Images(2)

Top Swage

Date1750-1850

OriginAmerica

MediumIron, steel, and wood

DimensionsOverall: 14 1/8" Head: 4 7/16" x 2 1/8" x 1 13/16"

Credit LineGift of Diane E. Schwarz

Object number2020-20,11

DescriptionTop swage shaped like a hammer head of the period, but with a deeply concave working surface on one side. Its corners are square and a period-of-use wooden haft is fitted into its ovoid eye.
Label TextShaped like a hammer, this top swage is actually a two-person forming tool. It was placed on top of the hot metal held on the anvil by the bottom swage and struck by another blacksmith. This process imparted a smooth, rounded surface to ironwork.
ProvenanceFrom the Diane and Kenneth Schwarz collection of early American blacksmithing tools.