Will this Spring Swage work on an anvil???

A question we often get about spring swages is "Will this work on an anvil?" Yes......and No.

Lets break that down a little further:

Physics 101: Not only do you have to move the hot yellow metal you also have to move the top die. This also changes with the size of the dies and/or surface area of the dies. A die with a large surface area that textures a wide piece of steel will need more energy to imprint. Impediments to all of this are small hammers. Small hammer theory (there are other theories though) was explained in a previous a blog, but with a small hammer there is less energy passing through your hot metal and more being reflected. Some would say this can be overcome by velocity. Unfortunately velocity in many cases equals inaccuracy. Which begs the next question, specifically pertaining to spring swages.

Do you have to be as accurate with a spring swage? Most springs swages are made of two parts. The dies and the spring. These are sometimes made of differing materials and thicknesses and are usually welded together. That dissimilar welded area is a high stress area. If any flexing is going to happen it will happen there first.

So how do we minimize the flexing?

1. accuracy - hit directly over the hot material, which is usually smaller than the dies. Hitting to one side or the other will create a seesaw action that stresses the joint between the die and the material.
2. Is it even possible to be accurate if you are concentrating on keeping the swage on the anvil, keeping the hot steel in the dies and swinging a hammer? Creating a situation where you are hands free and the spring swage dies sit flat on a surface will definitely minimize flexing. The pictures with this blog are examples of INTENDED mountings for spring swages.

Texture tools would be mounted similarly with the shank on the underside and the working side of the die facing up. You would work you metal into the single die.