How to Care for Bench Blocks, Dapping Blocks and Forming Stakes

Quick answer

Treat every steel block and stake as a precision surface: wipe it after each use, keep it dry, and remove burrs or rust spots before they print into your metal. A two-minute clean-down at the end of a bench session prevents most pitting, staining and lost flatness.

Step-by-step care routine

1. Clear the bench and brush off swarf: Use a soft bench brush to sweep filings from bench blocks, dapping blocks and stake faces. Do this before any liquid touches the tool, so you are not pushing metal fragments into the surface. Checkpoint: no visible filings or dust left in dapping holes or collet seats.
2. Wipe with a dry or lightly oiled cloth: A dry cloth is enough for daily use. If your workshop is humid, add a very thin film of camellia oil or a similar protective oil, then wipe it off before the next job. Mistake to avoid: leaving a thick oil layer that traps dirt and marks your metal.
3. Inspect for rust, burrs and dents: Run a finger along stake curves and across block faces. Look for orange-brown speckling, raised edges around dapping holes, and shiny dents that show the face is no longer flat. Checkpoint: if a burr catches your fingernail, deal with it before using the tool on precious metal.
4. Deal with light rust before it pits: Work a fine abrasive pad or oil-and-pumice slurry over the rust spot in one direction, then clean and re-oil. Do not spot-anneal or grind the face; keep the repair local and gentle. Mistake to avoid: sanding across the whole face to make it look even, which dishes the block.
5. Re-polish stakes only where needed: After removing rust or a burr from a stake, step through finer abrasives until the repaired area matches the surrounding polish. Test on scrap copper before using it on silver or gold. Checkpoint: the repaired area should not print a shadow on scrap metal.
6. Store dry and separated: Stand stakes upright in a rack or on a dry shelf. Keep bench blocks and dapping blocks off damp bench tops, and store the collet punch separately so it does not knock against harder tools. Next step: if storage is damp, add a reusable desiccant sachet to the drawer.

Product facts that affect care

• Forming Stake No 7 — 9 Inch Double-Ended Hardened Steel, Synclastic & Anticlastic, Polished: This double-ended No. 7 forming stake is hardened steel throughout and polished to a high finish so the surface does not print marks back into precious metal. One end is synclastic and the other anticlastic, covering both directions of curvature in sheet. The polished face is the working surface, so any rust or burr you leave on it will transfer to the metal. Keep both ends clean and dry, and avoid storing it loose with other tools.
• Planishing Hammer, Round Domed & Flat Faces — Wooden Handle, 12 Inch, Silversmith Repoussé: The planishing hammer has polished steel faces, a domed face for stretching and smoothing curves and a flat face for levelling and finishing flat surfaces, on a hardwood handle. Because the faces are polished, a dirty or rusted hammer face will mark sheet. Wipe the faces after use and keep the wooden handle away from water and pickle.
• Collet Block & Punch Set — 10 Hole 28 Degree Plate, 4–18mm, Black Carbon Steel: The collet block and punch set uses a 10-hole 28-degree plate with a hardened steel punch to centre workpieces for repeatable angled drilling in metal, wood and plastic. Swarf in the collet seats or holes stops the punch centring properly. Brush out the holes and seats after each use, and store the punch dry to prevent rust.