What do you think?
Rate this book
The Complete Modern Blacksmith
Teach yourself the lost arts of blacksmithing, tool design, and tool repair.
Design, forge, and fix your own tools, hardware, and household accessories with master craftsman and teacher Alexander G. Weygers. The Complete Modern Blacksmith contains clear, step-by-step instructions and hundreds of the author’s own detailed drawings, bringing scores of time-honored techniques to modern artisans – experienced craftsmen and beginners alike.
This unique resource brings together three popular but long-out-of-print
• The Modern Blacksmith, which covers everything from developing the correct hammer and body motions for forging and creating tools such as pliers, shovels, and hinges.
• The Recycling, Use, and Repair of Tools, which stresses the reuse of old materials, featuring easy-to-follow processes.
• The Making of Tools, which explores how to design, sharpen, and temper whichever tool you need, using only basic shop equipment and scrap steel.
A truly invaluable resource, The Complete Modern Blacksmith is an essential volume in any craftman's library.
Design, forge, and fix your own tools, hardware, and household accessories with master craftsman and teacher Alexander G. Weygers. The Complete Modern Blacksmith contains clear, step-by-step instructions and hundreds of the author’s own detailed drawings, bringing scores of time-honored techniques to modern artisans – experienced craftsmen and beginners alike.
This unique resource brings together three popular but long-out-of-print
• The Modern Blacksmith, which covers everything from developing the correct hammer and body motions for forging and creating tools such as pliers, shovels, and hinges.
• The Recycling, Use, and Repair of Tools, which stresses the reuse of old materials, featuring easy-to-follow processes.
• The Making of Tools, which explores how to design, sharpen, and temper whichever tool you need, using only basic shop equipment and scrap steel.
A truly invaluable resource, The Complete Modern Blacksmith is an essential volume in any craftman's library.
304 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1997
63 people are currently reading
382 people want to read
About the author
Alexander G. Weygers
6 books1 followerAlexander G. Weygers was a polymath American artist who is best known as a sculptor, painter, print maker, philosopher, and author. He was born in Java, Indonesia, to Dutch parents. Gaining his formal education in the Netherlands, Weygers was a practicing engineer when he immigrated to the United States of America at the age of 30 to take residence in Seattle.
Weygers returned to Java in 1923, and his fiancee, Jacoba Hutter, joined him there from Holland in 1924. They were married in Java, but since she could not adjust to the tropical climate, they emigrated to the United States, where she later died in child birth. He was devastated by the death of his wife, and decided to abandon engineering for art. He studied at the Chicago Art Institute, where he was taught by the sculptor, Lorado Taft. Following that he studied various aspects of art in the European centers that were renowned for the areas that interested him. Moving to California in the 1930s, he established a studio in Berkeley and began teaching.
In 1937 Alexander Weygers was recognized with a solo exhibition at the Cliff Hotel in San Francisco and was featured at the Oakland Art Gallery. His work was accepted into the San Francisco Art Association (SFAA) exhibitions of 1937 and 1938.
The San Francisco Chronicle which began a discussion of Weygers by stating that they were "never given to idle flattery", stated that "Alexander Weygers as a modern Leonardo da Vinci..." and continued, "...He commands attention because he is a success by any standard of excellence in half a dozen professions... a sculptor of heroic dimensions, an inventor, a marine, mechanical, and aeronautic engineer, an artist with a camera, a designer and illustrator, and a virtuoso practitioner of endgrain half-tone wood engraving. He is also blacksmith, machinist, carpenter, electrician, plumber, toolmaker, and beekeeper. He is further a teacher and a reluctant prophet upon whom the admiring descend.”
Before 1940 his work was included in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and was recognized as an artist of national significance.
In 1941 he entered the U.S. Army and his command of Malay, Dutch, Italian, German, and English led to his assignment to the intelligence operations.
He received a patent from the U.S. Patent Office for his "discopter" in 1943 and his design has served as the prototype for other similar disk and hovering aircraft that have been developed up to the present day.[2]
During his service in the army he was given a Carmel Valley property where, over several decades, he and his new wife, Marian, would build a retreat with a residence and studios, while he pursued his career teaching at Berkeley.
Besides his artwork in sculpture, painting, photography, and wood engraving he is a published author in as diverse fields as philosophy, blacksmithing, and the creation of tools. Some of his most popular titles are The Modern Blacksmith, The Making of Tools, and The Recycling, Use, and Repair of Tools, the first is sometimes described as "the bible" of blacksmiths. All of these have been compiled into a publication released in 1997 under the title, The Complete Modern Blacksmith.
Weygers philosophical view was agnostic and he asserted that "Truth" was the source of life—being defined as the forces and concise designs inherent in Nature and her works. One of his students, Peter B. Partch, states that Weygers equated Nature with the concepts of deity among human cultures, and defined Nature as "the all-encompassing truth motivating all universal unseen forces, being self-governing and creating rock, plant, and animal evolution bound". Further, he relates that Weygers advocated that one should "live life to the fullest", by which he meant doing what one desires in life "for the love of it" rather than for fame or financial gain. Through living simply, and in accordance with his philosophy, each would gain the ultimate freedom possibl
Weygers returned to Java in 1923, and his fiancee, Jacoba Hutter, joined him there from Holland in 1924. They were married in Java, but since she could not adjust to the tropical climate, they emigrated to the United States, where she later died in child birth. He was devastated by the death of his wife, and decided to abandon engineering for art. He studied at the Chicago Art Institute, where he was taught by the sculptor, Lorado Taft. Following that he studied various aspects of art in the European centers that were renowned for the areas that interested him. Moving to California in the 1930s, he established a studio in Berkeley and began teaching.
