I know that many machinist types don't go in for beating on hot or cold
iron, but there may be a time when a blacksmith's swage block could come
in handy. We tend to think of them as huge boat anchors, but that's
not always true.
This little piece focuses on just one shape in a particular swage block,
the coal shovel form, but this swage block, like all others is good at a
number of other things, too.
Good one, Pete! Thanks for sharing. Also reminiscent of swage blocks the old
gunsmiths used to
forge raw rifle barrels.
Bob Swinney
I know that many machinist types don't go in for beating on hot or cold
iron, but there may be a time when a blacksmith's swage block could come
in handy. We tend to think of them as huge boat anchors, but that's
not always true.
This little piece focuses on just one shape in a particular swage block,
the coal shovel form, but this swage block, like all others is good at a
number of other things, too.
Hi Pete,
Some comments...
The link to the printable/full size
"ShovelBlankNewAddress.jpg" still points to your local
computer. Some people will figure out how to find it anyway
but it probably should be fixed.
You could make it a bit smaller by decreasing color depth
and using png. I cropped it a bit so the overall dimension
is less than 8 inches wide. Most printers won't print wider
than 8 inches. The size will be off slightly if someone
tries to print and it gets "fitted to page". You might also
want to add some dimensions, that way people could verify
with a ruler that it did indeed print out to the correct
size. I added a line at the bottom with arrow heads,
suggesting where a measurement might go. Maybe an up-down
measurement would be good too. See:
formatting link
I'm not a blacksmith, but enjoyed reading the article. Just
happened to notice the bad link in my status bar when my
mouse was over it.
Don't know what graphics program you are using, but
Irfanview (if you are running Windows) works well for minor
tweaks. The Paint and RIOT/Save For Web plugins (for
Irfanview) work real nice for this. See:
formatting link
If you want I'll finish tweaking the image if you will
supply/add the measurements.
PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.