Best precious metals collecting books according to redditors
We found 31 Reddit comments discussing the best precious metals collecting books. We ranked the 3 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 31 Reddit comments discussing the best precious metals collecting books. We ranked the 3 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
If you move the decimal over. This is about 1,000 in books...
(If I had to pick a few for 100 bucks: encyclopedia of country living, survival medicine, wilderness medicine, ball preservation, art of fermentation, a few mushroom and foraging books.)
Medical:
Where there is no doctor
Where there is no dentist
Emergency War Surgery
The survival medicine handbook
Auerbach’s Wilderness Medicine
Special Operations Medical Handbook
Food Production
Mini Farming
encyclopedia of country living
square foot gardening
Seed Saving
Storey’s Raising Rabbits
Meat Rabbits
Aquaponics Gardening: Step By Step
Storey’s Chicken Book
Storey Dairy Goat
Storey Meat Goat
Storey Ducks
Storey’s Bees
Beekeepers Bible
bio-integrated farm
soil and water engineering
Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation
Food Preservation and Cooking
Steve Rinella’s Large Game Processing
Steve Rinella’s Small Game
Ball Home Preservation
Charcuterie
Root Cellaring
Art of Natural Cheesemaking
Mastering Artesian Cheese Making
American Farmstead Cheesemaking
Joe Beef: Surviving Apocalypse
Wild Fermentation
Art of Fermentation
Nose to Tail
Artisan Sourdough
Designing Great Beers
The Joy of Home Distilling
Foraging
Southeast Foraging
Boletes
Mushrooms of Carolinas
Mushrooms of Southeastern United States
Mushrooms of the Gulf Coast
Tech
farm and workshop Welding
ultimate guide: plumbing
ultimate guide: wiring
ultimate guide: home repair
off grid solar
Woodworking
Timberframe Construction
Basic Lathework
How to Run A Lathe
Backyard Foundry
Sand Casting
Practical Casting
The Complete Metalsmith
Gears and Cutting Gears
Hardening Tempering and Heat Treatment
Machinery’s Handbook
How to Diagnose and Fix Everything Electronic
Electronics For Inventors
Basic Science
Chemistry
Organic Chem
Understanding Basic Chemistry Through Problem Solving
Ham Radio
AARL Antenna Book
General Class Manual
Tech Class Manual
MISC
Ray Mears Essential Bushcraft
Contact!
Nuclear War Survival Skills
The Knowledge: How to rebuild civilization in the aftermath of a cataclysm
http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Metalsmith-Illustrated-Handbook/dp/0871922401/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z
Covers the basics of just about everything small/bench metals related and will give you good start points on a ton of techniques
I'm going to give you a list of resources that have helped me the past couple years get into silversmithing. If you have any more specific questions, let me know!
The Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight has been the go to for a number of years. Tons of great information and instruction. - https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Metalsmith-Illustrated-Handbook/dp/0871922401
You'll be buying most of your tools and metals from Rio Grande - riogrande.com
Other websites that have tools/supplies - ottofrei.com contenti.com firemountaingems.com stuller.com
There are a ton of youtube channels out there about metalsmithing, but by far my favorite is Soham Harrison's. Tons of videos, easy to follow, does a good job explaining everything.
If you want damn near everything you'll need but a bench and don't mind spending some money up front, Rio Grande's Apprentice Kit is extremely comprehensive. Even if you don't want to order it all in one go, treat the parts list as a goal for what you'll eventually want: https://www.riogrande.com/Product/Jewelry-Apprentice-Tool-Kit/113963
If you want some kits that are much cheaper to get you started, these two will give you almost everything you need to start doing some simple projects. For some reason the soldering kit doesn't actually come with a butane torch, so order that separately: https://www.riogrande.com/Product/JewelersBasicHandToolKit/113906?gclid=CLatubW8gNECFUW4wAod37gC-A and https://www.riogrande.com/Product/Soldering-Kit-for-Butane-Torches/500179
The "red' and "blue" books -
http://amazon.com/Book-Wagner-Griswold-Excelsior-Collectors/dp/0764311913
http://amazon.com/Book-Griswold-Wagner-Favorite-Sidney/dp/0764337297
I think there's a logo under the crud on the top.
