Practical Blacksmithing, Part 1

M.T. Richardson's four classic books on blacksmithing are back in print in two, easy to handle volumes. Together, these books provide an invaluable basic resource for the modern day practitioner of this ancient craft. The carriage owner or restorer can, with Richardson's help, understand how pieces were originally made and fitted together, and how they can be replicated today. The tool user and collector will relish the discovery of old tools and equipment, some no longer available commercially or even in current use. Historians and Americana enthusiasts will be able to glimpse the past with a better understanding of the mindset and aesthetics of an earlier time. And the blacksmith, through Richardson's emphasis on technique and craftsmanship, and his straightforward prose and illustrations, will be better able to understand smithing's central processes. Part One (Volumes I and II) begins with an account of the tools and equipment of blacksmithing and continues with shop plans, diagrams demonstrating various smithing techniques, and discussions of iron and steel. Finally, there are the detailed, yet simple, practical descriptions of smithing's central processes, including drilling, fullering and swaging.