The DIY Blacksmithing Book (Blacksmith Books)

Extremely short. Maybe 10 pages if in a college paper format. I read the whole thing in about 20-30 minutes. The vast majority of what is in here is EXTREMELY basic. Watching some basic blacksmithing videos on youtube would probably be more helpful. I would have preferred more information about the process of blacksmithing rather than just a super short guide to setting up an area.For just a couple of dollars more I highly suggest "The Backyard Blacksmith" as it has easily 20TIMES the amount of information and is still very easy to read.

I was honestly waiting for substantive part of the book to begin, when I was asked to review it. The author has written what should have been the introductory chapters for a better book.Covered--VERY briefly--are setting up a basic shop, selecting materials, finishes, tempering, and marketing. Most of these sections are overviews, with links to buy books about those subjects.ZERO projects, ZERO techniques. Just a shopping list of where to buy some very basic supplies, and links to sell other books, which is really the only purpose of this "book."

Worthless doesn't go low enough to describe my dismay at this book-let! Ok so it's 52 pages, no more like 20 pages after you realize the larger than normal font, the double and triple spacing between one and two sentence paragraphs, and the odd placement of photographs chews up a lot of space. Information is a muddling rehash of stuff found on the internet and presented in a confusing manner. Watch two or three 10 minute videos on blacksmithing on YouTube and you'll know more and have saved the cost of this book plus shipping! I'd send the book back but it's not worth my time to do so!

This is hardly a book. More like a little guide you can find in about 5 mins of searching on Google. Very disappointed! I read it in about 8mins! Now I'm returning it and looking for an actual book! It claims to be 54 pages. More like 20 by the time you factor in the huge font used and photos. If this was $3 it would be decent, but not for $10.

We bought this after my husband did a lot of research online through forums, how-to pages, and other informative resources. We were hoping for something a bit...well...MORE. If this were a $3 or $4 booklet, ok...or even if it had said that it was basically a checklist of information. For Christmas, he got two other books that held a LOT more information that will be useful during and well beyond simple setup. This one...well...it's gathering dust on a shelf after the 5 minutes it took my husband to flip through it and realize it had no information he hadn't already gotten online.

I got this book within the last couple of days, and literally was able to read cover-to-cover within an hour! He gets right to the meat and potatoes of what you need to start off, and provides several sources per subject of where to go from there. I rarely finish books (particularly the physical copies) on a weekly basis, and I'm not the most productive guy. I'm a straight up beginner aside from a few read articles and Youtube videos. I also NEVER leave reviews - positive or negative - on Amazon. I think that makes his book all the better for me, and why this is a good review! You've got a scale to go by, and the book isn't a fortune. Get it! You won't regret it!

I think this is an excellent book. Not everyone (myself included) was born knowing everything about blacksmithing. I think Mr. Marks presented an awesome guide for start-up smiths. I know I will continue to follow him and purchase any book he puts on the market. If you new to the blacksmithing trade I highly recommend this book to help get your feet wet. Knowledge is power and the knowledge in this book will help many others new to the trade. Thank you, Jeffery K. Emerson

A very good easy to understand book my creative juices are now flowing I really want to make things who knows may lead to extra income, I highly recommend it

Quite disappointed when this book turned up...Small size (4mm thick), poor print/binding, large font, small indecipherable pencil drawings and poor quality black and white photos.I was hoping for something with plenty of pictures, supported by text describing techniques that I could refer to, but this book doesn't have it.In its defence, it does have some useful information on setup and tips/tricks for a complete novice.However I just leafed through it in 10 minutes while at work and I think I've absorbed everything it has, and probably won't ever pick it up again.

As other reviews have said, it's not awful, but it's very small (easily readable in less than an hour, and I'm a slow reader).Also, the description I don't think is clear on the purpose of the book. It describes how to set up a forge at home (or wherever) for as little cash as realistically possible. There is no info on actually doing the forging itself. This is not a criticism per se, just be aware of this books intended purpose - to set up a forge cheaply.

Looks good yeah? That cover conjures up dreams of backyard blacksmithing doesn't it?While I'm not decrying the information provided in the book there just isn't that much of it, and what there is is presented in double line spaced large font writing.I was a little disappointed.

All basic info you need to set up forge. Small book - iI read it in about 20mins

Got it for my son a trainee Blacksmith, he said it has all the old school stuff he hadn't heard of.