Fellow Orchidians,
I have been cleaning out my house and studio, preparing to move to
Panama. I ran across something that I picked up long ago, and thought
that there may be some interest in it from the silversmiths on the
list.
I have for sale a Swage Block (actually two swage blocks) along with
a collection of dies for it/them. For those of you unfamiliar with
this device, a Swage Block is basically a pattern roller, where a
strip of malleable metal is drawn between two die rollers that are
exerting pressure on the metal. Just like a rolling mill, but this
tool requires that the metal be drawn through the dies by the use of
a draw bench. Sort of like a draw plate, but with rollers in place of
holes.
There are several male and female patterned dies for this tool. Some
are used to make moldings, like the rim around the base of a tea pot
or bowl. Some are for making stepped bezels, some are for making
patterned strips. I would guess the age to be between the late
nineteenth to early twentieth century.
I have listed it on eBay. Just do a search for “Swage Block” and I’m
sure that this will be the only one that will turn up. A friend is
listing this for me, as I will be out of the country as of Wednesday.
If you have any questions, just email me and I’ll try to reply on the
weekends, when I get to an Internet cafe.
Hasta luego, amigos!
Doug
Douglas Zaruba
16639 Raven Rock Rd.
Sabillasville, MD 21780
301 241-3494