Description
"Everyone should have a copy of this." – RedTrollForge.com
"Not only did Bealer write THE landmark reference of blacksmithing he was also instrumental in establishing ABANA (Artists Blacksmiths Association of North America)". – AnvilFire
Revised edition. Tells how they did it in yesteryear. Over 500 illustrations show how they made everything from knives to horseshoes, from iron grills to rifle barrels and barrel hoops.
The following is from www.AnvilFire.com:
"A Blacksmithing classic! Publication of The Art of Blacksmithing marked the beginning of the modern era in blacksmithing. Its publication came at a time when the small blacksmith’s shop had nearly ceased to exist in North America. At the time there were no references about blacksmithing in print and the many old references that are now commonly available in reprint today had long been out of print and were rarely found in libraries. It also came at the peak of the crafts movement inspiring hundreds of "hippy" craftsfolk to take up the hammer. Today those hippy craftsfolk are the established "old guard" of blacksmithing. They will ALL tell you that "The Art" was important in their blacksmithing education. Not only did Bealer write THE landmark reference of blacksmithing he was also instrumental in establishing ABANA (Artists Blacksmiths Association of North America).
One of the important features of The Art of Blacksmithing are Bealer’s illustrations. Bealer illustrated tools, techniques and hardware in hundreds of clearly understandable pen and ink drawings. In a style similar to Eric Sloane (A Museum of Early American Tools) Bealer described practically every blacksmithing technique. His simple black and white drawings are often more descriptive than a mere photograph. Where the iron should be hot it clearly looks hot. Illustrations from The art of Blacksmithing have appeared in dozens of books and articles in modern blacksmithing literature.
The Art of Blacksmithing is about traditional blacksmithing, it does not discuss arc welding, machine forging or other modern methods. It is not a "how-to" book. Although Bealer gives step by step instructions for making specific hardware and performing many operations his writings are about HOW it was and is done. There are no specific dimensions or plans." – Jock Dempsey, AnvilFire.com
