I have been blowing glass for 16yrs now, when I started there weren't many lamp workers out there. And the lamp workers you met were all secretive about their techniques. Then I discovered a book called contemporary lamp working, it was two books and it was considered the glass blowers bible. It explained everything from flame control to tools and techniques. My question to you all is the a end all be all book of blacksmithing. Im a total newbie that has never put hammer to hot iron. I started making knives by cutting knife shapes out 1/8" steel with my angle grinder and heat treating them with my glass blowing torch and kiln. Then I started watching youtube videos about blacksmithing and figured I would give it a shot. I would like to find a book that had a little more direction then youtube. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I would try out the book New Edge of the Anvil by Jack Andrews,and perhaps the Art of Blacksmithing by Alex W. Bealer. Also the Complete Modern Blacksmith, or maybe (the title might be wrong,) Blacksmithing:A primer of the Tools and Methods?

I'd add Mark Aspery's 3 book set to the list, though I'd rate it more as an intermediate/Advanced book than one for new beginners.

There is no definitive/bible book on blacksmithing.  Most books on blacksmithing are basically a rehash of basic beginner stuff.  Plus the topic is too wide to be contained within one book.

 

For information on knifemaking, a good start is the excellent series of books on bladesmithing includes all the books by Jim Hrisoulas such as: Master Bladesmith: Advanced Studies in Steel Paperback by Jim Hrisoulas (Author)

 

For metallurgy one of the books available is:

Book on Metallurgy:

Metallurgy for the Non-Metallurgist, Second Edition(05306G) Hardcover by ASM International (Author), Arthur C. Reardon (Editor) ISBN-13: 978-1615038213 ISBN-10: 1615038213

 

Other Standard Books for Heat Treating and Metallurgy:

 

1) The heat treating books from ASM are increasing in number, besides the 1991

edition of volume 4, Heat Treating by ASM, there now is:

 

2) There is now a 2013 edition:

ASM Handbook, Vol 4A: Steel Heat Treating Fundamentals and Processes

Editor(s): Jon Dossett and George E. Totten

The new ASM Handbook Volume 4A provides an excellent foundation on the modern methods of steel heat treating for new or experienced practitioners. Fundamental topics are described for purposes of elementary introduction, while articles on advanced topics provide scientific foundations.

 

3) And New ASM Handbooks, Volume 4B—Heat Treating of Irons and Steels, and Volume 4C—Induction Heating and Heat Treatment, will be published next.

 

4) Practical Heat Treating / Edition 2

• by Jon L. Dossett,and Howard E. Boyer

• ISBN: 0871708299

• ISBN-13: 9780871708298

• Publisher: ASM International(OH)

 

5) Materials Handbook by Georges Brady and Henry R. Clauser

 

6) Tool Steel Simplified by Frank R. Palmer and George V. Luerssen

 

And then there are reference books on historical items and design, as well as books on other aspects and categories of blacksmithing.  One of those books is "Early American Wrought Iron" by Sonn. 

 

You will definitely want Hrisoulas' books: "The Complete Bladesmith,The Master Bladesmith and The Pattern Welded Blade"

 

But they do better if you have a good background in smithing first.   I like "The Complete Modern Blacksmith" for that.

I vote for Mark A 3 books very well done ! & new edge or the anvil I have all of them :)

there are others but those are a real good start & you will read them again & again !

 

PS Mark A is all over U Tube to

 

AND thanks for the info on the glass blowing books I will look into those !

I love HOT steel & I want to try my hand at lamp work BAD !!!! :D

 

Steve's Welding & Fab

& Artistic Blacksmithing & Glass LOL 

Does that lamp work book include industrial lamp working or scientific?

 

 I know one of Bell Labs laser experts got his start as a scientific glass worker

and got interested in the very weird envelopes he was being asked to produce

for early laser work and started digging into them and became a world renowned

laser guy.

I hadn't seen the Aspery books before, now I'm drooling over them on Amazon. Thanks for the tip, there goes some more disposable income!

If I had not found "Plain and Ornamental Forging" by Ernst Schwarzkopf in 1965, I would not have forged ahead. Likewise, the two downloadable books, "The Blacksmith's Craft" and "Wrought Ironwork" (London, England) were a great help. "Stahl Gestaltung" by Fritz Kühn is a wonderful design reference with a bit of how-to in it. Tom Bredlow said, "I can't read German, but I can read the pictures."

Peter Parkinson's 'The Artist Blacksmith'; not very arty, but very practical and will take you from nothing to competence if you let it.