Best antiques & collectibles books according to redditors
We found 938 Reddit comments discussing the best antiques & collectibles books. We ranked the 416 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 938 Reddit comments discussing the best antiques & collectibles books. We ranked the 416 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
He has a whole series of books, may I recommend this gem: https://www.amazon.com/Flashlight-Fighting-Pocket-Take-Anywhere-Self-Defense/dp/1581605021/ref=la_B001JRTNQU_1_5/141-5346238-9624850?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1503957727&sr=1-5
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
if anyone is interested you can buy them here
Moby Duck is a book about this. It is good.
I read that book!
All it takes to clean up your finish work is a rasp, a bunch of sandpaper down to 1200 grit, and time.
I suggest checking out these books:
http://www.amazon.com/Step---Step-Knifemaking-You-Can/dp/0615116590/
http://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956/
http://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Knives-Richard-Barney/dp/087341389X/
These were all invaluable to me when I was learning fit and finish. They're also all probably available through your local library.
If you do decide to buy some tools, you can get a TON of fast, efficient work done from just a cheap belt sander ($50 at Harbor Freight) and a cheap benchtop buffer (get a washing machine motor from a junkyard and built one, or spend $80 on one). Those two tools alone will make a WORLD of difference in your finish work.
On Amazon of course! http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-For-The-Recently-Deceased/dp/1482665328#
If you want hardcover (and want to pay more), here ya go - http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/household/desktop/handbook-for-the-recently-deceased.asp
Good news everyone! It's on Amazon!
By the same author:
Flashlight Fighting: How to Make Your Pocket Flashlight a Take-Anywhere Self-Defense Weapon
Duke Manfist: Bullets, Babes & Bacon
Someone wrote a book about the whole thing. Moby-Duck
Years of roll searching, and the Whitman's Red Book
There are just too many individual variant Mausers to cover on a Reddit reply. Being the premier bolt action of the day, it's something like the C&R version of the AR platform. They were made in every shape, size, and caliber.
The short answer is that what most people think of Mausers can be described as the earlier M1893-style small rings and the later M1898-style large rings. (This is a radical over simplification and will turn the stomachs on most big milsurp collectors around here.)
Small Rings are good for slightly lower powered cartridges. They are generally lighter and more sleek looking. Most are stocked in straight wrists. They are also cock on close.
Large Rings are extremely rugged and can take very heavy ammo. They are slightly bulkier and usually look far less graceful. They cock on open. (There is an Intermediate Ring and a "What is with the Turks?" Ring, but they generally fall in the properties of the Large Ring category)
I recommend two books to get you started:
Mauser Military Rifles of the World. You can actually regularly find this at your local Barnes and Noble. This is the most complete Mauser book. It's like a shopping list.
Bolt Action Military Rifles of the World. This is an excellent beginning point for milsurps and the authors were very careful with their facts. Least number of ambiguous 'mistakes' of any collected book I've seen. It also has a two page layout on the evolution of the Mauser design that I find VERY helpful.
Rule #1:
NEVER talk about Silver Club.
You've probably already told some friends, and siblings/parent will also blab. Odds are high your house is gonna get ransacked the next time the family is out of town. If you can change the combo to the gun safe, do it right now. If anyone needs their gun out of there, you can open it for them without them seeing the combination, until you can get a high-rated anti-burglary safe that you can bolt down. If you can't change the combo on the gun safe, then, like anewmolt says, don't store it all in one spot. Don't hide it anywhere obvious, like your sock drawer or in your bedroom closet or in a bookcase.
And tell NO ONE where you hid it. The only way two people can keep a secret is if one is dead and the other got to him before he could tweet or post on Facebook.
Take a detailed inventory, as skakid suggests. Even old silver bars can sometimes be worth more than melt value if they're Engelhard, for example.
Now for some fun stuff.
Take all the old coins, and "eyeball" their grade yourself here: http://www.pcgs.com/photograde
Just find your coin, and scroll through the photos while using a magnifying glass on your coin, until you find the grade that's worse than yours. Also, for US coins, you can buy the Blue Book, which gives you detailed criteria. $15, $10 for Kindle.
You can search prices at PCGS or here: http://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/us/ to give you a ballpark figure.
Grab a bunch of Saflips. They're archival quality and contain no chemicals that will harm your coins, like PVC. I store mine in slab boxes.
For your banknotes, I'd highly recommend one of these binders. It'll hold about 45 notes before it gets too full. I comes with 20 sleeves and you can buy refill packs of 10 sleeves.
If you want to try and fill a binder for each of your coin types, I would highly recommend Dansco albums.
Also, grab a copy of the 2017 Red Book. It's the standard coin guide for American coins. Also available on iBooks.
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
For US coins, 1964 and earlier are 90% silver, but metal content is ONLY ONE SMALL THING TO CONSIDER. Many coins have substantially more numismatic (aka coin collector) value than the simple value of the metal in them.
Get yourself a copy of the Red Book --
https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Book-United-States-Coins/dp/0794845061/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510673503&sr=8-1&keywords=red+book+coins+2018
The Red Book will tell you if your coins are unusual, rare, or simply common "junk" silver.
The hair pattern on the 1921 coin is almost immaculate, so you could probably get a few bucks for that one. You should consult The Official Red Book for more information.
As was said by others in reply to your other question, sword making is not something to be taken lightly. I admire your interest, but the wording of your questions seems to imply that you don't really want to learn how to make a sword but that you would like to assemble a sword.
Please understand that questions about sword making are asked almost exclusively by people who are so new to blacksmithing that they have no business making a sword. I suspect that you fall into that category.
Nearly everyone with an interest in blacksmithing has an interest in swords and other blades. And as we learn about how they are made we quickly realize that swordmaking is very serious and potentially dangerous business. I, for one, will help anyone who asks about what it takes to make a sword. But I will not help anyone actually make one.