My guesses, in this order:
I'm pretty sure this is a Wagner/Sidney/National pan. Clean it, I think you will find the answer at the top. Overall construction, handle shape, hole shape...speaks Wagner to me.
Reference Pages 10 - 16 of the Red Book.
What do you want to do with copper? If it's jewelry type applications, you could do a LOT worse than to pick up http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Metalsmith-Illustrated-Handbook/dp/0871922401
This book is a must have!
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Metalsmith-Illustrated-Handbook/dp/0871922401
I really like the old Lodge skillets. They are lightweight and very smooth. I've got a book that helps to identify Wagner, Griswold, Lodge, and other brand cast iron cookware. This web page also has useful information for identifying unmarked Lodge and other brands.
The Complete Metalsmith is a great resource and was used in nearly all of the metalworking classes I took in college. It has a lot of information about a wide variety of metalworking topics.
Before CAD, to design a ring to be cast you would hand carve wax. carving tools and a source of heat to modify the wax is helpful but not completely necessary, you can do some impressive work with carving wax and a decent exacto knife.
You may also want to look into fabricating jewelry. In this case your saw skills and filing skills are paramount. Beth Millner is an artist that I admire, most of her work and designs are based on clean fabrication work.
A neat little spiral book is The Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight It will not cover any of the wood details, but lots of neat tips on the metal working.
"Silversmithing" by Feingold & Seitz, The Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight, and Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths are my bibles. I could go on with more specific books, if you have more specific ideas, but these three are my go-to reference books for forming and smithing large objects in silver (and other metals!)
https://www.amazon.com/Silversmithing-Jewelry-Crafts-Rupert-Finegold-ebook/dp/B005DIATAU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1502932334&sr=8-3&keywords=silversmithing
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Metalsmith-Illustrated-Handbook/dp/0871922401/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1502932404&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=the+complete+metalsmith
https://www.amazon.com/Form-Emphasis-Metalsmiths-Heikki-Seppa/dp/0873382129/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502932423&sr=1-1&keywords=form+emphasis+for+metalsmiths
Is there any way you can take classes in your area? I've learned some new techniques from online sources, but there's no substitute for in person instruction.
Every Smith should have this book.
The Complete Metalsmith: An Illustrated Handbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/0871922401/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_BknRybJ66D23X
Good luck.
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wagner-Griswold-Excelsior-Collectors/dp/0764311913
This one and the blue book have been awesome resources in identifying cast iron.
red book
blue book
yellow book (griswold gem pans)
grey book (early gate marked stuff)
these are about the best we have at the moment... the red book and blue book cover a lot, but obviously not everything.. and they are a bit dated as far as their pricing goes... but good sources of info.. .lots of pictures.
There is indeed "blue book"! And I mean that literally
There's also a companion "red book" which covers some of the less common brands of antique iron. Any major foundry which was making cookware prior to 1960 in the US will have something in one of those two books. If you have any specific pieces you'd like appraised, I own both books and would be more than happy to take a look, just need pics of the front and back.
The books are worth buying only if you are a collector, and even then they are only a baseline. Prices tend to move around a bit, so you usually have to check Ebay to see what things are selling at. If you are just interested in finding out a few prices, you can always ask here, or check out the books at your local library.
The two books you want are The Book of Griswold and Wagner and The Book of Wagner and Griswold. Both books cover all the major brands and have price guides.
I'm not aware of any book on cast iron restoring, but all the resources you'll need are online, such as at the Cast Iron Collector page.
I'm surprised they took you to straight to repair and surpassed fabrication work. But congrats nonetheless!
