Practical Blacksmithing: The Four Classic Volumes in One [Hardcover]

The blacksmith’s ABCs—learn metalworking as taught by the old masters!
 
The forging of metal gave birth to the Iron Age, andPractical Blacksmithingis the classic primer on the craft that shaped modern civilization. Featuringmore than 1,000 illustrations, this foundational text describesevery aspect of working with iron and steel, and is essential for both the do-it-yourself backyard blacksmith and the professional metalworker.   
 
Originally published in four volumes in the early 20th century, this hefty, single-volume, new edition ofPractical Blacksmithingis different from similar books in that itincludes contributions by working tradesmen. In addition to itsclear and concise instructional material, the book’s editor collected the actual words of old-time blacksmiths offering their best methods, unique how-tos, original techniques, and arcane knowledge.
 
Industrialization and mass production may have led to the disappearance of the blacksmith from everyday life, but the art of metalwork never died. It smoldered like hot coals in a forge, and today those coals are red hot as craftsman taking up blacksmithing as a hobby or art form seek to learn thefoundational aspects of the trade.
 
Proving that what may be old can actually be new and useful,Practical Blacksmithingdescribes all the important smithing processes:welding, brazing, soldering, cutting, bending, setting, tempering, fullering and swaging, forging, and drilling. It also includes theearly history of blacksmithingand describes tools used since ancient times. In addition tothousands of other useful facts, the modern blacksmith will be introduced to old tools and learn how to make them, and can even learn how to build a retro blacksmith shop with detailed do-it-yourself plans!

M.T. Richardson was the editor of an eal³Q