Talk:Down'n'dirty Blacksmithing

Something
I've had this in mind for some time. What I'm after with this book is described in the introduction (which needs polish). I hope to take advantage of modules in Wikipedia on Metalwork, Forge, and Blacksmith to flesh this out quickly. The core work of this is not to write from scratch, but to create a core of one very simple way to set up a working forge and basic tools and make some simple, useful things. My further hope is that some of the other smiths on the web will eventually find this and contribute, not only to this book and wikipedia, but perhaps more and more specialized modules on various processes, tools, materials and the like. I want to emphasize that in this book what should be covered is a way to do things. Not the way. Not even, necessarily the best way. What is described at points may be very localized and specific. I believe that if it is basic and essential enough in descriptions those who are interested and motivated will be able to make appropriate substitutions to suit their environment. A secondary but still significant goal is that there are enough links and cross references to existing resources on Wiki and externally that one more starting point for this in the internet is created. Yet another goal is that this is modular enough and motivating enough that others are motivated to assist in filling the gaps that must exist in a topic like this. --Erraunt 17:18, 5 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Nice start
Erraunt, this is a nice start. I made a few minor changes to some of the sentences, and some spelling changes as well. This is an interesting topic and I hope to see more soon. Thanks for your work. --Vern 19:45, 8 Mar 2005 (UTC) Thanks, Vern. Your changes are appreciated. I'm passing the word to some of my smithing friends as well. The more input the better. Even starting to daydream a bit about what will follow. I look forward to this growing and to whatever you might choose to offer. --erraunt

Continuing the work
I fleshed out some of the earlier sections quite a bit and started putting in more links back to Blacksmithing and Metalworking in Wikipedia.

I hope to get to the "Building" and initial projects pages in the next two weeks.

I don't want to restrict anyone from contributing to this in the slightest but I would ask if you're going to add significantly to this book that you read the introduction and objectives and consider keeping what you add in line with the goal of a simple, primitive forge and anvil as the basis for what is accomplished here.

I don't want to exclude such additions but that is why I chose "Down'n'Dirty" for the title and guiding philosophy. If there is interest I have interest in a second book with more advanced techniques using more refined tools made or otherwise acquired.

But the goal here is to let someone have a taste and do some basic work with the least outlay possible so that they could decide if it was for them and worth the investment in proper anvil, leg vice, forge, bellows and the like.

My other hope is that once the weather warms (it's early March and I'm in Minneapolis as I write this) a few of us can get together and actually work through what is here with a camera present both to test the content and to create images to illustrate the process. erraunt

If You are Willing to Help ...
I've got a fairly clear idea of where I want to go with the body of this book.

If you're inclined and have a little time, things that would be really helpful would be:

1) checking Wikipedia for useful entries to link to from this book.  The more that we can use other modules from elsewhere in the Wiki world the more time there is for writing on new things.

2) Creating or expanding Wikipedia entries where there are none or only stubs. For example, while there is a Wikipedia entry for "hammers" it wasn't linked to Metalworking and didn't include cross-peen hammers. So I've added cross-peen to hammers (but it's a stub) and put a link to "hammers" in "Metalwork". Things like that would be great.

3) I'm not sure where it would best be put but creating a bibliography of good books on blacksmithing would be outstanding. Please add your favorites. Probably in the Wikipedia entry on Blacksmithing would be best.

4) If you have any photographs of blacksmith tools, or know where public domain images of the same are available, that would be really great. Writing about blacksmithing is a poor third best to hands on. Photographs and sketches will work to bring this to "second best" which is about the best we can do in a 2 dimensional medium (although I'll admit I daydream about a VR smithy ... ).

5) If you have worked a primitive forge or try any of the projects and such in here, please feed back your results and questions. I'd love to hear about it either here or in a direct e-mail.

Thanks to those who have contributed by direct editing or stopping by!

--erraunt 01:26, 13 Mar 2005 (UTC)

More additons, Contemplated Changes
Added more text today.

Realized that it's beyond 32 KB (or MB?) and that might be too much for some browsers.

Should break out some of the sections and link to them. That will have to be a project for another day.

Apologies to any who try to edit it until I get to that.

erraunt

Break Out into Modules
Got the message this weekend that the main book is now over 32 KB and could cause problems for some browsers.

This combined with my growing feeling that the size is getting cumbersome has got me thinking about ways to modularize this work.

My current thought is to migrate this toward a main heading on the bookshelf of "Blacksmithing". "Down'n'Dirty Blacksmithing" will be one title under that.

The excercises and projects will be modules as links from the core book.

Ultimately this will be both easier to edit and more useful.

I'm giving thought to an organization and will post that in a few days (hopefully).

If others have thoughts, please comment. --Erraunt, ~Mar ***, 2005

Hi. I've split the tools section from this book, probably will do more. Very interesting and informative book, by the way. I used to be really interested in blacksmithing, ~12 years ago(8yrsOld). It's probably illegal here though. And it sounds hard to forge circuitry.. Snargle 04:44, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for your interest, Snargle. I hope to do more with it when not quite so busy. erraunt 15:37, 30 August 2005 (UTC)

Images
I've found a picture source on http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Smiths --Snargle 09:53, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

Added a bit on "Drawing"...
...which I hope is not taken amiss. My technical skill (as a smith) are pretty weak, but I've made almost every mistake you can (but no severe burns!).

Thanks for doing this, I hope I can help and that it is taken as such, not as an intrusion. Thejonas 8-23-2007

Comment
Hi there. This book looks interesting, and very well written. I myself am currently working on the Welding wikibook, but it is going fairly slow... Its just me writing it so far. I came around searching for blacksmithing (as I am writing a 'history' section in mine,) and I found lots, but not really history. Anyway, wonderful topic, great job! AtlantisEndevour (talk) 05:23, 10 June 2008 (UTC)