The Home Blacksmith

As more and more people join the do-it-yourself revolution, they are breathing new life into many time-honored skills and crafts. Blacksmithing is among the trades that are enjoying a resurgence for both practical and artistic uses, yet there is not an abundance of readily accessible information available to beginning blacksmiths to help them get started and understand the craft. Author Ryan Ridgway, a veterinarian and blacksmith with more than fifteen years of metalworking experience, hopes to fill that void with this comprehensive volume geared toward answering the many questions that new blacksmiths often have. By explaining the physics of moving metal, the different styles of anvils and forges, and alternative fuel sources, Ridgway sets his book apart from less detailed volumes. Forty practical, easy-to-follow projects are presented, showing aspiring blacksmiths how to make tools, such as hammers and chisels; farm implements, such as gate latches and hoof picks; and items for home use, including drawer pulls and candle holders.

Inside The Home Blacksmith:

The evolution of blacksmithing around the world and the differences between the tools specific to each region

The behavior of heated metal and the science of metalworking

Setting up a shop safely and economically

The heart of your shop--the anvil and forge--and the other essential tools
Working with different types of steel, including how to salvage steel for different uses

Techniques from beginning to advanced

Step-by-step instructions for forty blacksmithing projects: tools and other implements as well as decorative pieces for personal use or sale

Ryan Ridgway: 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.