Designs

Draw Better is a visual book for visual learners. Sequential drawings and simple text show how even complicated objects can be reduced to steps that a beginner can grasp. Fundamental concepts of perspective and light are explained through clear illustrations and commonsense language. Beginners will be surprised at how quickly they succeed and advanced artists will be reminded of skills that will improve their drawing. 

Dominique Audette teaches jewelry design, sculpture and the history of jewelry in Quebéc, Canada.

Format: Soft Cover   Dimentions: 8 1/2" x 10"  Pages: 126  Illustrations: over 600

 After a brief, enlightening history of the art of enameling on metal, the authors discuss the nature and characteristics of glass-based pigments, which are the special types of enamel required for application to metal. The materials and tools required for enameling on metal, the preparation process, and the various working techniques that produce finished objects are introduced followed by step-by-step instructions for crafting several different objects.

Foldforming refers to a collection of procedures that generate an incredibly wide range of forms in metal. These revolutionary ideas are presented here by the man who discovered them, and who has worked tirelessly to help other artists expand on his groundbreaking work. This book is the first and most comprehensive book on the topic, and one that will remain a vital resource for many years to come.

Format: Hard cover   Dimentions: 8 1/2" x 11"   Pages: 159   Illustrations: 425

In The General Blacksmith: Tales and Techniques of an Ancient Craft, Malcolm Paine puts the methods that he learned and used repeatedly, in his 60 blacksmithing years, into a simple form, that aspiring blacksmiths can follow step by step, and one that can still be of interest to the more experienced ironworker. Paine presents a clear text and drawings for any blacksmith to follow. A prefect book for beginners to get started and improving blacksmith to reach new levels in their craft.

Format: Hard cover   Dimentions: 7 1/2" x 9 1/2"   Pages: 217   Illustrations: 410

The primary purpose of "Handles and Guards" by joe Keeslar is to provide students of handles and guards with guidelines for completing the forged knife. Theoritically the blade is completely finished before moving on to the handle and guard. Every knife you make should reflect the very best work that you can do at that point in time.

joe received his Journeyman Smith rating in 1987 and Master Smith rating in 1989. He is a frequent Instructor at the William F Moran School of Bladesmithing, serves on the Board of Directors of the association since 1989 and was Chairman of the ABS from June 2003 through June 2007.

Format: Soft Cover  Dimentions: 8 1/2" x 11"  Pages: 127  Illustrations:  84

An illustrated dictionary for collectors, students, curators, dealers and the just plain curious. The ultimate 'Whatsit?' book. Iron artifacts, which chronicled day-to-day living in early New England, have been brought together for the first time in this remarkable book. Delightfully illustrated and described, including their history, these antique iron pieces are documented and explained is how and why each piece was used.

Format: Hardcover.   Dimentions: 8 3/4" x 11 1/4"   Pages; 237   Illustrations: 1200

The ancient Romans and prehistoric European tribes had shirts of mail as did the medieval knights, familiar to us from the stories of Robin Hood and Ivanhoe. Mail, at least the outward form, should be made to imitate the styles of old. 

      1. The first type is the best made from links that were shut with a forge weld.    2. The second type of mail would have been made of links closed with a cold shut. Each link would be flattened where the joint was made a hole drilled in both ends to receive a very small shutting rivet. This was considered to be good mail but not the very best.    3. The third type of mail and lowest in quality, was made of links not shut at all. The links were bent shut without securing the two ends in any way.                                                                                                                                   

The shirt presented here was made of links that were not shut. The ends were butted together after each link was individually fitted into the pattern of the metal fabric.

Format: Soft cover,  Dimentions: 5 1/4" x 8 1/3",  Pages: 34,  Illustrations: 65

The hydraulic forging press is becoming increasingly important to the forging shop. This relatively small machine, which is often hand made, allows smiths to do many of the same operations as a power hammer while adding more control and expanding what one can do with hot metal. This book covers the history, the how to, and especially the versitility of the hydraulic forging press for the blacksmith and the knife maker. It provides a comparison between the press and other machinery, the different types of presses, which type of press is right for your application and should you build one or buy one, It focuses on tooling that you can make to get the most out of your press and much, much more.

Format: Hard cover  Dimentions: 8 1/2" x 11 1/4"  Pages: 190  Illustrations: 285