First, know what type of torch you're using. Propane, Acetylene or natural gas. Each of them behave differently, get to different temperatures, and have different safety regulations. Check your regulators before touching the torch and always have a fire extinguisher handy.
Second, you have to notice the difference between reducing, oxidizing and neutral flames You want to try to use a neutral flame most of the time.
Third, remember that size of flame is important. Most of the time, you can get an area just as hot with a smaller flame, it will just be more concentrated in a certain area. Thinner, more intricate pieces need smaller flames.
Fourth, remember to use a heat shield on anything you heat and flux on anything you solder. Unless you want the pink of firescale on purpose, don't forget them. Practice applying your flux and heating it so that it doesn't burn off.
Fifth, remember that solder travels in the direction of heat, and likes to travel on cleaner surfaces. If one part of your piece is colder than the other, the solder is going to want to travel away from that, with some effect of gravity, and closer to the flame of your torch. Try to heat your piece evenly unless there's an area that heat can't be applied.
Sixth, never EVER get heat near stones other than diamond.
Seventh, make sure your solder joints are as flush as you can make them and your pieces don't move. Use a clean sawblade, a file, or 220 sandpaper to make sure everything lines up as best as possible. A cleaner, perfectly made joint will be easier and have nicer result. Line up everything with locking tweezers or a third hand so that they don't move around.
Eighth, remember your hardnesses of solder. Hard is hot, easy is cooler. Use the hardest solder you're comfortable with so the joint is as strong as possible, while still trying to be repairable in the future.
Last, but most importantly, invest in a guide. The Complete Metalsmith is a great resource for any jeweler-in-training.
As others have posted, I too am a big fan of Tim McCreight
if you want a how-to book. He definitely has the DIY ethos.
I just watched this video about very low temp soldering - with a lighter! Can't personally vouch for it, but seems do-able for a newbie?
In case you want more "alternative" diamonds, here are two choices:
rough diamonds and Herkimer Diamonds Okay, these are really quartz, but "diamond" is in the name! And they come naturally "cut" in this shape which is kinda cool.
Lastly, I want to throw in that I'm a big fan of putting steel in a wedding ring. For a ring that you wear everyday, your body's natural oils will keep it from rusting, but take it off and...busted! Frugal and romantic! Win win!
Either of these books are what you need to get started. The complete metal Smith was like a jewelry bible for me. Good luck.
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Metalsmith-Illustrated-Handbook/dp/0871922401/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1517803513&sr=8-5&keywords=Lost+wax+casting
https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Casting-Studio-Reference-Revised/dp/096159845X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517803438&sr=8-1&keywords=Lost+wax+casting
a kit like this would get you started with the main items you need. You will also need brass/copper/sterling sheet metal and/or wire and a metal ring mandrel to make the forms.
You may decide to invest in an acetylene torch, if you do, double check with your states/home insurance rules about having that type of torch in your home. In my state, it voids a home insurance policy if a fire starts in a residential home due to a torch.
Once you move into bezel or prong setting, you may buy bezel wire or make it yourself, same goes for the prongs and prong settings. You will need jewelers files and a flex shat (or small hand-held rotary drill) to help with the polishing and various grits of sandpaper/polishing compounds to get the finish you desire.
This book is a great resource.
A couple/things of places to look at
SNAG Upscale contemporary metals and jelwery but good links and resources.
Fifteen bucks well worth spending if you are interested in working in small metals Covers technique and material basics and intermediate level techniques as well. Good foundation book.
Retail suppliers: Otto Frei Tools Good site and service and they have good sales.
Rio grande Great print catalogs well worth the ten bucks to order them even just as research.
Contenti Sells decent stuff cheap so a good place for beginner tools.
Metals from a tool supplier or bead store will be more expensive as the mark up is typically a lot higher than a specialized metal supplier so shop around. And start out with copper so it stings your wallet less as you learn a new tool universe.
Hope this helps have fun
>So now the drug dog is being trained to sniff out kimberlite
I had no idea this was a thing, but apparently... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1453607137