The Complete Bladesmith: Forging Your Way to Perfection

I liked that it goes over different steels and some common items made from them.( leaf springs are usually 5160, good files are usually w1 or w2) As well as stuff like building your own forge, and shop layout. All in all, well worth the money.

An excellent book on the art of creating blades. It's not the best thing for a true beginner (although most would say that a true beginner shouldn't even try their hand at blades until after building up their skills on every other kind of craft), but it includes plenty of information that you'd need to scour the ends of the internet to find otherwise, including things that require a materials science degree to fully comprehend. It's probably about as good as a book can be for what it is; it doesn't have all the information you could ever need, and it won't turn you into a master bladesmith (only practice can do that), but it's a great source for anyone who's starting out on the craft of bladesmithing and doesn't have a master to apprentice under, and is probably a good thing to have for anyone who does.

Great book for anyone who wants to learn badesmithing.

This a definitely a good book if one wishes to learn to beat steel into a working, practical blade. Even for those who are interested in "stock removal" method of blade making won't be disappointed as there are a few good information that they will find useful in their craft. A good section on steel and steel grades, hardening techniques and a whole section on differential heat treatment of samurai swords is in this book. But the biggest downside is the illustrations really is a let down. Simple amateurish lines that is sometimes hard to understand and aesthetically not very pleasing to the eye. The author could at least make the effort to at least have some professional illustrator to do these illustrations. Hence I'm giving it a 4 star.

If you are reading this, then you already know that this is THE text on the subject. For a beginner, like myself, it's almost intimidating to know what is ahead. However, without this info I would have been lost and watching youtube vid after youtube vid about the craft. Which isn't a bad thing, but, you will be much better off with this info than attempting to track it down on your own. There are a LOT of wonderful craftsmen out there who are glad to share this info. But, this will put it in to practical context in a way that will have you way ahead of the game from your first hammer blow. If you are in the least bit interested in this craft, you really owe it to yourself to purchase this. I love it and I wish you the best of luck in this endeavor. Don't think about this one, just do it.

I bought this for my husband, as a surprise. He has been interested in bladesmithing for quite some time, but didn't really know where to start. I read a lot of online reviews of books in the same subject, but this one seemed like the best pick. When it arrived, my husband knew I had purchased him a book but had no idea the subject (I'm the reader in the family) as soon as he saw it his eyes lit up. After reading some and flipping through it a little while he told me that he was quite impressed and that he thought that this book was exactly what he needed. I'm so glad picked this book. Because it really is a complete guide to what you need and how to set it up.

I've read many instructional books over the years, and a lot of them are hard to get through even if I'm really interested in the subject. Jim Hrisoulas not only covers everything you need to know to start bladesmithing, but the way he writes just flows really well! I haven't touched anything that has to do with smithing yet, so this was a really good introduction for me. My only issue was with the images/diagrams. More often than not I had a really hard time figuring out what I was looking at. This book was written in 1988 (I think) so it makes sense that the drawings are pretty elementary, but I would love to see a reprint with those being a lot more clear. Overall great!

I bought this book with next-to no prior blacksmithing experience. The first few chapters are good primers, but I would strongly advise -NOT- using this book as your only means of learning. As was stated previously, anvils CAN BE expensive. However, keep in mind that, especially starting out, there is no shame in the infamous "Rail Road Track Anvil." Also, a suitable forge can be made out of an old barbecue lined with clay. However, back onto the main topic: The book is called "The Complete Bladesmith" for a reason. It covers just about everything you need to know (however I cannot stress enough that no blacksmith becomes a master bladesmith by reading) from tangs to making grips and hilts. There is even a chapter on Japanese blade making. It's definately a good read, and worth the price.

Exelente libro muy detallado, he interesante de principio a fin

I purchased this book for my husband, he is in training to become a blade maker and he loves this book it’s very knowledgeable and easy to understand so he recommends this book.

Mångfacetterad och innehållsrik. En fantastisk bok. En bra början på en specialiserad inriktning av smide bortom alla grundböcker om att komma igång med smide och tillverka sina egna tänger.

très intéressant mais avec un niveau d'anglais très moyen c'est très dur de bien tout saisir dommage mais pas déçu quand même

I purchased this book several years back with the idea of producing Damascus steel swords. I built all the equipment using this book, and after a decade I am making swords of Damascus steel with solid silver fittings, (with gold), it takes me seven months per order mainly due to indicate fittings, but I now have a two year waiting list, and my work goes to Arab royal buyers. My wealth and ability are due to this book. The best u can buy, and I have over 100, books and articles.