The Art Of Blacksmithing

With more than 500 illustrations, this book is perfect for craftsmen who want to set up a blacksmith shop, and for lovers of history and craft alike. This book describes and illustrates the equipment and techniques developed in more than six thousand years of working iron by hand.Indeed, this unique book covers every aspect of a fascinating and little-known art, the fundamental craft on which the civilization of the Iron Age was built.

The Art and Craft of the Blacksmith is a visually stunning introduction to the tools, techniques, and traditions every modern smith needs to know.

Learn the timeless art of blacksmithing or simply admire the beautiful illustrations of vintage tools of the...

Designed as a comprehensive guide for the beginner or a reference for the advanced metalworker, with complete coverage of tools, equipment, and creative and technical processes. Includes very fine b & w photographs of the work of Samuel Yellin and Martin Rose.

Get to know the ultimate skill for using your own two hands! The Art and Craft of the Blacksmith discusses a range of blacksmithing tools, techniques, and projects, from fundamental skills to advanced forging, as well as a gallery showcasing inspiring artists using innovative techniques today. Craftspeople making the transition from interest to hobby and beyond will find both inspiration and practical how-to projects in this comprehensive reference to ironwork. Beginning with an overview of iron and the traditions of historical forging, professional blacksmith Robert Thomas offers everything you need to get started or to take your work to the next level.

" ... Finely crafted scholarship. Elegant and graceful, yet packed with knowledge and information, it embodies the aesthetic qualities which it describes and explores." American Ethnologist "The text is detailed and informative, and enjoyable reading ..." Choice "The Mande Blacksmith is an important book ... sensitive, sympathetic, multifaceted, and thorough ..." African Arts "McNaughton's Mande Blacksmiths is undeniably the most profound study of African artists yet published." Ethnoarts " ... penetrating ... McNaughton boldly grapples with the thorniest issues related to his subject and articulates them with clarity and precision." International Journal of African Historical Studies " ... a work in the best tradition of ethnographic research ... critical reappraisal, innovative inquiry, and fresh observation ... make this book an invaluable fund of new material on Mande societies ..." American Anthropologist "McNaughton ... provides an important interpretation of these artists' conceptual place as members of a complex culture." Religious Studies Review Examining the artistic, technological, social, and spiritual dimensions of Mande blacksmiths, who are the sculptors of their society, McNaughton defines these artists conceptual place as extraordinary members of a complex culture.

"The collection of scholarly essays 'Striking Iron: The Art of African Blacksmiths' accompanies an international traveling exhibition of the same title organized by the Fowler Museum at UCLA. For more than two millennia, ironworking has shaped African cultures in the most fundamental ways. 'Striking Iron' reveals the history of invention and technical sophistication that led African blacksmiths to transform one of Earth's most basic natural resources into objects of life-changing utility, empowerment, prestige, spiritual potency, and astonishing artistry. The contributions of diverse scholars examine how blacksmiths' virtuosic works can harness the powers of the natural and spiritual worlds, effect change and ensure protection, prestige, and status, assist with life's challenges and transitions, and enhance the efficacies of sacred acts such as ancestor veneration, healing, fertility, and prophecy. The publication features full-color photographic reproductions of over 225 artworks from across the African continent, focusing on the region south of the Sahara and covering a time period spanning early archaeological evidence to the present day. These works include blades, currencies, diverse musical instruments, body adornments, ritual accoutrements, tools, weapons, and other important iron objects. Following its presentation at the Fowler Museum in Los Angeles the exhibition 'Striking Iron' travels to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art, Washington D.C., and the Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, Paris"--Provided by publisher.