2:07 pm
NWBA Member
January 9, 2011
10:48 pm
NWBA Member
April 19, 2010
You are probably needing both a positive and a negative. Trailer ball welded to a piece of square stock to fit your hardy hole? For a negative: snoop around for scrap that fits the bill. a bottom from an old oxygen tank sawed off and welded up to fit hardy hole for negative. Snoop around man- you don't need an "official" swedge block for most projects....
2:06 am
NWBA Member
June 17, 2010
If you are working 10 gauge or thinner material you can carve a negative into the end grain of a piece of OAK tree trunk and get a lot of mileage out of it before you trim it off to a fresh surface. Quick and easy to develop a basic shape or pattern, rough cut the desired relief with a chain saw and smooth it up with your grinder and the first couple of hot pieces you run across it will char it, seems to toughen it up. I'm not suggesting you can carve a detailed leaf pattern with veining etc. nor will it take the place of a metal block for continuous use, but you can make spoon and dish and shovel shapes to help develop your required shape . It also works well to use as a non marring surface to take a curve out of a project or straighten a twist without damaging the developing pattern. Like Eric said, watch for useful shapes , use your imagination.
A word of caution. When scrounging for materials, items such as bucket teeth, undercarriage parts from crawlers and excavators, grader and dozer edges may not respond well to being struck with a hammer unless you have them at forging temperature. This type of part is designed to withstand abrasion and often case hardened to 46 to 48RC or more. If you use these parts as an anvil, swage block or a striking surface, heavy localized impact such as a hammer blow on an edge can produce small pieces of shrapnel which may have to be surgically removed from your or a bystanders hide. This part can also destroy the face of your favorite hammer. Identify what you have, if necessary normalize it to make it safe and put it to use. Have fun.
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