What is a manual swaging tool made of?

4th March 2020


What is a manual swaging tool made of?


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		Manual swaging tool body
		The main body of the manual swaging tool – i.e., the handles, jaws, and blades – is manufactured from carbon steel.

		In carbon steels, the main alloying element is carbon. (An ‘alloy’ refers to a metal created by mixing elements; ‘alloying’.) It is harder than common steel, but less ductile, meaning that it is more difficult to shape into the desired form, and is more likely to break or snap than bend.

		Low carbon steel (0.30–0.59% carbon), also called ‘mild steel’, ‘plain-carbon steel’ or ‘low grade steel’, is generally available at an affordable cost and has a lower carbon content, making it more malleable (easy to bend), but weaker.

		High carbon steel (0.6–0.99% carbon), also called ‘high grade steel’, can be heat treated for added strength. Trace amounts of other elements in a high carbon steel alloy can have a weakening effect, and result in brittleness at working temperatures. Trace sulphur content is especially detrimental.

		Ultra high carbon steel (1.0–2.0% carbon) is extremely strong when tempered and can withstand a high degree of wear and abrasion.

		Where the steel that a tool is made of is simply listed as ‘carbon steel’, it is likely that it has been alloyed with between 0.30-0.59% carbon, and falls under the category of low carbon steel. A tool made using high carbon or ultra high carbon steel would usually be advertised as such, as this is considered a selling point by most manufacturers.

		Manual swaging tool handles
		The plastic sleeves on both handles are manufactured by moulding thermoplastics to fit around the steel inner handles, with the addition of protruding hand stops.

		ABS For the hard section of the plastic sleeves, including the hand stops, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic is used. This is a very common type of thermoplastic, used in a range of tool handles and other applications.

		In fact, ABS is the plastic that Lego bricks are made of!

		This type of plastic is durable and easily moulded to a desired shape during production, making it the ideal choice for moulded tool handles.

		Thermoplastic rubber The soft, rubberised grip which the user holds is manufactured from thermoplastic rubber (also called ‘thermoplastic elastomer’).

		This type of rubberised grip is extremely popular for use on tool handles due to its elastic qualities, which mean that it can be comfortably squeezed and squashed in the hand, and return immediately to its original shape once released.

		This makes it possible for a user to squeeze the handle of a tool hard, without the handle digging painfully into the hand, and without any lasting effect on the shape of the handle.