Reading matter on metal bashing

[mike40]

Hi All, This is my first post so please bear with me in case there is a section I haven't found on the site which answers my question:-

Can anyone recommend a good book (or books) on metal working/shaping which tries to explain what is happening to the metal as it is being worked using principles based on the physics and metallurgy of the material.

Articles I've seen so far tend to treat the subject as a black art rather than a science. I'd like to be able to understand what's going on as I try my best to be creative!!

It is infuriating when the end result of shaping actions is opposite to what you've been trying to achieve!

Thanks Mike

[Richard K]

Hi All, This is my first post so please bear with me in case there is a section I haven't found on the site which answers my question:-

Can anyone recommend a good book (or books) on metal working/shaping which tries to explain what is happening to the metal as it is being worked using principles based on the physics and metallurgy of the material.

Articles I've seen so far tend to treat the subject as a black art rather than a science. I'd like to be able to understand what's going on as I try my best to be creative!!

It is infuriating when the end result of shaping actions is opposite to what you've been trying to achieve!

Thanks Mike

Mike,

The majority of the current popular metalworking books are "do this, and expect this result" type books. Very little real information to help the metasmith understand the "WHY".

I recommend two books that provide real information.

Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths by Heikki Seppa
Available at amazon.com under $20

Autobody Repair and Refinishing by John W. Hogg
Chapter 4 Sheet Metal Damage and Repair
Chapter 9 Effects of heat on Metal
Out of print almost always available used

Not a must Have but Very Helpful
Automotive Collision work by Edward D. Spicer
Chapter 2 Metal Bumping and Dinging
Chapter 4 Shrinking, Soldering (leading) and Metalfinishing
Out of print a bit harder to find a used copy

Keys to metal Bumping by Martin Tools (previously Fairmont Hammers)
is a good booklet. However Chapter four of
Autobody Repair and Refinishing by John W. Hogg
has all that information plus.

There are many other worthwhile books

One that is the best I've ever seen integrating metallurgy and body work
Automobile Sheet Metal Repair by Robert L. Sargent
I have only found one copy and I'm not selling it.

[cwilliamrose]

"One that is the best I've ever seen integrating metallurgy and body work
Automobile Sheet Metal Repair by Robert L. Sargent"

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0801954606/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

I picked up a couple of the books you listed Richard, thanks..........Bill

[oldgoaly]

C.E.Packer did the predecessor to the Sargent book. Donald Wait did a nice book on "Panel Beating" rare here in the US but much more common in the rest of the world. Some of the old "Tinsmith" some aspects of stretching and shrinking, none seem to go into depth into what is happening. There is a 3 book set published by Caxton called "Sheet Metal Work" and a 2 book set published by Cassell called "The Practical Metalworking" I mention the latter seeing your in the UK, these books were published in London, NYC, Toronto, and Melbourne. On the old Metalshaper's site I had done a few (about 10?) but right now I can not get webpage to come up. http://allshops.org/cgi-bin/community/cfdirectory.cgi?categoryid=9990091247057 3rd to last forum, video and book reviews. In the reviews I'm not trying to tell you what you should buy, but the basic content in the book. Hope this helps! Take care! tt;)
Finally got the webpage to come up. http://allshops.org/cgi-bin/community/cforums.cgi?forumid=11013103325527

[mike40]

Thanks very much guys. I've ordered both the Sargent and Hogg books. There seemed to be several copies of each on US Amazon but the postage cost was about four times the book cost! I was lucky in finding the odd copy on UK Amazon at much lower postage.
I already have the Donald Wait which I've read through many times. However, he doesn't appear to have any insight as to what is happening to the metal as it's worked. I now have my Xmas reading!

Thanks again. -- Mike

[oldgoaly]

Mike,
I just got the "Sheet Metal Bible" by Tim Remus it has some good basic info on making a various shapes. Haven't gotten that far with it cause it just came. tt

[shortbus]

Mike,
I just got the "Sheet Metal Bible" by Tim Remus it has some good basic info on making a various shapes. Haven't gotten that far with it cause it just came. tt

I got it too, and was disappointed with it. A lot of the content was in his other books. Even in the introduction he calls it "a greatest hits" book.:(

cary

[oldgoaly]

Cary,
I was thinking I had seen Ron Covell's mini-midget before.... Also got Eddie Paul's "Sheet Metal Fabrication" just glancing thru it there looks to be allot of things covered. Lots of reading time if the blizzard comes??? tt;)

[Dawai]

I spent a very interesting evening on google online books.

All very old out of copyright books.. but I feel like steam engines we have not progressed too much, perhaps in the way of tooling and machines.. but metal still follows the same rules to shape it.

I remember one on tin smithing I downloaded.. burned it on cdrom, then immediately lost it.. It made silver tea pots and cups..

Old information is not always bad.

[Doug98105]

Mike,
I just got the "Sheet Metal Bible" by Tim Remus it has some good basic info on making a various shapes. Haven't gotten that far with it cause it just came. tt


Herd's a review of the book from Amazon's book site:

"If you don't own any of Tim Remus's other metalworking books, you'll enjoy this book. However, if you do have Tim's other books, you'll be disappointed because this book is mostly a repackaging of previous material. Because of that, I was very disappointed. "