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Complete Bladesmith: Forging Your Way To Perfection
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Product Description
Product Description
Expert advice on forging the perfect bladeLooking for instructions in bladesmithing that'll put you on the cutting edge of the custom blade market? Then this definitive guide to forging world-class blades is for you. Written by a master bladesmith, this book tells you how to set up your forge, select your materials, fashion grips and hilts, grind edges and much more!Anyone who has ever searched for good custom blades knows that they are hard to find. Stop wasting time looking for the perfect blade and make your own! The Complete Bladesmith will show you how to take a bar of steel and forge it into the blade of your dreams. This guide to smithing world-class blades is for the novice and experienced bladesmith alike. With this book you will be able to build your own forge, equip your workshop, choose your materials from the exotic to the mundane and get to work. You'll jump at the chance to heat steel, bending, folding, cutting and stretching it. Finally, you'll put the perfect grind on the new blade; fit the softest, hardest or the most exotic wood to the grip; and slip your blade into your handmade sheath. Whether you want a survival blade, commando dagger, broadsword, tanto, or just a trustworthy utility knife, it's all here. Enter the custom blade world with an edge!
About the Author
Jim Hrisoulas is a master bladesmith specializing in medieval broadswords and daggers and Damascus pattern welding. He has almost 30 years of experience at the forge.
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First Sentence
As with any craft, a work space and the appropriate tools are needed. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
As with any craft, a work space and the appropriate tools are needed. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book falls short of being "complete" and I would certainly contradict the author on a number of matters. It only has B&W photos and the line illustrations are pitiful, nowhere near as good as the Ladybird book "How to do it Metalwork" By Brian Larkman! I defy anyone to make a brake drum forge as illustrated. There are many errors in this book, but perhaps the most laughable to any blacksmith is the authors idea that an anvil can be mounted in a cutdown oil drum filled with sand! Never do this you will kill the anvils rebound. Most blacksmiths try to increase anvil rebound not loose it! A good rebound means less work for you!
If you are not a US resident the metal designations are unwieldy and time consuming to decipher.
The illustrations of belt grinding and grinding wheel use leave much to be desired if you wish to retain your fingers! There is much superfluous text, at least half the book has nothing to do with bladesmithing and there is very very little on sword making. There is little in regard to Tempering and why is there no index? The authors notion that you can pin the bolster of a knife by drilling a 3/32 inch hole transversely across the ricasso is ludicrous, even if you have the precision machine tools for such a delicate task you will ruin the strength of the blade at a crucial area. The part of this book which is really going to raise hackles is the mere 12 pages devoted to Japanese sword making, the author does not know what he is talking about. I recommend he study The Craft of the Japanese Sword" by Leon and Hiroko Kapp and Yoshindo Yoshihara, an excellent insight into the Japanese smithing tecnique and much better that Hrisoulas' book.
I dont think I read a page without contradicting something! If you can get a copy of the enthralling video "Gurka Steel The Making of Khukuri" released by "Gurka House" you will learn more in half an hour about forging a blade than a 100 books like this. For correct forge workshop practice I would recommend Peter Parkinson's The Artist Blacksmith Design and Tecniques, it wont tell you how to make blades but it will illustrate in mostly full colour everything you'll need to get started at the forge,and its cheaper than "The Complete Bladesmith". Failing that visit the fantastic www.beautifuliron.com for free and learn from a real American blacksmith.
I have no connection or interest with anything I have recommended.
A reader in Scotland.
If you are not a US resident the metal designations are unwieldy and time consuming to decipher.
The illustrations of belt grinding and grinding wheel use leave much to be desired if you wish to retain your fingers! There is much superfluous text, at least half the book has nothing to do with bladesmithing and there is very very little on sword making. There is little in regard to Tempering and why is there no index? The authors notion that you can pin the bolster of a knife by drilling a 3/32 inch hole transversely across the ricasso is ludicrous, even if you have the precision machine tools for such a delicate task you will ruin the strength of the blade at a crucial area. The part of this book which is really going to raise hackles is the mere 12 pages devoted to Japanese sword making, the author does not know what he is talking about. I recommend he study The Craft of the Japanese Sword" by Leon and Hiroko Kapp and Yoshindo Yoshihara, an excellent insight into the Japanese smithing tecnique and much better that Hrisoulas' book.
I dont think I read a page without contradicting something! If you can get a copy of the enthralling video "Gurka Steel The Making of Khukuri" released by "Gurka House" you will learn more in half an hour about forging a blade than a 100 books like this. For correct forge workshop practice I would recommend Peter Parkinson's The Artist Blacksmith Design and Tecniques, it wont tell you how to make blades but it will illustrate in mostly full colour everything you'll need to get started at the forge,and its cheaper than "The Complete Bladesmith". Failing that visit the fantastic www.beautifuliron.com for free and learn from a real American blacksmith.
I have no connection or interest with anything I have recommended.
A reader in Scotland.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I can definately recommend this book to anyone with any interest in the making of high quality knives or swords. It is a good read, and I am constantly rereading sections of mine as I progress with new projects. I have set up a home forge and have just finished my first damascus blade(not quite as good as Jim's!), and it is all due to the inspiration of this book and "The master bladesmith" which is a fine companion volume. If you buy the book go on and try the forging it's damn hard work, but it's well woth it.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Jim Hrisoulas has let out information some knifemakers refuse to share, and he is big enough to handle the criticism. He not only knows how to create beautiful knives and swords, he also knows how to write, so the novice to experienced knifemaker can comprehend the content. He also provides excellent diagrams of the subject matter he is addressing at the time. From the steels, tools, and techniques, to some trade secrets, it is all here. For the novice to experienced knifemaker, there is something for you to discover. The forging basics are spelled out in a clear and concise format. Most anything that has to do with the forging of blades is covered thoroughly in this volume. This book is a must for the wannna-be knifemaker. Jim also has two other books in print, "The Master Bladesmith", (Advanced Studies in Steel); and, "The Pattern Welded Blade", (Artistry in Iron). I have all three volumes, and most other knifemaking books in print, the other books being superfluous in contrast. All three volumes are a must for the serious forger of the steel blade, and should be required reading. What an addition to a starving subject matter, not to mention an attractive classic collection of works in the field. These books are really upscale in content in comparison. Why did I give the book a 9 rating if it is so good? You really need all three to have the best, a 10+. Warning: These books are not for the knifemakers that use the stock-removal method for knifemaking, although there is information that any knifemaker would like to read and use, it just may not pay to buy them. I have no personal bias here, as I do both methods. I would be happy to give my opinion of content regarding the other two books. Did someone say light the forge? Nels Nelson - nelsk@azstarnet.com
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A customer
WHat a brillant book, this book cover all aspect of knife making. It is clearly written and very useful. Beginners to experts will all find this book useful
Published 15 months ago by Jack Holder-spriggs
Great resource
Fantastic book. Loads of great tips on starting up. I setup my own forge, made and heat treated my own "railway line" anvil and created my first blade. Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2003
A life by the anvil
Jim Hrisoulas has (at moment of writing) over 30 years of experience in forging swords and knives and this is clearly visible when he guides you, step-by-step, through a craft that... Read more
Published on 19 Aug 2002 by Magnus Claren
Complete is definitely the word.
Jim Hrisoulas has put together a wonderful compilation of techniques and step by step instructions on bladesmithing. Now I just have to set up a forge. . .
Published on 16 Jan 1999
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