Blacksmith

Find various books on being a Blacksmith, from fiction, to fact. SA Career Focus has assembled these titles for your convenience.

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Blacksmiths use anvils or machines to shape metal so as to manufacture or repair equipment and machinery, or to produce ornamental steelwork such as gates and fences. The metal is heated to the correct temperature in a forge or electric furnace; then hammered or cut into the correct shape / size, and cooled in an oil or water bath. Blacksmiths use a variety of welding methods to join parts.

The Blacksmith

Introduces the tools, activities, and importance of the blacksmith in colonial communities.

Review by Kalahari.net

The Blacksmith: Ironworker and Farrier

A tribute to the skill and ingenuity of a versatile craftsman. The book explains the role of the blacksmith as hardware maker,farrier and village handyman and explains the methods for fullering, upsetting and welding wrought iron. There are suggestions for setting up a blacksmith shop.

Review by Kalahari.net

Farm Blacksmithing: Practical Hints for Handy-Men

This complete, no-nonsense guide, originally published at the turn of the century, dispenses invaluable instruction on all the essential skills of the blacksmith's craft. Author J. M. Drew begins with the basics, including how to set up a blacksmith shop, selecting materials and tools, and practice projects such as door hooks, staples, and chains. He then goes on to give a complete tutelage on all the techniques any good blacksmith must master -- from welding to tempering tools to shoeing farm horses. Additional instruction is given on splicing rope and filing and sharpening saws.
FARM BLACKSMITHING is more than a practical book on craftsmanship and technique. With dozens of illustrations throughout, it captures the essence of one of America's most highly valued trades -- one that laid important groundwork for modern industrial metalworking.

Review by Kalahari.net

The Complete Modern Blacksmith

A truly unusual and unique resource, this extremely hands-on book is essential for anyone interested in the making, repair, maintenance, or arcana of tools for everything from blacksmithing to masonry.

Review by Kalahari.net

The Blacksmith's Craft: A Primer of Tools & Methods

Blacksmithing is one of the traditional "lost arts" deserving re-discovery by anyone interested in do-it-yourself building and crafting. Creating one's own apparatus from metal enhances wood-working, stonework, building, and restoration work. Traditional builder and historic preservation consultant Charles McRaven shows how practical, simple, and rewarding the forging of hand tools can be. Having discovered blacksmithing himself when he moved "back to the land" in the 1970s, Charles McRaven tells readers all they need to know to set up their own smithies and begin blacksmithing. Over the years, McRaven claims he has made almost every mistake that can be made while perfecting his skills, and he shares this hard-won knowledge with readers in a readable and humorous style. The simple and clear instructions supplemented by the step-by- step photography, show how to build a forge, how to make and/or acquire tools, and how to use those tools to create utilitarian items of lasting beauty and durability.

Review by Kalahari.net

Negro Ironworkers of Louisiana, 1718-1900

When people think of New Orleans, they envision the complex ironwork of balcony railings in the French Quarter or the delicate lace-like gates of the city's cemeteries. It is the city's florid ironwork that gives New Orleans its unmatched, memorable beauty. But few people realise that most of this ironwork was created in the antebellum South -- the golden age of Southern culture -- by black slaves. This book examines the history of African-American ironworkers in Louisiana. It is the first in-depth study of the sophisticated blacksmith skills for which most Negro ironworkers were not appreciated. Christian examines the development of agricultural and metallurgical technology in Africa, the slaves who brought those technologies to the United States, and the ironworkers' roles in the making of New Orleans.

Review by Kalahari.net

Basic Blacksmithing: An Introduction to Toolmaking

The blacksmith plays a key role in making and repairing tools and other items needed in rural areas, but the essential role of the blacksmith in rural communities has been increasingly ignored.;In the past, blacksmiths were trained through apprenticeship, which formed part of the traditional education system. Nowadays, even in schools which aim to give vocational training, blacksmithing as a skill is often ignored, or taught at an inappropriate level. Part of the reason for this is the limited range of books available to teachers and blacksmiths. This book aims to fill the gap by providing resource material for practising blacksmiths and teachers.;Starting with only an anvil, a pair of bellows and a few basic tools, almost all the tools needed by a blacksmith can be made from commonly found materials. This book gives step-by-step instructions and explains the techniques involved in basic blacksmithing. Each stage is clearly illustrated.;All the designs are based on those used by rural blacksmiths in Zimbabwe and Malawi. The main sources of raw material chosen are scrap vehicle parts or scrap from construction sites. Where possible more than one method of making an item is shown and more than one source of metal is listed.;This book demonstrates an appropriate approach to the development of blacksmithing in rural areas which will benefit rural practitioners and their clients. It is intended for blacksmiths and their instructors.

Review by Kalahari.net

The Backyard Blacksmith: Traditional Techniques for the Modern Smith

Review no available