Metal Techniques for Craftsmen: A Basic Manual for Craftsmen on the Methods of Forming and Decorating Metals

by Oppi Untracht

Book Overview

This book gives complete instructions on the handling, working, and finishing of all metals. It begins with basic information and the characteristic qualities of each of the metals met by the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385030274
• ISBN13: 9780385030274
• Release Date: January 1968
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 509 Pages
• Weight: 2.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 7.4" x 10.6"

Customer Reviews

Worth the investment

I already own this book, if I did not I would have already ordered this one. This is like owning Merlins book of magic for metal workers

Metal Techniques For Craftsman

I was pleased with the condition of the used book. It is not often I receive a used book in this condition. Thank you

Not just for jewelry, Like the title says Metal Techniques for Craftsmen

The Metal Techniques for Craftsmen : It has been reissued again the 10th reprint of "THE" standard reference work on Metal forming and decoration. Some times I think he has a time machine as it covers metal work from the first cave person picking up a rock and beating a piece of native copper or silver for a bauble to the recent present. With a shift in what he calls western work techniques. For the east and middle eastern style sitting on the dirt floor holding the item with your feet style. It is divide into the following parts: * Part One Metals: basic information * Part Two : Metal Decorative Techniques * A}Decorative Techniques employing contrasting metals * B}Metal techniques that require soldering * C}Combining metals with non metalic materials * Part Three: Methods of fabrication * Part Four:Metal Finishing * Part Five: Hand Tools and their uses * Part Six: Charts and tables * and finishing up with source of supply(you can see what the long operating ones are) Glossary of terms, bibliography I will not say that if you have this one and his other one you don't need any other. But you probably muddle thru most any problem you come up against. Like with most books in the metal arts area. They seem to generate a love em or hate em camps. This book covers more ground then most of the current crop of arts jewelry work books and the reprints in this country of the Euro books. If you have a long time interest in metal art work and the processes that it entails. And more than just an interest in jewelry this will be a good long term investment. And it is a great reference book, I use it on a metals forum to answer questions from people that come to it as a source of clear good info.

An Exhaustive treatment on artmetal techniques

I took a chance on what the first two reviewers on this site said about this book and bought it unseen. Thanks to Oppi Untracht and those two people I have purchased a book without parallel. Their descriptions are both honest and accurate. In fact the title and sub-title of this book is both accurate and understated.This is the most exhaustive photographic treatment of artmetal on the market. As an example we see a detailed treatment on inlaying in which a craftsman from India first casts and then inlays silver into a piece of Bidri work.(Bidri work is the inlaying of pure silver, in wire and sheet form, into cast objects of a non ferrous zinc alloy) Thirty Four photos show the process from casting a dish to finally polishing the finished product with the silver inlaid into the surface. There are other books on the market that talk about inlaying like "Metalwork and Enamelling" by Herbert Maryon (another excellent book) but they only talk us through the process whereas here we get to see it being done in photographic form. I will only list that one example but all the processes and subjects are explained equally well whether it be discussing Soldering, Casting Waxes or Raising metal, or even explaining the subject of Polishing Compounds. The section at the back of the book on Material and Tool supply houses will be of much use to those living in North America. No doubt since its publication some of these will have closed but at lest it gives you a point of reference to start from and I only wished that we had them way down here at the bottom of the world. The book also includes a good Glossary and there is also included a Bibliography which will be of use to those wanting to look up some of the older titles. I will finish there as I am giddy with delight and am about to really start rambling on and believe that you will be too if you buy this outstanding book.5+ Stars

This is a very thorough encyclopeadia of metalworking

I have always regarded this as the ultimate reference book for metaworkers. It covers many different facets of metalworking in a very clear way with lots of good photographs. How can this important book be out of print?

Well written encyclopedic introduction to art metal work

This book, printed in 1968 and reprinted in 1975 is a classic text with over 440 well written pages on metalworking processes and another 60 pages of detailed tables, charts, indexes et cetera. It provides a mini-course in the history, philosophy, anthropology and technology of art metal working.The book is well illustrated in black and white, demonstrating a logical progression of techniques from ancient to mid 20th century. There is little except sketchy mention of industrial processes such as electroforming, heavy casting and spinning and none at all of recent gimmicks such as sonic carving. In the paranoid and safety conscious social climate of the late 1990's the most notable deficit in this book is the general absense of discussion about health and safety hazard issues. (I suppose that when the book was written authors still presumed their readers had either common walking-around sense to know that fire is hot, dusts and fumes toxic and hammers would mash their itty bitty fingers or if in doubt would go look up safe shop practices in other books written on that subject.)