Just like a gun, a sword is a weapon; and weapons can be surprisingly lethal to both the person holding it and others who are nearby. A poorly made sword can be equally lethal but has the added danger of being either unbalanced or fragile or both. They are also a danger while they are being made; especially if power tools are involved. A large blade that catches on a wire wheel or a sanding belt can cut or stab you very severely before you even have time to react. So please understand that when we see questions about swords coming from novices, we cringe. Making a sword is serious business and is not to be taken lightly.
A blacksmith takes the time to research how similar swords were made and discover what tools materials are needed to accomplish that goal. He or she also works out a plan of each step from start to finish. Many even work for a year or more as an apprentice for an experienced blacksmith to learn how. At the very least many hours are spent reading books and studying both photographs and in person examples of handmade swords.
There are thousands of books on swords both old and new. Many of them focus on certain styles of swords and not all of them go into detail about smithing a sword, but many of them do. You can also find thousands of pictures both online and in reference books on arms & armor at your local library. If you live near a reasonably large city, there might even be a local museum nearby that has some swords on display. Also read as much as you can on blacksmithing and metalworking in general.
By the time you are ready to make your first sword, you will have already built multiple smaller blades and other items while improving your skills, and you will have made thousands or swords in your head.
Here are some books on blacksmithing that I think you will find useful: http://www.hct.ac.uk/Downloads/craftpublications.html
You should also read A book or two on modern knife making. "Wayne Goddard's $50 Dollar Knife Shop" is highly recommended by many people here.
I'm not saying you can't make a sword or even that you shouldn't make one. If that's your dream, don't let anyone stop you. But I would strongly encourage you to start small and work your way up.
TL;DR: If you really want to make a sword, I suggest you read it!
here is the book for sale on Amazon
this is one of those cases where the more effort you put in, the more money you get out. I'm sure there are plenty of people who would make you an offer just based on what you posted (i would take a gamble). the price would be pretty low and if you sold it, the person would make a lot of profit. what i recommend to everyone in your situation is to build an excel database and document every coin in the collection. From there, buy a "red book" for ~$10. just that alone will protect you quite a bit from unscrupulous dealers. from there, you can take pictures of the more high dollar coins and we all can help you determine a more exact price. the rest, a dealer will offer you a low price for, because there isnt a lot of profit margin.
Are they U.S. coins? The main price guide to U.S. coins is called the Red Book - the values aren't exact, but they will give you a rough idea of what the coins are worth. To find out exactly how much you could actually sell the coins for, you can search through Sold Listings on eBay - eBay is the main online marketplace for buying and selling coins, and if you want to sell you'll get better prices there than going to a coin dealer. Finally, feel free to post pictures of the coins in this subreddit and people will be happy to help out in telling you how much they're worth.
First, I am very sorry for your loss. This is never a great way to receive coins.
In terms of valuing it, I would take it very slow. It looks like your Dad was passionate about this hobby, and he had a fairly large collection. You would honor him by learning all you can about them.
You will need to start by separating them by denomination. It looks like there are a lot of coins in those cigar boxes, so you want to do this as orderly as possible.
Once you have them grouped, start checking for any key dates. You can use the PCGS price guide to identify those. I wouldn't rely on their prices, however, as they are known to be very inflated.
https://www.pcgs.com/prices
You can also get yourself a copy of the redbook...
https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Book-United-States-Coins/dp/0794847021/
You will also need to learn how to estimate each coin's grade. This can be difficult if you don't have experience doing it. PCGS has a Photograde app that you can download, and use to compare your coins to pictures of other examples in every grade. That will help.
Any higher grade coins, or key dates will end up being the most valuable.
In terms of tracking, you should look into using Numista. Enter each coin in as you evaluate them. This way you will end up with a complete record of everything, and a running total for estimated value.
https://en.numista.com/index.php
Hope that helps!
Wait, you mean it's a real book?
...Holy shit, it is.
edit: This guy has a lot of shitty books like this. There is one on how to fight wielding a flashlight. Seriously.
Backyard Blacksmith like Raeladar recommended, by Lorelei Sims
http://www.amazon.com/The-Backyard-Blacksmith-Traditional-Techniques/dp/1592532519/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341272167&sr=8-1&keywords=backyard+blacksmith
The Complete Bladesmith by Jim Hrisoulas has a TON of detailed info like forgewelding (important throughout blacksmithing, not just bladesmithing)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Bladesmith-Forging-Perfection/dp/1581606338/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1341272167&sr=8-4&keywords=backyard+blacksmith
and The Complete Modern Blacksmith by Alexander Weygers has good info as well
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Modern-Blacksmith-Alexander-Weygers/dp/0898158966/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c
my library is growing from these books as well as the forge I'm putting together.
Yes
So these are really dependant on a ton of factors. Material, size, style, era, etc., so to get exact weight ranges, you're going to want more information.
However, Wizards does provide tables for this sort of thing. The SRD also has a table here: https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/5e_SRD:Armor
You may want to investigate some historical armour texts also: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1581605366/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_tR9NDbT79Y7M4
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.
The Redbook is pretty good for coins but it doesn't really have an in-depth academic approach to the history of each coin although I know that they also make individual guides for certain coins like silver dollars.
Get a red book! Here’s a link to it on amazon!
https://www.amazon.com/2019-Official-United-States-Coins/dp/0794845711?keywords=red+book+coins&qid=1538231178&sr=8-1&ref=mp_s_a_1_1
Start by finding this
Red Book
Welcome to the hobby!
I'd start out by telling friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, etc. that you are collecting coins and to look out for unusual stuff for you.
While there is plenty of info online, the "bible" for US coin collectors is the "Red Book" that is updated every year with price info. I think it provides a lot of info for a little over $11.
https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Book-United-States-Coins/dp/0794847021/
For coin roll hunting I'd be on the lookout for silver and the new "W" mintmark quarter.
Keep an eye out for the return slots of Coinstar machines.
Maybe keep a log, spreadsheet, notebook of your collection?
Have fun!
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
As /u/Ermott stated, if you've got a few years of free time, there is no shortage at all of information to be found online.
If you specifically want a book for reference, here's the list. (I own and have read, and re-read every book here.)
Stock removal knife macking -
Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop, revised
How to Mack Knives, by Barney and Loveless
When you're ready to move up a few notches in complexity -
The Tactical Folding Knife, by Terzuola
If forging is more your thing -
The Complete Bladesmith, by Hrisoulas
An overview (and extremely interesting) look at how different modern mackers go about macking knives -
Blade's Guide to Macking Knives
And finally, the condensed Q&A for everything the aspiring knife macker could ever want to know -
The Wonder of Knife Macking, by Goddard
The second edition of this books has mixed reviews centering on poor editing, I've read and recommend the first edition, though slightly dated, for it's solid insight into so many areas of knife macking.
I hope this helps you, don't forget to come back and post photos of the knives you mack!
Books. Do your home work. There is a lot of different ways to make good knifes and lots of ways to make junk. If you understand how you want to make a knife you'll know what tools you need. So is it forged or material removal? How do you want to deal with the tempering? I can go on but I think you get the idea. Here is a place to start http://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344738903&sr=8-1&keywords=50+knife+shop
I would suggest picking up a book or two in that case. I highly recommend "The Complete Bladesmith" by Jim Hrisoulas and 'The Wonder of Knifemaking" by Wayne Goddard. I have both and they are very good at laying down the steps for making a knife. Also, make sure you learn about knife steel. You won't find it in a local store, but will need to be purchased online (most of the time). Pick a simple steel like 1080/1084 and start using that. Get good at heat treating it, and the move to something else. 5160 is also good to start. Both are forgiving.
Or even Moby Duck.
First off, condolences on your grandfather's passing, and I hope you find this project a fun undertaking in his memory.
Fortunately almost all coins will tell you their country of origin, year of production, and denomination, either in a language you can understand or in a foreign one, and that info is key to identifying and classifying what you have.
For the US coins, you can probably find a copy of Yeoman's Red Book at the library or a local used or new book store, which is a fantastic resource for all American coins. Don't pay too much attention to the prices listed, as they tend to reflect absolute highs rather than going market values. However, all the other info is legit, so even having access to an older edition is a very good resource for learning about that segment of your collection.
For non-US coins, I'd direct you to Numista, which is a user-built database of information on coins from all over the world.
And, of course, you can use this sub as a resource for stuff that doesn't quite fit in the "coins" category (like bullion) or stuff you can't figure out. I'm constantly amazed at the depth and breadth of the collective knowledge of the contributors in here.
Personally, I would start organizing by country and prioritize coins that you can read, as those would probably be a lot easier to start with.
As you go through the collection, keep in mind that non-savvy collectors often fall prey to various marketing efforts for coins that may not be very valuable -- e.g., colorized or otherwise adorned versions of, well, regular coins, but that are sold for a premium.
Fun project -- we'll help you figure it out!
It shouldn’t take much money. I’d start by grabbing Red book and blue book. I’d say blue book would be better for you, unless you plan on buying more coins.
2019 Official Red Book of United States Coins - Spiral Bound https://www.amazon.com/dp/0794845711/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_dkz-Bb81A1982
A Handbook of United States Coins Blue Book 2019 (The Official Blue Book of United States Coins) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0794846491/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Lkz-BbQFGHZ9R
Blue book will give you an idea of what coin dealers should offer value wise if you want to sell. Red book is closer to what dealers would charge for coins. These are just guides though, and prices can take wild swings, but they should give a decent idea on values, how to guess the grade for ungraded, and some errors to look out for.
Sorry for your loss, but hopefully his collection brings you some happiness.
Also, I am in Fairfax, Va, so if you wanted to talk about coins, or anything really, feel free to hit me up.
Go to http://www.coinflation.com/coins/silver_coin_calculator.html they have a calculator that will tell you how the silver is worth. A silver quarter is worth about 3 dollars, a dime is worth about 1.20. All of this is dependent on the spot price of silver. Unless you have a key date coin or an error you'd probably get about melt for them. IMO keep them until the value of silver goes up or keep them for your own collection. You may want to cross post in /r/silver too. If you want to sell there's a subreddit for selling silver as well. Hope this helps. Very neat inheritance.
Also, get a red book https://www.amazon.com/2019-Official-United-States-Coins/dp/0794845711/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522357135&sr=8-1&keywords=coin+red+book+2019 it'll cost you about 4 silver quarters. It'll show you what are the key dates and a few major errors to look.
As for storage just get some paper coin rollers, you can get them at your local bank for free usually.
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
Awesome! Glad to see another person interested, smithing is fun! Getting started is actually pretty easy as long as long as you aren't planning on crafting gorgeous blades right off the get-go. You really only need a few things:
An anvil can be pricey, even used, if you get a real one but a piece of railroad can be obtained pretty cheaply though not always easily. Don't pay more than $2-4 a pound for an anvil if you buy a used one. The heavier, the better but starting out it should at least weigh 60+ lbs, preferably 150+. Don't try to use a jeweler's anvil or a cast iron anvil. There's some good videos covering types of anvils and where to find them. Everything else will be easy and cheap to obtain.
You can find all the info you need to get started by searching YouTube for knife making or knife smithing. Walter Sorrells in particular has a good channel with some high quality videos. He focuses more on making knives from steel blanks than on forging, but he does have a couple of good forge videos and happens to have spent some time studying under Japanese smiths so he has some decent info on forging Japanese swords and knives if you are interested. Honestly, for a normal knife/sword the forging isn't that hard, it's the finishing part that takes all the time, effort, and skill. (Not to downplay the skills of most medieval smiths, they had to be much more precise in their smithing than we do today because we have power sanders and grinders to quickly fix mistakes). Most YouTube channels will focus on smithing knives instead of swords and I recommend you start with the same even though swords are awesome. It's the same techniques and process, but knives are cheaper to practice on and swords are more difficult to get right.
If you want or prefer a book, there are a few good ones for sale on Amazon. The Backyard Blacksmith, The Complete Modern Blacksmith, The $50 Knife Shop, How to Make Knives, and The Wonder of Knife Making are all great beginner books (only the last two deal with actually making knives). When you get some practice under your belt, Jim Hrisoulas has a couple of books on bladesmithing that are designed for experienced smiths who want to build better blades and deals with swords specifically.
http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-For-Recently-Deceased-Volume/dp/1482665328/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y
You can buy them. They are blank journals though.