In 1937 Alexander Weygers was recognized with a solo exhibition at the Cliff Hotel in San Francisco and was featured at the Oakland Art Gallery. His work was accepted into the San Francisco Art Association (SFAA) exhibitions of 1937 and 1938.
The San Francisco Chronicle which began a discussion of Weygers by stating that they were "never given to idle flattery", stated that "Alexander Weygers as a modern Leonardo da Vinci..." and continued, "...He commands attention because he is a success by any standard of excellence in half a dozen professions... a sculptor of heroic dimensions, an inventor, a marine, mechanical, and aeronautic engineer, an artist with a camera, a designer and illustrator, and a virtuoso practitioner of endgrain half-tone wood engraving. He is also blacksmith, machinist, carpenter, electrician, plumber, toolmaker, and beekeeper. He is further a teacher and a reluctant prophet upon whom the admiring descend.”
Before 1940 his work was included in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and was recognized as an artist of national significance.
In 1941 he entered the U.S. Army and his command of Malay, Dutch, Italian, German, and English led to his assignment to the intelligence operations.
He received a patent from the U.S. Patent Office for his "discopter" in 1943 and his design has served as the prototype for other similar disk and hovering aircraft that have been developed up to the present day.[2]
During his service in the army he was given a Carmel Valley property where, over several decades, he and his new wife, Marian, would build a retreat with a residence and studios, while he pursued his career teaching at Berkeley.
Besides his artwork in sculpture, painting, photography, and wood engraving he is a published author in as diverse fields as philosophy, blacksmithing, and the creation of tools. Some of his most popular titles are The Modern Blacksmith, The Making of Tools, and The Recycling, Use, and Repair of Tools, the first is sometimes described as "the bible" of blacksmiths. All of these have been compiled into a publication released in 1997 under the title, The Complete Modern Blacksmith.
Weygers philosophical view was agnostic and he asserted that "Truth" was the source of life—being defined as the forces and concise designs inherent in Nature and her works. One of his students, Peter B. Partch, states that Weygers equated Nature with the concepts of deity among human cultures, and defined Nature as "the all-encompassing truth motivating all universal unseen forces, being self-governing and creating rock, plant, and animal evolution bound". Further, he relates that Weygers advocated that one should "live life to the fullest", by which he meant doing what one desires in life "for the love of it" rather than for fame or financial gain. Through living simply, and in accordance with his philosophy, each would gain the ultimate freedom possibl
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 19, 2021
This book was informative, but not quite what I was looking for. I had hoped that this book would've had more information on more fundamental blacksmithing techniques, project ideas, etc. There is certainly a good deal of that in this book, but a larger portion of the book covers skills and information that I would more associate with a machine shop: running a lathe, making custom tools for woodworking, lathes, etc. That is not to say that this isn't valuable, but I was hoping for more creative ideas rather than more practical.
That being said, the information that is presented in this book is great - and the illustrations and pictures that accompany the text are wonderful. One complaint I do have is that Weygers often assumes a somewhat condescending tone, as if the reader should obviously know about everything that he is talking about, and if they don't then it is their fault for not trying hard enough. Beyond that, I thought that the projects and techniques discussed in this book were very helpful and informative, although maybe better suited for a more experienced blacksmith than someone who is still quite a beginner.
That being said, the information that is presented in this book is great - and the illustrations and pictures that accompany the text are wonderful. One complaint I do have is that Weygers often assumes a somewhat condescending tone, as if the reader should obviously know about everything that he is talking about, and if they don't then it is their fault for not trying hard enough. Beyond that, I thought that the projects and techniques discussed in this book were very helpful and informative, although maybe better suited for a more experienced blacksmith than someone who is still quite a beginner.
August 15, 2012
A true classic. This book has inspired many of the smiths I know, and inspired me to try a bunch of new techniques and tools at the forge. Particularly impressive is Weygers' command of both forging techniques as well as woodworking and carving - his detailed instructions for forging and finishing your own carving knives is just incredibly cool. I cannot wait to turn an old leaf-spring I found in a junkyard into some big gouges and a carving adze. Highly recommended for anyone interested in blacksmithing.
April 1, 2011
An indispensable resource for anyone looking to set up their shop at home and begin learning this empowering trade skill. Well written and beautifully hand illustrated.
Additionally, the final third of the book is a primer on restoring and repairing old tools, something that any smith starting out will appreciate since your budget will likely not support buy thousands of dollars of tools with which to work.
A must have resource guide.
Additionally, the final third of the book is a primer on restoring and repairing old tools, something that any smith starting out will appreciate since your budget will likely not support buy thousands of dollars of tools with which to work.
A must have resource guide.
April 20, 2007
what an incredible book on how to blacksmith. i got several pieces together to do this but could never get the forge and anvil part worked out. which means the center piece of any shop.
February 25, 2016
I have made a couple of basic chisels and done riveting based on this work. A great book with outstanding illustrations.
It be nice to have the space for a full shop.
It be nice to have the space for a full shop.
Read
January 28, 2017Something I must give to a young enthusiast.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews