Download Digital Antique Metalsmithing eBooks

This is a book of bench tricks, recipes and tricks written in 1892 compiled and published by the Hazlitt company in Chicago. Called 'A workshop companion' it is full of rare, forgotten recipes and arcane jeweler's knowledge. The front page says "compiled from Private Formulae" by the Hazlitt Company in Chicago. It covers "Practical formulae and directions for solders and soldering, cleaning, pickling, polishing, coloring, bronzing, staining, cementing, etching lacquering, varnishing and general finishing of metals as applied to the watch and jewelry trade, together with all the important alloys used by the trade and many miscellaneous recipes" The patination recipes are truly interesting, as are the polishing compounds and alloys including early references to different ways of making blue gold and other odd alloys. A real treat, a book that sells for hundreds of dollars, if you can even find a copy. 128 pages jammed full of information. [read more]....

This 1871 book was compiled from the in-house notes of "one of the largest and most eminent Manufacturing Goldsmiths and Jewellers in this country" which had gone out of business, thus freeing Mr. Collins to reveal the companie's secrets and experience. Much of the book is alloy recipes for all different purposes, such as enameling gold alloys, gold for making pens, gold and silver solders. There are sections on refining, on 'coloring' the gold (depletion gilding). There are 96 pages of alloying and trade secret information, and 36 pages of intriguing advertisements for books being published in 1872. [read more]....

A wonderful 1902 book full of jeweler's secrets and repair techniques. Chapters include bench design, tools, chemicals, tables and recipes, how to use gold testing acids, making rings, eyeglass frame repair, jewelry repair and, oddly, disposing of unclaimed repair work. Keplinger was a good writer and the text is readable and professionally detailed. This book may cover more repair detail well than any other. It is interesting to see how many of the tools are exactly the same, the main differences have to do with power tools like using a bow drill. There are lots of good descriptions, and of tool making and adapting, many of them, like wax boxes, or clamping tweezers are still hand made today. The chemicals for a workshop are described and how to make them, as well as precise directions for pickle, anti-oxidizer, soft solder remover and many others. ... [read more...]

This 1883 book is intended for the jewelry store owner and staff, and for interested amateurs, and pointedly, for the consumer. This seemed to be a new approach for that era. Redman consulted with the top authors of his time (many of them represented in the Ganoksin Antique Books Project) and includes extracts from their books. Any jeweler or gemologist would benefit from reading this book, and its stories are unique and numerous. It is full of history, and chemistry and really great detail. A very interesting book. 109 pages, a number of illustrations. File Size: 3.82MB, [read more]....

This 1895 book is very good. It describes the issues and techniques used in hard (and to some degree in soft) soldering. It is 74 pages of distilled, bright information. There are a number of mouth driven blowpipe torches described using various fuels. Alcohol and gasoline are recommended. Gasoline torches of various kinds are described with very clear engraved illustrations. (Gasoline torches are still standard in many tropical countries mostly ones with open sides to their workshops lots of air blowing through). The beginnings of gas torches are shown, and it makes one realize how far we have come and at the same time lets you understand the principles behind today's torches. Odd arrangements of tubes and heating systems for pre-heating the gasses are used to get the temperature high enough to melt platinum.... [read more...]

This antique book on enameling gives a clear window into enameling in the 19th century and the debates on legitimizing craft work as fine art equal to painting, sculpture etc in importance and vitality. This book provides a unique philosophical snapshot of the time, with its deep and impassioned arguments for enameling as high art. Quotes from William Blake, Goethe and others give a context for enameled work. Design principles and the history of enameling are dealt with. There is lots of technical information as well. Plenty of discussion of color, and how it is used and works with different kinds of enamel and techniques. There is a really complete approach to enameling and to the preparation of the metal surfaces under them. There are... [read more...]

This 1916 book (republished in 1921) teaches the core skills of soft and hard soldering (brazing) and introduces basic principles of welding metals. It is a book derived from many articles by different authors in the magazine 'Work', an illustrated weekly of the time. Oxy-acetylene was a new process at this time and this kind of brazing with brass, and welding metals other than steel were new possibilities for metal workers. The excellent descriptions, definitions and pictures are very clear and understandable. There are some really interesting recipes and divisions of types of soft soldering. The section on soft soldering has way more information than any current book on the subject. The detail and images is very good [read more]....

This 1885 book (republished in 1921) was written by George Gee, a real hero of the trade for decades, a pioneer in writing for the jeweler, the goldsmith and silversmith. You can tell that the author ran an excellent working shop - the voice of experience is abundant. The book begins with a discussion of the silver price between 1870 and the end of the century, its effects on society and working silversmiths. This book is intended as a thorough, complete reference for practical workers in the trade and those learning. It is to introduce science and and overall understanding of working with silver to the workman. It is very readable. 258 pages. File Size: 8.43MB, [read more]....

A practical handbook for tinsmiths, coppersmiths, zincworkers, Comprising numerous geometrical diagrams and working patterns, with descriptive text by W. J. E. Ceane (Author of "The Smithy and Forge"). This is the sixth edition of a great book on metal working. Published in 1911 and 109 pages of good information. Chapters include: Sheet metal working, soldering, geometry as applied to sheet metal working, and patterns. There is a lovely section on metal forming tools, pictures of hammers and tooling, stakes, die-sets for working sheet metal (quite unique-forgotten today in the jewellery world except in blacksmithing), joints and joining (a remarkable set of options are detailed in depth). The definitions for types of joints is really interesting and very thorough..... A really interesting book. It was groundbreaking in its time, and remains current, and fresh today.... [read more]....

(subtitled "Being the Art of Ornamenting Thin Metal with Raised Figures") Another book essential for the serious chaser. This one concentrates on details of chasing, tools, working methods. Includes a number of metal working techniques as well, sawing finishing etc. It is 103 pages (and a number of further pages of fascinating advertisements) [read more]....