and supporting work.

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16. Support for rounds and squares on edge

:

When starting a chisel cut on the corner of a bar

a swage block is very handy. The same applies
for incising, stamping or splitting rounds that
tend to roll away otherwise.

Hex grooves will also support rounds quite well

for this purpose and tend to lock them in place if
a proper fit.

17. Rivet Heading and Dressing Spheres :

Large and small blocks including artist

blacksmith blocks and dapping blocks have
various hemispherical depressions that can be
used for a number of things. Support for rivet
heading is a common task replacing a rivet set
or used in conjunction with a rivet set. The same
depression can be used to form or dress a
forged rivet head.

Hemispherical depressions can also be used for

dressing balls and spheres.

Small hemispherical depressions for rivet

heading can be added to existing blocks using a
ball end mill the way they are formed in dapping
blocks.
NOTE:

These instructions are for no particular block as most blocks do not have all the features used
above on one block.

There are many other ways to use swage blocks if you let your imagination guide you.
Links:

Square Holes and Bolster Plates an anvilfire.com iForge demo

Making a Fabricated Swage Block an anvilfire article.

Swage Block Glossary Terms applicable to swage blocks

Peddinghaus Work Block Instructions More uses with special block

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