Tell your school they should also recommend this
Even more winsome is his use of a flashlight as a weapon.
There is another book about the incident that is not as focused on the oceanography side as the story side of it. Moby-Duck that was a great read about it.
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.
EstateSales.net
That's where most of my iron has come from over the years. I set up an alert on the site to go off whenever a sale is listed with the phrase "cast iron". In the meantime, I'll browse the open listings from time to time, as many times they won't have it listed that way (it'll be something like "cookware").
You may not turn over anything right away, but within a month or two you'll find something good. You have to be careful, though. You're buying stuff "as-is", and there's a LOT of crap out there. Also, some estate sale companies know iron-hunters are out there and will try to take advantage of the newcomers by pricing shitty Chinese iron at prices which are absurd for top-quality American stuff. I've seen 30-year-old Chinese pieces selling for 50 bucks. I've seen a half of a Wagner chicken fryer made post-1960, covered in rust and still priced at 35 dollars (the complete piece in tip-top shape is worth MAYBE 20 bucks).
You'll also find a lot of reasonably priced stuff that isn't in the best condition. You want iron that isn't warped or cracked, but sometimes it's hard to tell if something is slightly warped or has a hairline crack. You sometimes just have to take a chance, and to that end...you want to avoid spending too much money.
Another thing to avoid: Antique malls. Go to one if you don't believe me. They will probably have some pretty nice iron there. And it'll be priced literally 3-4 times what it's worth. Typical 9-inch Griswold pans sell at 150 dollars. Wagners clock in at around a hundred. You'll even see unmarked iron (which is typically the cheapest) going at over 50 bucks. Avoid antique malls like the plague.
Ebay can sometimes yield a good deal, but you're taking a risk. Everything there is typically priced according to the Cast Iron "Blue book", which means that anything priced at a cut-rate is 100% certain to be warped. Most are up-front about it, at least.
Depends on what you're interested in. Some people are really passionate about large cents, others love Morgan dollars, some like wheat pennies. The key is to find your niche. For me, its British coins and Standing Liberty quarters. There's plenty of references, some useful books would be:
The Cherry Picker's Guide Volume I
And Volume II
Oh - and for the other types, the Redbook or Numismedia will also be reasonable guides for what to look for. Varieties, too, can be important - the 1955 double die Lincoln cent, for instance, or the 3 legged Buffalo nickel. The major varieties are in the Redbook, but you may want to consult the Cherrypicker's Guide or sites such as this one for more obscure varieties.
I recommend cotton gloves. Latex can have powders and such that you do not want to get on the coins. Most hobby stores have them, and they are pretty cheap on Amazon as well. If you are going to take photos, you can download the PCGS Photograde app and compare your pictures to the graded examples to get an idea of the condition. I also recommend this book.
Well I'm not sure what the current going rate is for any of those particular coins is off the top of my head, however just because they've been cleaned doesn't necessarily destroy the value, it just dramatically decreases it. Basically it's the circulation that determines value, so say you have five examples of a coin and one of them has been cleaned, it's still worth a lot of money because only five of them exist. When you have say 5 million examples in existence, it changes things a bit. So really it's almost on a case to case basis.
The toned coin you had is actually a 'feature' which is often looked for in coins, I have quite a few toned coins in my collection which are downright gorgeous and come with a premium simply because of the uniqueness of the tone. I have large collection of Carson City Morgan Dollars, a few of which are toned, that I paid a bit extra for because i decided I must have them.
I would honestly just leave them as they are, any future cleanings will most likely do more damage than good. Save them for your grandkids. I mean they are still neat coins to have, they just won't be worth as much.
Shit man, I've been collecting for a years (and have stuff from my grandfather) and I destroyed some pretty expensive stuff as a kid not knowing any better, I think pretty much everyone does that at some point. If something is dirty it seems pretty natural to spiff it up.
I highly suggest picking up a copy of the redbook, it's super handy and I can look through it for hours. It will help you grade things and give you some numbers to work with as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Book-United-States-Coins/dp/0794842151
Pricing Morgans is a knowledge-based art. For starters, LOOK AT THE COIN! Of course, for a newbie it's comforting to have the certified slab. But I've seen some over-priced higher-grade coins that are downright ugly. And some beautiful coins might be under-priced because they are technically down-graded (dings, nicks, scratches).
It's very helpful to have several Price Guides. For retail prices, get a 2017 Red Book -- which has lots of great info. There's also a Morgan Red Book. Lots of other Morgan books too.
You'll also want to know dealer pricing -- the Greysheets. Monthly subscriptions are pricey; instead, get the $45 single-issue 7-Pack ("The Works"). Prices rarely change quickly, so the single-issue works well for many months.
Also look at "Sold" listings of online auction sites (ebay, Heritage, etc.). There's a learning curve... well-worth the time & effort.
Lastly, initially set a per-coin budget... say, $100 - $200. After awhile, you know which coins are worth more.
It's a great hobby. Enjoy the hunt!
Buy yourself the official red book
It has tons of useful information and will teach you a lot about US coins and how to collect.
A Guide Book of United States Coins, known as "The Red Book," is the gold standard for general coin reference books on US coins. That will give you a place to start.
Edit: I just re-read your post and noticed the title and text are asking two different questions. For storage, I recommend 2x2 Saflips. Just type that into Amazon.
Alternatively, if you buy proof and mint sets, you'll get the coins you're looking for already packaged. Albums can scratch coins when you insert the protective slide (oh, the irony) and aren't recommended. Look for holders that are acid-free and PVC-free. Avoid soft plastics.
Newer collector here also:
A lot of it depends on how you want to collect. A fun, easy way to start is to put together date sets (one coin from each mint for each year) for modern coins from your change. You can get folders like this one to hold those coins and they'll help direct you.
You can also collect Type sets, with one version of each coin used in a country over a specific time period. Assuming you're from the US, a popular and not-too-difficult type set is the 20th Century type set, which introduces older coins that have different designs and ones made from silver.
Or you can just collect coins that are nice to look at, either ones with a beautiful design or that are in a pristine state. This might be more expensive but is no less satisfying.
Regardless, Apmex is a very popular site for coins both modern and old, and there's always eBay, although be sure to know what the price of the piece you want is (check sold listings) to avoid overpaying for anything. In that vein, a great resource for collecting US coins is the Red Book which is part price guide and part history book, with great pictures of all US coins from the Colonial era to modern times.
Hope this helps, and happy hunting!
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.
This book is a must have!
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Metalsmith-Illustrated-Handbook/dp/0871922401
Also get him this book for his birthday or something. Tells you how to do everything on the cheap.
https://smile.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=50+knife+shop&qid=1562951506&s=gateway&sr=8-1
I learned from YouTube. Also a great start is this book. http://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956
What you're referring to is usually called stock-removal. I'd look into Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop
It outlines both forging and stock removal techniques as well as ways to make the necessary equipment on the cheap. (It actually used to be called the $25 knife shop, but it has been updated a good deal and since then the dollar has gone through a good deal of inflation)
What kind of tools do you have right now?
there are tons of resources online to learn blacksmithing/bladesmithing
youtube,
iforgeiron.com,
/r/bladesmith
the list goes on and on but those are the best IMO
also books abound on the subject
it you want to get started cheap look into
https://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495550648&sr=8-1&keywords=wayne+goddard+50+dollar+knife
but keep in mind this was $50 in the late 80's early 90's (whenever he wrote it) so it might be a bit more unless you can find and scavenge some of the things you will need. which isnt as hard as it sounds actually
Edit: formatting
i did a quick google to see if leaf springs were ideal and they are so i put out feelers for some of those.
And also in the course of that found recommendation for the $50 knife shop book so I bought him that on amazon. link: https://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482254778&sr=8-1&keywords=50+knife+shop
Thanks folks You both got me exactly what I needed!
This book was what started it all off for me in knife making. It was tremendously helpful in answering a lot of beginning questions and giving valuable advice on how to begin.
You might like this.
You want a "Cherry Pickers's Guide".
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008S3BUDM/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_LS5VDbJ9Y3XKH
Or something similar
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1440235708/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_UU5VDbFHRACFW
Writing in a journal about the issues I’m having sometimes symbolically helps me feel as if I’m taking the burdens off of my and keeping them elsewhere. So a journal that would at least give me a quick grin each time would be the handbook for the recently deceased
Here are 2 resources that may be of help...
Armourarchive and [this book] (http://www.amazon.com/Techniques-Medieval-Armour-Reproduction-Century/dp/1581605366/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415593510&sr=1-1&keywords=medieval+armor)
https://www.amazon.com/Techniques-Medieval-Armour-Reproduction-Century/dp/1581605366
This has everything you'd need, if you're willing to read it and not skim.
Armorer here. Not sure of your skill level, but Brian Price's Techniques Of Medieval Armour Reproduction is a required text for any armorer.
The Armour Archive is also a terrific resource for pretty much everything armor related with tons of very experienced folks that can answer pretty much any question you may have.
What are you looking to make?
Ok, in addition to the paper/booklet posted earlier from acedemia.edu about the lorica segmentata here are some other resources discussing armor and some on metal work techniques. Much of what is available is medieval period but many of the skills and techniques are similar.
On Divers Arts by Theophilus is a treatise on painting, glass making, and metalwork from roughly 1122ad. ISBN:978-0486237848
De Re Metalica by Georgius Agricola is a scientific book on mining and metallurgy from around 1556ad. ISBN: 978-0486600062
The Pirotechnia of Vannoccio Biringuccio is a treatise on metallurgy and alchemy/chemistry from 1540ad. ISBN:978-0486261348
Techniques of Medieval Armor Reproduction: The Fourteenth Century is an awesome book covering various metalwork techniques as applied to making 14th century armor. ISBN: 978-1581605365 He talks about tools you will need and some modifications to make to them for ease of use. He even gives you some ideas on finding good sources for drawing inspiration from for your armor patterns. If you are starting with making armor and don't have anyone nearby to help you learn this is a good guide to buy.
Best of the Hammer is a black and white series of booklets that have great info on medieval metalwork from chainmail to bladesmithing. ISBN:978-0943228044
Roman Body Armor, by Hilary & John Travis is a good re-examining of the data on Roman armor up until this point. ISBN: 978-1445608037
Don't do that!
Heat it and cool it slowly to anneal it. That will make it as soft as possible. Finish your grinding completely, but leave the blade dull; there should be a 1/64 flat at least.
Get it completely done, then harden it. Do it in motor oil; water is dangerous to quench high carbon in. It will cause it to crack outright or introduce microfractures that weaken the blade. I've had both happen. Motor oil is the quench of choice of all the knife and sword makers I've met for even W1 steel.
Once you've quenched in motor oil, you'll need to temper it. That's another level more difficult.
I would suggest this book if you want to get into blademaking. It's a great resource.
Failure can be discouraging, but you learn from it. Epic failure can turn you off from what you're trying to learn completely. I'm just now getting my forge together (hope to test tomorrow) and the candor of your ambition is a little annoying since, while I have big ideas for what I want to do, I know I do not have the skill to do any of it yet. My first project is probably going to be J-hooks and other assorted hardware to hang lawn equipment in my garage. You need to take smaller steps or you'll end up having a really bad experience and just drop smithing all together. If you really want good advice about blade making I recently purchased The Complete Bladesmith. Its great, it explains a lot of the basics, terminology, and some simple hammer techniques. It was really cheap and my favorite book right now.
Or, an example from Skyrim: How many shitty iron daggers did you have to make before you could move up to Dragon Bone weapons ;-)?
There's an interesting book that delves deeper into this issue. Granted, it is probably a fair bit longer than it should be, and the author rambles some through the middle chapters, but it's not an issue that seems to get a lot of press.
One of my favorite books was about a shipping container of rubber ducks who fell off a boat, opened up and floated all over various oceans via currents- it's a really good read! Moby Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea & of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists & Fools Who Went in Search of Them
Wasn't there a container full of rubber ducks that went overboard around the same time as well?
Edit: found it. https://www.amazon.com/Moby-Duck-Beachcombers-Oceanographers-Environmentalists-Including/dp/0143120506/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=
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.
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.
Hi and welcome :) I just wanted to let you know you did everything correct and your post was successful.
I did a quick Google search for "books about cast iron cookware" and this result looked promising. Maybe if you repeat the search you'll find exactly what you're after. eBay didn't seem to have anything and I haven't tried Amazon.
/r/castiron is a helpful subreddit and I'm sure others will chime in, too.
Good luck!
Promising Amazon result
This is the one I have. Its got everything you need.
The blue book says they made #2-#14. Are you saying you have a #14 or did I just add one more to the list you're missing?!
I have been using this book, Cherrypickers' Guide, and have found it to be a good resource.
http://www.amazon.com/Cherrypickers-Varieties-United-States-Volume/dp/0794822851
Try the Cherry Pickers Guide
If they a packaged US mint products you can pretty easily look up prices on eBay sold auctions.
For everything else you can get one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-Grading-Counterfeit-Detection/dp/0375720502/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495145544&sr=8-1&keywords=pcgs+grading
or one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/Official-Standards-American-Numismatic-Association/dp/0794838243/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495145572&sr=8-1&keywords=ana+grading+standards
You can use those books to start evaluating their condition, then you can use eBay or even a Whitman Publishing US Coins Red Book to get relative values.
You should get a copy of the Red Book (A Guide Book of United States Coins, by R.S. Yeoman), which has grading standards for VF, EF and other grades for each series of US Coins. A more advanced version is the ANA Grading Guide.
https://www.amazon.com/Official-Standards-American-Numismatic-Association/dp/0794838243
photograde as others said, and also take a look at the grading standards book if you want a better description of it https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0794838243
Seriously...I would buy a Redbook and Strike it Rich with Pocket Change and start looking at values. The Redbook gives high values for graded and slabbed coins. You can expect a little less, but it will give you a ball park that can be further compared to completed e-bay auctions.
Not really what you have in mind but this is what I might do with it.
~The key dates get really spendy btw~
or you could buy a Red Book (~$10) and flip through it until you see something that is in your price range
For US Coins I would definitely recommend starting with The Red Book: http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Book-United-States-Coins/dp/0794842151/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406866173&sr=8-1&keywords=red+book+coins
And for US Currency, the Friedberg book: http://www.amazon.com/Guide-United-States-Fourth-Edition/dp/0794842305/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406866215&sr=8-1&keywords=friedberg+currency
You should buy a http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Book-United-States-Coins/dp/0794842151 and check the prices. I dunno why no one has suggested that. It's not about grade at first. If you have a coin that could be worth something. Dig further.
Blue Book or Red Book
Whitman Red Book is gonna be one of your best friends. eBay sold listings or greysheets are gonna be you best bet for up to date value/pricing.
I would honestly just decide how much money you want to spend and find a LCS (local coin shop) and go pick out something you like. Decide if you wanna buy just one coin or maybe a few for cheaper. Make sure to pick a coin up and really examine it closely, don't just decide by looking at it in the case. Also don't just pay the listed price, see if you can talk the dealer down a bit (sold listings/greysheets can help with this), just don't make an insulting offer.
These things you will not be afforded buying a coin online. And the experience is part of the education process. That fact that you've already studied puts you ahead of most and you'll just keep learning as you go.
I've had luck with estate auctions, especially with silver. Other than that, if you don't have a good coin dealer near you, get an up-to-date red book, find the coins you like, and get on eBay. There's a lot of crap on there, but you can find some really good deals too.
Awesome you are keeping to collection going! I wish I had some of my granddads collection. The family wanted to sell it, so it got sold. So I started my own collection for the family to sell when I pass on.
Looks like you have quite a journey ahead of you, r/coins is great for identifying, showing off and steering you in the right direction on places to learn more.
Here are some links if you want, the PCGS site is great.
https://www.pcgs.com/grades
And a Redbook is always helpful, and any other good book on coins.
https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Book-United-States-Coins/dp/0794845061/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1509639315&sr=8-3&keywords=red+book&dpID=51vv8FmczFL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch
"Photograde Coin Grading Guide" is one I really like for grading. It's practically free used except for shipping.
https://www.amazon.com/Photograde-Official-Photographic-Grading-United/dp/0307993612/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1509639444&sr=8-2&keywords=Photograde+Coin+Grading+Guide
And most of all have fun!
these make it really convenient, and make great gifts for the holidays
Nah sorry I'm only into silver. If you are looking us coins only pickup one of those coin books like this one.
https://www.amazon.com/2019-Official-United-States-Coins/dp/0794845711
Collect what you like. There are many ways to do that affordably. It is helpful to have some kind of collection goal to guide and focus you [ex., get an example of every dollar coin from Morgans to moderns, or build a type set of coins minted in 1892, etc.]
The Red Book is a MUST have for any collector, and is especially helpful for new ones. If you don't have one yet, I would invest in one now.
I found this cheap on amazon but does it include modern coins? I didnt really find an answer
A Guide Book of United States Coins 2020 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0794847021/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_oz7VDbXS29WYZ
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0794847021/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
IF you haven't got this yet start with this book. I have just recently started too. yes silver you want 1970 halves and older. quarters are 1964 and older. 1943 and 1944 copper and steel pennies. 1964 dimes and older. Nickels are ...1945 and older ... there may be ones to the 60's as well I really dont know about much other than halves and I really dont a great deal yet.
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.
"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
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.
Actually if you have a backyard it is a surprisingly easy set up. Check out The $50 dollar knife shop which can be downloaded for free various places.
well if you live in a place where you can set up something small for yourself i highly suggest the $50 knife shop so you can at least practice form.
If you start with stock removal rather than forging, it's a lot more feasible for an amateur to get into knife making. But $20-30 dollars for the tools and materials to make a knife is not really a realistic expectation. There is a reason custom knife makers charge what they do for handmade knives.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0896892956/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=27M5TD9S3RT9B&coliid=I1502KH7W916KH
You might work on making one for him. It makes it that much more special. I'm actually about to start making a garden knife for my dad as a father's day gift. Texas Knifemaker's Supply has some good steel for fairly low prices and a hacksaw and a bastard mill file along with some good sandpaper and a dremel if you have it can make quick work of the 440C or the ATS34. They are very comparable. Unfortunately they are already annealed so they can dull tools fairly quickly. But that also means the finished knife only needs to be tempered which can be achieved with putting it in an oven at 450 F for 1.5 hours 3 times. You can also buy scales and pretty much any tool or supply you would like from them.
I also recommend the $50 Knife Shop as a general guide to knife making as it has plenty of tips for both forged and stock-removal knives.
When you are going into printed literature, it is best to go for a specialized subject.
There are a lot of books that want to cover everything, but most of them are pretty bad.
One cover-everything book that I do like is How Weapons Work. But that it mostly because I grew up with this book, and it's probably part of what sparked my interest in firearms. Reading it now, it does cover most things, but it barely scratches the surface of each subject.
You need to know what you want to learn from the book.
If you want books for gun identification you have stuff like The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of XXXXX. These books are great as reference to a particular firearm, but doesn't offer much in terms of data or technical details.
If want to get more specific in a specific brand of firearm you have books like Mauser. Military Rifles of the World. Once you get into books about specific firearms the quality increases. You'll rarely go wrong with a book about a very specific subject.
ForgottenWeapons (which in itself is an extremely good reference for old and unusual stuff) has some book reviews every now and then.
If you want to get technical AGI has some nice video armorer's courses. I only have a couple of them, but I'm impressed with what I've seen.
Buy a book before you buy the gun. https://www.amazon.com/Mauser-Military-Rifles-World-Robert/dp/1440215448
> Which Mauser is best?
Long Mauser is best Mauser.
There's such a huge variety of Mauser models and calibers that you might want to buy one or two books on the subject.
Really though, if you want a Kar.98k that's what you should get; you won't really be happy otherwise. If you want a rifle that's visually identical to the Kar.98k without the price tag you might look at the Israeli-contract FN M1950 (many of which were converted to 7.62NATO), a Czech CZ-Brno Vz.98(N) (post-WW2 Czech copy of the 98k) or a Yugoslavian Mod.98/48 (German Kar.98k that were re-built and re-marked by Yugoslavia in the 1950s).
This book is an excellent resource if you are going down that road. There are over 50 countries listed in the TOC, god knows how many variants within that... Great book, can't recommend enough for Mauser reference.
Nice score! I recommend this book to anyone interested in finding error coins and die varieties in your pocket change. It's fun and people find them more often than you'd think.
I hear you. Striking it rich with pocket change. Helped me out a lot in the beginning. I love being able to sift through my change looking for something mare than face value.
What do you mean? How is this different from other doubling?
it looks just like the one in this book : http://www.amazon.com/Strike-It-Rich-Pocket-Change/dp/1440235708
and isn't Ken Potter a respected authority on the subject?
There's a handbook actually.
Because he wrote these books.
This may be a joke or you may be into it, but the Phil Elmore books are worth a look for the covers alone, Flashlight Fighting: How to Make Your Pocket Flashlight a Take-Anywhere Self-Defense Weapon, Street Sword: Practical Use of the Long Blade for Self-Defense, Short Hand Empty Hand, etc.
Greenleaf workshop on YouTube does some very nice tutorials, a book that comes to mind is Techniquies of Medieval Armour Reproduction: The 14th Century" by Brian Price (https://www.amazon.com/Techniques-Medieval-Armour-Reproduction-Century/dp/1581605366). I haven't read it myself, but I understand that it is very informative.
For the OP, there were ways of making steel into sheets or at least plates in the later middle ages and early modern period: water-powered trip hammers. You can see an early modern in action shaping a billet of steel in Sweden here and can see a fairly realistic rendering in the background of this very allegorical painting of Venus visiting the forge of Vulcan asking him to forge the armour of Aeneas. It may have been used for rough shaping by actual armourers, but it could also (and perhaps more importantly) be used to flatten blooms of steel or iron into plates that were more easily worked. By contrast, rolling steel is a 17th century process, more or less, and so was not used for most of the period that plate armour was used.
I'm going to answer this separately since it's actually a bit different than the question in the OP. If you're talking about a historical method of making armour finished that doesn't involve some combination of cold and hot work with a hammer, no, there isn't any good evidence for such a process being used historically, at least none I've seen that's convincing. The only alternative I can think of to hammering out plate armour is stamping it using a kind of dye, which is both much more coplex from your perspective and something that I have yet to see evidence for. Probably the best writing I've seen on the historical methods of armourers at the forge is the Phd Thesis of Nickolas Dupras, which analyzed tool inventories, other written accounts and most importantly the actual hammer marks on surviving armours to try to determine working methods. In no examples that he analyzed were there any signs that the metal was shaped by anything other than a hammer. Now, in his Phd Thesis Matthias Goll did argue for some kind of water-powered stamping mechanism, but the argument he presents for this is tenuous, involving the similarities of surviving pieces (it's possible that some armours were hammered on forms that would contain the basic shape of say, a breastplate but that is different), a rather strained reading of an allegorical biography of Maximilian I and little else that I can recall, though it has been some time since I read the thesis.
Regarding the last part, the laborious work of polishing? That's also inevitable, unless you want to make an armour 'rough from the hammer'. Historians like Tobias Capwell estimate that polishing was the majority of labor hours in producing plate armour, and then as now armourers tried to use labor saving devices like polishing wheels powered by water (at least by circa 1500).
