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There are quite a few resources out there in the digital world that will help you get started and learn blacksmithing. These resources range from online videos on YouTube, blogs, social media, and so on.
Videos are great because you can watch someone actually make something and there isn’t anything much better than that other than maybe watching in person.
Social media, such as Facebook pages or groups, can be nice because you can ask questions and you may get answers that are reasonable. You may also get some smart Aleck response from some goober who just wants to stir the pot and thinks they are funny, but there is usually someone on there that is helpful.
Blogs are nice if you hit the right topic with someone who cares about the kind of content they are providing you.
The one thing that all the above media does not provide you is a complete, thorough process from the very beginning when starting out in the blacksmithing world. What tools are there and what types and what are they used for? What are the different types of anvils, forges and tongs? What are the various colors of heat? How do you temper steel? What projects should be started with in the beginning? There are many questions one may ask.
Books are one of those resources that can provide answers to many of the questions and that is what this article will help you find. Books are great because you can do what you want with them, including making notes within the pages, highlighting key phrases, and tagging pages you want to reference back to easily. You can’t do that as easily with the other media.
The only thing better than a book is working directly and learning from someone who knows what they are doing in this trade. Sometimes that just isn’t very achievable as blacksmiths or those who know much about this trade are few.
What I look for in Books for the Beginning Blacksmith
I like books with color images just like how I like cook books with pictures. I want to be able to see what I am going to be making. There is usually a section in a book on blacksmithing that talks about the color temperature of steel. If the book is all black and white, the color temperature chart is worthless. You also would not be able to see where the metal was heated since that does make a difference once in a while.
These beginner books also need to discuss the various tools that are available for the smith and what they are used for. It also needs to talk about the safety and techniques used to achieve various tasks. A discussion on how to move the red hot metal using various techniques is very helpful so that you aren’t just hitting metal hoping that it moves in the direction you want it to.
Having projects that are reasonable for the beginner to be able to make is a must. You wouldn’t want to start off with something too difficult, causing you to become frustrated only because you have no idea what you really are doing.
5 Books on Blacksmithing
I have over a dozen books on blacksmithing and each and every one of them have something good about them. Below are five of those books I would recommend to anyone who is looking for a book on blacksmithing when they have no or little experience in this trade. They are not necessarily in any particular order on favorites.
The Everyday Blacksmith (Paid Link)
This book is a really good book that is full of clear photos of the projects, including photos that show a compilation of the different stages within the project showing how the metal has moved from one stage to the next.
The 55 projects are presented from those that require the very basic techniques and builds up as you progress through the book, giving you good experience from the beginning.
One thing it lacks is a detailed introductory of the shop safety, various tools and techniques used in this trade. Part I (approximately 12 short pages) of the book is the introductory to these topics, but it is very limited as it is short and jumps into the projects in Part II pretty quickly. This author saved more of the techniques throughout the rest of the book within the projects. This is fine in most cases, but sometimes you need to have the basic understanding of more of the essentials prior to beginning this trade. Some of the projects could also use a few more photos to help explain some of the steps taken within the projects.
The Home Blacksmith (Paid Link)
The author, Ryan Ridgway, has many more pages in the beginning of the book before starting the 40 projects he provides you. The projects don’t start until page 86, giving you quite a bit of information on the basics of blacksmithing right up front.
This book is also full of good quality color photos throughout the book. Most, if not all, steps have a corresponding color photo with it, making it very nice to visualize what he is trying to convey in the words.
The projects he starts off with include tools that are needed at the forge, including the fire poker, rake, and shovel. He moves on to how to make chisels and punches, tongs, and other various tools. All that are necessary to move onto the next project and assuming you already have a forge, anvil, and hammer.
Projects further in the book become items that are more decorative, yet useful, because you have already made the needed tools from the previous projects.
The Backyard Blacksmith (Paid Link)
This was originally one of my favorite books, also one of my first books on blacksmithing that had color photos.
Lorelei Sims wrote this book with a lot of detailed information in the beginning, all on setting up your shop, gathering tools and equipment, introductory of what iron is, the usage of various tools, forging techniques, different ways to assemble pieces of work, and so on.
Projects don’t start until page 104 and these projects are how to make different tools. Other projects start later in the book and are great projects for the beginning smith.
The Artist Blacksmith Design and Techniques (Paid Link)
This is not a book that I reference a lot, but it made my list because it is an excellent book on techniques and probably goes into more detail on this than any other book I own on blacksmithing.
Peter Parkinson does talk about shop safety and the various types of forges, anvils, and other tools.
There are plenty of photos throughout the book, mostly showing finished projects that were created using the techniques he is showing you within that section. Most of the steps taken with those techniques are line drawings, but they are still very clear.
Why don’t I reference this book more? Only because it isn’t loaded with projects like the books I listed above.
This one will give you lots of ideas of forming metal into something you may have never imagined. There is a reason why this book is named “The Artist Blacksmith” and you will learn a lot from it.
Practical Projects for the Blacksmith (Paid Link)
I almost didn’t include this book in the list because it doesn’t include a single color photo. Instead, all photos are black and white and the remainder of the images are line drawings. It also does not go into detail on shop safety, setting up shop, tools and techniques, or anything else when learning how to blacksmith.
However, I chose to include this book for those who just want to get going on making projects, especially for someone who already has some knowledge in metalworking and understand the safety concerns this trade has on you.
This book is full of projects that you can use to get ideas from. The steps in making the projects aren’t necessary crystal clear as they are all in the paragraphs, but you can certainly get ideas from it and make your own rendition of the project. It’s a fun one to browse.
Conclusion
Anyone can say that a particular book is the best to start with. Others might say to just get out there and forge something. Sometimes you need inspiration and a little guidance and actually learn something, hopefully in a safer manner than just going out there and forging something when you don’t know what you are really doing. This can be a very dangerous trade.
Any of the books I shared above would give you a pretty good starting point when beginning with blacksmithing, but if you need one that has a detailed information on how metal moves, safety, and everything else, I would go with either The Home Blacksmith or The Backyard Blacksmith since those two did not leave out much information on anything.
If you are looking for something about how to form metal to achieve interesting shapes, go with the Artist Blacksmith.
If you want something that is more focused on projects, then you would be looking for The Everyday Blacksmith and Practical Projects for the Blacksmith.
I hope this list helps you along your journey!
Rick Simper has various hobbies, including woodworking, metalworking, composting, and gardening. He is an Architect full time and uses these hobbies to get away from the busy week of Architecture.