Book List | Rocky Mountain Smiths

From a review by Crouchet at Amazon.com: This is an excellent reference for the working blacksmith. Francis Whitaker was the grand old man of modern American blacksmithing. In this book; he has included his own formulas and techniques for the common problems involved in forging ornamental ironwork. Francis thoroughly discusses forges and forge equipment; tools for the smithy; and basic blacksmithing operations and how they are best performed. All this is filtered through his many decades of hand-on experience at the highest levels of blacksmithing. I especially enjoyed this book because Francis was an opinionated; crusty old blacksmith and his persistent; forceful personality shines through in living color!

Beginning metalworking; Blacksmithing; Blacksmithing projects; Blacksmithing training and techniques

Publisher Jim Fleming Publications. 1986. 153 pages

An excellent handbook for the very beginning blacksmith through the intermediate. Easy to understand text and well illustrated. Many tables and charts. With a portfolio of photographs of Sam Yellin's work.

Beginning metalworking; Blacksmithing; Blacksmithing training and techniques

Publisher SkipJack Press. 1991. 210 pages

This book was written in 1943 to meet the needs of farmers needing to know how to forge. The author; who; during a long term of years; had the pleasure of teaching the elements of forge work to several thousand Minnesota farm boys; hoped that this little book would be of help to those farmers and farmers' sons who wish to; or through force of circumstances are obliged to; do the work which formerly fell to the lot of the village blacksmith. This reprint of the original book contains basic information and simple projects geared toward the needs of the farmer. It contains detailed text and very good drawings.

Beginning metalworking; Blacksmithing

Publisher Webb Book Publishing Company. 1943. 55 pages

The author believes that this text book should be used to explain principles and give examples; not to give minute explicit directions for making a set of exercises. The exercises are such as have been found useful in the shop; and an effort has also been made to give drawings of such tools as are ordinarily used in the forge and machine shops. Topics include: General Description of Forge and Tools Welding Calculation of Stock for Bent Shapes Upsetting; Drawing Out; and Bending Simple Forged Work Steam-Hammer Work Duplicate Work Metallurgy of Iron and Steel Tool Steel Work Tool Forging and Tempering

Beginning metalworking

Publisher Lindsay Pubns. 1986. 279 pages

This book has drawn great praise from the public and also from master smiths such as Uri Hofi. It is a real whopping treatment of the Blacksmith's Craft in 430(!!) pages jam-packed with useful information. This book; among many other things; gives a lucid account of how to forge weld; has the plans to make several sizes of leather bellows; has scientific specifics of what happens to iron when it is heated in a blacksmith's forge; presents some of the basic physics with force and acceleration formulas that come into effect when a blacksmith swings his hammer; what happens when steel is heated; quenched to harden; and reheated to draw the temper in steel. Young's modulus is presented as is Poisson's ratio when iron is heated and hammered. An explanation of the electrical polarity of iron atoms is given along with the effect forging iron has on the lattice structure of iron molecules and dendritic grain arrangements in a forged iron. Why forged steel is much stronger than cast steel is given. An example of an "S" curve is presented of the quenching process. Forging Damascus knives and swords is presented. How to sharpen a plow point is given - and much more. Bob Heath has been practicing his craft for decades and you'll be glad you shelled out a few dollars for the advice and information Bob has collected over all these years.

Beginning metalworking; Blacksmithing; Forges; Metal working; Metallurgy

Publisher Heath Iron. 1998.

Have you ever made a bolt head by welding on a ring? Have you made a rocker arm? How about a steam locomotive reverse shaft? Or a rudder frame? Besides these rare topics you get a complete discussion of blacksmith shop equipment: the forge; tuyeres; bellows; hood; chimney; fuels; anvil; all types of hammers; chisels; and all the rest. The second part will teach you about the making of cast and wrought iron and basic operations of forging. You'll make an eye hanger; gate hook; and other educational projects. You'll learn how to weld and make a small chain and tongs. This 1906 technical school textbook will teach you both the basics and new tricks.

Beginning metalworking; Blacksmithing

Publisher Lindsay Publications; Inc. 1983. 53 pages

The tenet of this book is provide a tool for artists/blacksmiths and metalworkers. It tells how to work metal: heating it; cutting it; upsetting it; drawing it out; twisting it; forge welding it and shaping and assembling it. It tells about metallurgy and tool making; metal finishes and corrosion; sources of information and supplies; charts and guidelines for many tasks. It explains the process of design; how to use the computer in metal design; how to set up a business and how to manage it. Providing an inspiration for all blacksmiths are portfolios of the wrought iron work of Martin Rose and Samuel Yellin; two of America's premier metalworkers of the past. To further inspire and to show the new focus of blacksmithing in the metal arts; six contemporary metalworkers show a series of demonstration pieces of their iron work. This 256 page book is bound with an improved binding system (Otabind) that allows the pages to lay flat.

Revision of: Edge of the anvil. Emmaus; PA : Rodale Press; 1977.

Beginning metalworking; Blacksmithing; Blacksmithing - pictorial/inspirational; Blacksmithing training and techniques

Publisher SkipJack Press. 1994. 256 pages

The modern blacksmith must learn to do by himself what the old-time blacksmith and his helper did as a trade. It is this that Alexander Weygers teaches here: how to use the basic techniques and tools available and resort to whatever can be invented; improvised; and constructed to make "things" out of "nothing." The 600 illustrations represent; as nearly as possible; live demonstrations in the shop. They are intended to show how something can be done: not the only way; but on of many possible ways. Above and beyond showing how; the why is stressed as of overriding importance.

Beginning metalworking; Blacksmithing; Blacksmithing projects; Blacksmithing training and techniques; Metal working; Tool making and equipment building

Publisher Van Nostrand Reinhold. 1974. 144 pages

Norm Larson Books This work contains an explanation of the processes of cold metal work; chiefly as applied to decorative or industrial art; and especially with a view to their being taught to children in elementary and preparatory schools. The author believes that it may be regarded as thoroughly adapted to this purpose; he having been founder and director for four years of the industiral art classes in the public schools of Philadelophia; in which some of these branches of metal work were taught with great success. The principle which guides this book is that the rudiments; or first and easiest stages of anything to be mastered; must be very thoroughly acquired; and no step forward be allowed till the pupil is really a master in all that has preceded it.

Beginning metalworking; Metal working; Repousse; chasing; chiseling metal work

Publisher . 1894. 111 pages