Images(2)

Top Swage

Date1750-1850

OriginAmerica

MediumIron and steel

DimensionsOverall: 5 3/16" Curved working surface: 2 7/16" x 1 5/8"

Credit LineGift of Diane E. Schwarz

Object number2020-20,10

DescriptionTop swage shaped like a typical hammer head of the period, but with a deeply concave working surface on one side. Its corners are chamfered and a modern replcement haft is now fitted into its ovoid eye.
Label TextLooking like a strange 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 like musket barrels.
ProvenanceFrom the Diane and Kenneth Schwarz collection of early American blacksmithing tools.