A Blacksmithing Primer: A Course in Basic and Intermediate Blacksmithing

by Randy McDaniel

Virtually every task beginning and intermediate blacksmiths must master is presented in this excellent book. Over 400 detailed drawings help increase comprehension levels. This is a reference manual that will be found lying open on the workbench more often than found on the bookshelf and is highly recommended to anyone swinging a hammer to shape hot metal. This is an excellent introduction to this glorious craft and an excellent resource for advancing your knowledge, skills, and vision for blacksmithing.

Genres: How To

Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Michael Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not really sure how to rate this book. Guess I'll rate it off of how much I learned from it. It has so much awesome info in here!

[Andy Hoover]

Textbook for a class I am taking. Doesn't feel right to rate it.

[Robert Ham · Rating 4 out of 5]

First a confession, I don't know anything about blacksmithing, and as I live in a tiny apartment without a garage or even a proper yard, it's unlikely I'm going to be taking it up. When I think of a blacksmith I think of frontier towns in the old West, or even Medieval villages--I didn't realize people still did this kind of thing. It is according to the author an art that was dying out before it was revived.

So, I am totally unfamiliar with the subject matter, and acquired the book out of curiosity. I don't know the subject, but I do know good instructional writing when I see it, and it is the hallmark of this book. The first part of the book is an introduction, in clear, simple steps, of the basic tools and techniques, including how to build a forge, aquire and make forging tools, create a work area, and get started. Safety is strongly emphasized throughout. The book is illustrated with simple line drawings, and I had some trouble imagining what the things actually looked like--the author makes it clear that the book is not a replacement for hands on instruction from an actual blacksmith, but an information foundation for doing so.

Once the author has covered the basics, the rest of the book is a series of projects of increasing complexity that the reader can try at their own pace. The front inside cover features a sample layout for a work area, and the back inside cover has a color key for tempering and forging. I think this would be a superb text book for a beginning student of the craft, and also a book that someone with some experience might consult in their daily work. It's also a lot of fun to just sit and read, and peppered throughout with good natured humor.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seeing as I'm the definition of a beginner smith and found 'A Blacksmithing Primer' to be incredibly helpful, I'm giving this five stars. Randy McDaniel does an excellent job of covering a ton of standard situations, tools, and techniques in a very approachable manner. I have a few other books on smithing that require a pretty solid grasp of the craft to really understand. McDaniel helps guide you into and through these subjects. The writing style is akin to having someone stand there and explain the subject to you instead of reading an owner's manual to a forge. The diagrams are simple and straightforward and mostly helpful. A few were almost over simplified, but not unhelpful. It's a testament to the book that I found them unnecessary considering how well it was explained in text. The inclusion of simple plans in the back is great. Even if the reader doesn't try and make the items, it's a nice way to see how plans should look in case they get some in the future. It's just one more educational, but also useful, portion to the book.

A few of my friends that are intermediate level said the book was geared more toward the basic side of the trade, but even they found it a great resource and want to try some of the plans in the back. If you or anyone you know has an interest in starting or improving smithing, this is a great book to grab.