The Complete Metalsmith: An Illustrated Handbook

I got this for myself in 2014 and I bought another for my daughter just this month. It looks like it may be out of print as it was only available used, which is a shame. This book is great for the beginner (me, still) as well as a great reference for anyone involved in using, casting, and jewelry making. It's well laid out (including tabs you can copy and put in the book) with easy to read text and very clean diagrams. The stones section is marvelous!

This book covers everything you wanted to know about metals,stones, tools, history, procedures, techniques, workshop furnishings, etc, and then some. It is not a beginner's how to book, though it shows many techniques and procedures succinctly and provides a wide foundation of knowledge, with nice hand drawn illustrations. It it a wonderful reference to add to your metalsmithing library. The binding allows it to lie flat for easy reference. You have the option of attaching plastic tabs to the various chapter headings which are marked on the edge of the page, for quick access to the material you are seeking.There are numerous charts and tables. I consider this one of the best books in my metalsmithing library, and I highly recommend it.

Great insights and illustrations.

Its easy to read and will stay open. Beginner metalsmith, so I'm readying front to back several times before I start begin building bench to start.

Yes it looks used but is very much what it was intended for at a fraction of retail. Got a 4 because of too many undefined acronyms. And too vague on too many topics. What in the world is an "EFB handle" on page 25? I find it mostly a guide or tour de force of all the various metal crafting procedures to help us artists and hobbyists to the best route to use our talents. If it just helps you find the right itch to scratch then it accomplished its goal.

Tim has created a timeless reference. This is NOT a how-to book for jewelry making. It IS however, one heck of a reference text.It is 'Metalsmithing 101' if you will. There is a brief history of the art of metalsmithing along with a timeline of its' development. There are charts, explanations and graphs of every aspect of metalworking. There is an extensive amount of info on tools and their uses. There's lists of suppliers, periodicals and metalworking organizations. Tim even includes plans for a great jeweler's workbench. The in depth glossary is an education in and of itself. And it's all topped off with a complete index.

This book lays out the basics of metalworking in an accessible, easy-to-read format with clear illustrations. Trying to write a review is daunting, because the information in the book is so densely packed, and the areas covered are so diverse. Reading each page is like taking a week-long course in metallurgy, blacksmithing, jeweling, or engineering. This book could easily have been a whole series, but instead the author trimmed out all the formalities and fluff. The result is that every sentence of every page is packed with informative and useful content.

Great book to have as a beginning jeweler and not only!