Home Blacksmith

The perfect first book for beginner blacksmiths!

• 40 complete projects for chisels, punches, drawer pulls, candle holders, gate latches, hoof picks, and more
• Step-by-step instructions help you follow along with every process
• Over 500 photos illustrate every tool, project, and procedure in extremely useful detail
• Learn the science of metalworking and understand the behavior of heated metal and how it moves
• Set up your shop safely and economically, learn how to salvage steel, and learn about the essential tools you'll need
• Explore the evolution of blacksmithing around the world and the differences between the tools specific to each region

If you are a beginner blacksmith—or an experienced smith looking for a reference or to expand your knowledge—The Home Blacksmith is the perfect place to start!

Blacksmithing is among the hands-on trades that are enjoying a resurgence for both practical and artistic uses as people breathe new life into time-honored skills and traditional crafts. Yet there is not an abundance of readily accessible information available to help beginning blacksmiths get started and understand the craft. Author Ryan Ridgway, a blacksmith with more than 15 years of metalworking experience, fills that void with this comprehensive volume geared toward answering the many questions that new blacksmiths often have!

In addition to tracing the history of the craft and how techniques evolved differently around the world, Ridgway provides a foundation in the science of metalworking, explaining the physics of moving metal, the styles of anvils and forges, alternative fuel sources, and more. 40 practical, easy-to-follow projects are accompanied by detailed step-by-step instructions and brilliant color photographs from his own blacksmithing shop, and show any aspiring blacksmith how to make tools, such as hammers and chisels; farm and yard implements, such as gate latches and hoof picks; items for home use, including drawer pulls and candle holders; and decorative pieces for personal use or sale. After a look at blacksmithing through the ages, he explores the heart of any shop—the anvil and forge—and the other essential equipment a smith requires, as well as how to handle different types of steel, and how to salvage steel for your use.

The incredible photography throughout this book takes you through every process, offering step-by-step visuals for the projects, troubleshooting advice, and illustrating the essential techniques and skills you'll need to master—from beginner to advanced. Also included is a glossary of terms used throughout the book that will help acquaint you with blacksmithing lingo.

Here are just a few of the items you'll learn how to create inside The Home Blacksmith:

• Nails, staples, rivets, and strap hinges
• Garden trowel (hand spade), garden hand rake, utility knife
• Dinner triangle, coat hook, BBQ fork, shears
• Fireplace set including a poker, shovel, broom, and an andiron
• Campfire tripod and spit set with S-hook
• Leaf-shaped incense holder
• Shelf bracket with a square corner
• Bathroom set including toilet paper holder and towel bar

Well written by an experienced blacksmith, The Home Blacksmith thoroughly lays out the essential considerations to getting started, such as what tools you will need, how to set up your shop safely, and how to source inexpensive materials so your new craft—or trade—doesn't empty your bank account. You'll also get tips on how to sell your finished items.

Join the do-it-yourself revolution with the time-honored craft of blacksmithing and let The Home Blacksmith be your guide!

Ryan Ridgway, DVM, grew up on a family farm about an hour south of Regina, Saskatchewan, where he started blacksmithing to make repairs around the farm. During his university years in Saskatoon, he began selling his ironwork online and at local craft fairs to help pay for his degree. During this time, he also took a blacksmithing course offered by his local museum and began volunteering there, which gave him the opportunity to learn from the other blacksmiths and, in turn, teach other new smiths. After receiving his veterinary degree, he began writing blacksmithing articles and has been published in magazines such as Hobby Farms, Carving Magazine, Canadian Cowboy Country Magazine, and Rural Roots. He also writes veterinary articles for various magazines and has a pet-care column in numerous community newspapers in western Canada.