Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer—no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera, scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.
Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.
View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.
Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.
Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: 
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
Frequently bought together
$35.00
Only 5 left in stock (more on the way).
Total Price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Customers also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start againPage 1 of 1
From the Publisher
The Everyday Blacksmith
Blacksmithing Today
A village blacksmith from the 1800s walking into today’s blacksmith shop would find many familiar sights. The anvil, forge, hammers, tongs, and vise in the modern shop may even have been made during his time. He would see a kindred spirit in his modern counterpart, hunched over the anvil bringing a piece of hot iron to life with rhythmic blows of the hammer. What our village smith would not recognize would be the power tools—welders, drills, grinders, and power hammers that save the modern smith both time and sweat. Most of all, he might be surprised by the products of our modern smith and the blacksmith’s evolving role in his—or her! community.
I’ve restored axes, designed custom gates, rebuilt truck beds, forged hand tools, furnished homes with hardware, created garden sculptures, and welded broken tractors parts.
Many of these requests were things I didn’t know could even be needed until a neighbor would call up and ask the always enchanting question that starts with “can you make…?”
The beauty of blacksmithing is that answer, more often than not, is yes. For the world of steel is our domain. So let us return to our 1800s village blacksmith and ask this question: Is the part we play in our community today so different?
We may not be repairing hammers or making nails for the local carpenter (actually, see the hardware chapter), but we blacksmiths continue to serve our community with the products of our craft.
Honoring that tradition, I hope this book helps you—like our blacksmithing forebears—continue to shape our world with unique pieces for yourselves, friends, neighbors, and community to use and enjoy every day.
Book Structure
This book is divided into two parts.
Part I is a reference of shop basics: safety, equipment, and techniques. Basic techniques are illustrated through a series of projects. It also covers methods for finishing pieces.
Part II, the majority of this book, provides a step-by-step guide to a diverse range of blacksmith projects. Projects are structured by category and difficulty.
The emphasis of this book is on the accessibility of techniques, functionality of projects, and diversity of design. The projects selected for this book were ones that can be made, used, and enjoyed by folks in a variety of settings. With care, someone with only basic tools and equipment will be able to make every piece in this text. New techniques are explained the first time they appear in a project and are indexed for reference in the back of the book. There are many approaches to projects, influenced by available time, materials, tools, techniques, and one’s aesthetics, and these pages represent only one of many ways to do things.
Treat project steps as suggestions rather than scripture, and find out what works best for you.
I’ve tried to account for the great diversity in our craft today by featuring projects by a range of smiths from several countries, up and coming and established, traditional and modern. Their stories are often as inspiring as their work. Look them up. As you will soon see, there are many exciting projects waiting for you to explore in the following pages.
For newer smiths, I hope this book both teaches and motivates you as you continue on your journey in blacksmithing.
For established smiths, I hope this book provides ideas, a launching pad, and timesaving when designing your own new products.
What are you waiting for? Get smithing!
PART I: TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
Chapter 1: Setting Up ShopThis section covers basic blacksmithing concepts. The emphasis is on helping you get started making the pieces in this book quickly. If you are brand new to smithing, it will be very helpful if you supplement this text with an additional reference on blacksmithing basics or take an introductory blacksmithing class. And if you are not already a member, consider joining a local or national blacksmithing association. These associations exist primarily to teach and help new smiths get into the craft. Many blacksmiths may be big and scruffy, but they are also friendly. We all learned our trade from generations before us, and most are happy to share with the next generation. When setting up your shop, also known as a forge or smithy, there are certain immediate choices to make. |
Chapter 2: Finishing PiecesOnce a piece is forged, the last step to finish metalwork is the process (aptly named) of finishing. Unprotected, mild steel will rust. The first consideration is, thus, how to best protect from corrosion. The other considerations are use and aesthetics. Is the piece going to be indoors or outdoors? A light wax sufficient to protect an indoor hook for years wouldn’t last one rainfall on an outdoor hanger. Do you want a natural finish or bright colors? Will the object be in contact with food? These questions can help determine your best choice. Don’t be overwhelmed by the numerous finishing methods one can find online. The best smiths I know work with a limited number of simple finishes but do so expertly. Experiment until you find combinations that work for you. |
Chapter 3: 10 Projects to Start TodayThese starting projects highlight some of the basic techniques referenced throughout the rest of this book. They also provide a good gradient for practicing fundamental hammer skills. The importance of having this foundation of technique cannot be overstated. As you will see in these projects, even the simplest pieces require the smith to execute multiple techniques smoothly and quickly. Steel becomes harder as it loses its heat, making it more resistant to manipulation. Accordingly, the faster one is able to work, the more malleable the steel. Developing basic skills is thus doubly challenging for the blacksmith because of the need to “strike while the iron is hot” while still figuring out the proper way to strike. |
PART II: PROJECTS
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
Candle Lanterns By Gunvor Anhøj, Calnan & Anhøj, Wicklow, IrelandThis lantern project is a fun chance to combine various materials into a unique final piece as well as use the heat of the forge in a new way. Few things are cooler than getting to hammer pieces of white hot steel. But using that same piece of steel like a light saber to cut through glass bottles has to come close. If you want to hang these lanterns from a post or wall, you can make an accompanying hanger such as the plant hanger on page 119. |
Scottish Thistle Fire Brazier By Jim Whitson, The Blazing Blacksmith Peebles, Scotland, UKLegend has it, an invading army was once trying to sneak up on an encampment of Scottish soldiers when one of the invaders stepped on a thistle and let out a scream, thus spoiling the attack. Ever since, the thistle has been the national emblem of Scotland. This fire brazier pays homage to that humble flower. It might not startle invading Norsemen, but it will certainly keep you warm on those cool summer nights. |
Celtic Brooch By Gunvor Anhøj, Calnan & Anhøj Wicklow, IrelandCeltic penannular (incomplete ring) brooches held a greater purpose in Celtic society than that of clothing fasteners. They served as secular and religious status symbols used by all genders, showing the rank, wealth, and importance of the wearer. Here are two traditional variations for you to try. |
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from other countries
Paula Coleman
Good condition
Reviewed in the United States on 19 February 2024Verified Purchase
k9a7j7
Clear simple instructions
Reviewed in Canada on 9 April 2023Verified Purchase
Francisco C Lamachia
Conteúdo interessante mas livro danificado
Reviewed in Brazil on 5 November 2021Verified Purchase
Francisco C Lamachia
Reviewed in Brazil on 5 November 2021
Images in this review
Azael Z.
Excelente libro
Reviewed in Mexico on 23 February 2021Verified Purchase
Azael Z.
Reviewed in Mexico on 23 February 2021
Images in this review
Telmo
Muy básico
Reviewed in Spain on 24 January 2023Verified Purchase
