The Complete Modern Blacksmith

Rating:
Summary: A book deserving of its title.
Review: Alternative tiles for this book might be, "Blacksmithing for Survival" or, "Gorilla Blacksmithing' or, "Blacksmithing on a Budget"

It could also be called, 'Practical Blacksmithing', if about three others hadn't got to the title first.

I never met the author, A. Weygers, except through this book. From what I can see he had these characteristics; He was artistic, but didn't suffer from an artistic temperment. He understood technical things but wasn't a nerd. He could deal with machines but also liked people.

He also shared one characteristic with me: he scrounged around in the junk heap to find parts to build things.

His writing is clear and concise. He isn't snobby or given to obscure terminology. The illustrations in the book, done with pencil by Weygers, are very good and informative.

You may be interested to know that Weygers patented a flying saucer. Or, actually, he called it a 'discopter'. It is patent 2,377,835.

This book is actually three small books bound as one. There is some repeating in the book because of this. But not much. There is something to learn on every page. The main theme of the book is how to make tools. He shows how to make blacksmithing tools, metal working tools, woodcarving chisels, stone carving tools, gardening tools and other things.

He has an interesting discussion about how to drill square holes. I have never seen this information in any other book.

He also gets into some artistic items. But he doesn't try to teach you how to be an artist, which is a waste of time anyway. (I don't mean that you the reader can't be an artist; I just mean you can't teach someone such a thing. You can only be shown technique.)

The most important tool that he shows you how to use is your brain. He shows how to improvise tools by using junk that you find for free or cheap. Ironically, some of the 'junk' that he shows in this book has now become collectable, but you get the idea. Start with nothing, find something, make something with it, use that to make something more, and keep building.

He shows the basic metal forging techniques such as bending, twisting, upsetting, welding, punching, hardening and tempering.
He also shows some power tools and the trip hammer. Even how to make dies for the trip hammer.

He shows how to sharpen a cutting tool, and explains the science behind it. I thought that I could get a tool pretty sharp, until I tried out this man's methods. Then I found out that I hadn't known what sharp was. I have several books that describe how to sharpen, and I have tried their methods. They worked fine, but not as well as this man's.

There isn't any 'trash' in this book, such as pages of pictures of tools copied from some tool catalog. Or lengthy digressions into the author's personal philosophies. There is only about a half dozen pages with photographes on them. Nearly every page has illustrations dome by Weygers to teach the methods explained in the text. There are a few photos of Weyger's work in stone and wood. This book is down and out, cover to cover, practical.

He has drawings of the tempering colors done in pencil, which I think is amusing, if not useless. He also talks about making 'carbon tipped' tools. I am certain he meant 'carbide' as in 'tungsten carbide'. I can forgive him a couple of errors. You won't find many books as excellent as this. Or an author with as much passion to teach as Weygers.

This is one of my favorite of all books. If you build just one tool in this book, it will have paid for itself. This could be your first, last and always blacksmithing resource.

Rating:
Summary: Good Information but Somewhat Dated
Review: I think Alex Weygers is an amazing man, artist and engineer. This book has a LOT of good information on basic smithing but has a few small technical errors. The only drawback is that some of the items upon which he goes into great detail are things that most people would prefer to just buy, rather than make. However, the TECHNIQUES used to make some of these items (like a waste water pump) can be applied to other things. He is a world-class scrounger and tries to identify good sources of junk metal. However, the world has changed since he wrote this book and the composition of some of the junk auto parts he recommends has changed considerably. It is a book worth owning if you are interested in smithing.

Rating:
Summary: An essential core resource
Review: Mr. Weygers was a superb sculptor, printmaker, philosopher, and raconteur - as well as a consummate teacher. I had the good fortune to take a couple of courses from him. He considered the books to be elaborate notes for the courses he taught. I am delighted they are back in print at last, for they are a treasure of wit and inspiration. I only quibble that his illustrations suffered slightly in the transition from the out-of-print originals.

Rating:
Summary: Superb Book! A Must Read!
Review: THE COMPLETE MODERN BLACKSMITH is an excellent book! This book covers everything from tools to techniques, forge design to making your own custom anvil. I have personally read and re-read this book, and would reccomend it to anyone interested in blacksmithing or other types of metalwork, and wood/stone carvers who would like to make their own tools. This book is most assuredly a valuable resource.

Rating:
Summary: Incomplete reprint blacksmith
Review: This was one of the first blacksmithing books I purchased, I was very disappointed. If you're interested in learning to make wood working tools and lathe chisels, then by all means, this is the book for you. I found the original version of this book at the library the other day, only thing he's done in the newer version is move things around a bit, added a section or two, (about more wood working equipment) and that's it. I was very disappointed in this purchase and have yet to go back to it as a reference tool for my shop.

Rating:
Summary: Not Bad
Review: This was the first smithing book I purchased. I found a lot of useful information in there, and I still find I refer to it at times. Though many of the procedures described in it do not go into a lot of depth, and in some cases color photographs may improve the text, this book inspired me to learn more about the trade.

Rating:
Summary: A great book for beginners!
Review: Whether you have been blacksmithing for years or are just starting out, this book is a must read and/or have. Mr. Weygers technique for passing on this skill and art through a printed text is one of the best. I like his emphasis on scrounging and recycling raw material, and making as much of your own tooling as possible, even an anvil.