Fortunately for you if you are simply seeking to make armour most modern armourers seem to take advantages of alternative means of heating steel like various gas torches, so your ability to forge something in this day and age isn't restricted by the size of your actual forge. There are a number of books and how-tos on making armour, many of them not very good and pretty much all of them more about creating the right look than using the right methods. However the best of the lot is still probably Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction: The Fourteenth Century. You may want to try to do things 'the real way' and that's admirable but frankly it's very difficult to do it in this day and age - raw materials are too different and moreover the whole way armourers work has changed due to changes in the labor market. Modern armourers are solitary artisans that do all steps themselves. By contrast medieval and early modern armourers were working in workshops with multiple people - at least a couple or a handful, but as many as dozens, and they were working in a larger community of artisans that could allow for division of labor and economies of scale. This made shaping steel, finishing it and polishing it all using hand or water-powered tools and (char)coal fired forges for heat more feasible than it is for a single person working in their backyard, garage or shed today. That larger social context is something we need to think about whenever we think about reconstructing objects from the past or trying to learn about historical methods of craft through practicing our trades in the modern day.
Caveat: I am not an armourer.
Can confirm- I have this and it's a great book to learn from. If you're looking for a book centered more in bladesmithing, here's your bible- https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Bladesmith-Forging-Your-Perfection/dp/1581606338
Get, read and absorb the following:
The knowledge is more important than the tools. That said, don't scrimp on the anvil, the vise and the flatter hammer.
> Moby duck.
http://www.amazon.com/Moby-Duck-Beachcombers-Oceanographers-Environmentalists-Including/dp/0143120506
Just started reading this:
http://www.amazon.com/Moby-Duck-Beachcombers-Oceanograp-Environmentalists-Including/dp/0143120506
A large number fall into the ocean each year. Generally, they go unreported unless large numbers (like 50+) fall off an individual ship.
One book that goes into some details of this is Moby Duck.
http://www.amazon.com/Moby-Duck-Beachcombers-Oceanograp-Environmentalists-Including/dp/0143120506
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.
These can be worth a lot, IF they're complete and in good condition with all original pieces. They're just very, very rare in that condition. I would borrow or buy a copy of "Griswold Wagner Favorite Expanded..." (also called the Blue Book) by Smith and Wafford. I think they discuss these types of stoves. Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Griswold-Wagner-Favorite-Expanded/dp/0764337297?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-osx-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=0764337297
Worth the investment. I used an interlibrary loan to get a copy and learned a lot from it. First time posting a link, I tested it, so let me know if it works.
$280 for 6 pans. I hate to be that guy but that's 2-3x what they are worth. The small logo Griswold is generally not regarded as collectible.
Blue book lists the small logo at
The Erie is a nice skillet but still only $40 to $60.
So $280 is $100 more than the top end of the blue book value; not sure how to say that without sounding like a jack-ass.
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Griswold-Wagner-Favorite-Sidney/dp/0764337297
Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!
Here are your smile-ified links:
Cherry Pickers Guide
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^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot
I highly recommend this book. It really helped me learn the basics.
By "redbook" coin collectors mean this Guidebook of United States Coins which, strangely, is cheaper in hardback than paperback on Amazon right now.
Check out these two sites, they are the #1 and #2 coing "grading" sites. They will help you find a "certified dealer" in your area...throw your zip code into the search and it'll bring back results:
http://www.ngccoin.com/services/dealer-listing.aspx
http://www.pcgs.com/Dealers/Default.aspx?ss=provident%20precious%20metals
After you find a few dealers in the area, google them and/or use the BBB or angies list to find which is the most reputable in your area.
Or if you give us your general location, we might be able to point you in the right direction as well.
After you find a dealer you can think you can trust: bring a small sampling of what you have into for an appraisal. If you have any albums, coins in little cardboard squares or a few handful of coins take a few of each.
Bring it to the dealer and ask for an appraisal and see what they tell you/how they treat you ( I wouldn't say any details about your family member or his larger collection). If they find rare stuff, they will make an offer: tell them you'll think about it and go home and you probably have much more rare stuff in there...
Do some research on eBay "sold" listings to find general market prices on pieces or you can follow-up with us and we can help you out. Some other resources to help you determine what you have:
http://www.coinflation.com/silver_coin_values.html
Purchase a "RedBook":
http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Book-United-States-Coins/dp/0794842151
If you're pricing pick up at a copy of the Red Book ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0794842151?cache=bb7517826f2f08657a1e990bc33ef16c&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1406981440&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1) they have coins priced on their condition. Remember most people won't pay the full amount their listed at unless their graded by Ngc or PCGS. However you can look on eBay at closed auctions to see what people are paying for them. Then list your coins for sale with good pictures and say 'you grade them' on any coin not graded by PCGS.
For US coins, I'd recommend the Whitman Red Book.
Getting one of these books will help
This. To be specific, this is the Red Book /u/e30kgk is speaking of (links are for .co.uk)-
Current Edition of Yeoman and Bressett
Yeoman and Bressett 2016 pre-order
"Penny" is a British term that continued to be used out of habit, even after the U.S. developed their own one-cent coin. It is the same way that people still refer to native Americans as "Indians," even 500 years after we realized they weren't. Ironically, one of my favorite coins that I collect is called the Indian head cent. I'll admit that I even say "penny" sometimes out of habit, but the statement I made is still an undisputed fact.
Source: I collect coins, and primarily focus on variations of the U.S. one-cent coin. I have The Official Red Book guide to Lincoln cents, which goes into great detail about the history of these coins. It even begins the first chapter with "Tradition of the 'Penny'," which explains the transition from the "penny" to the "one-cent" coin. I would highly recommend this book, even for non-collectors. I also have, and would recommend, A Guide Book of United States Coins: The Official Red Book, which has a new edition each year (to update current market values), and covers every U.S. coin. These books have loads of interesting history, as well as high quality images of each coin, including all of the error coins.
I'm sure you meant well by doing a 2 second Google search to challenge my years of reading and collecting, but I think you misinterpreted my comment. All I intended to do was share my knowledge.
Well as a noob collector, I might be able to help! Advice is more if you live in the US.
1a) if you live in an area where you have lots of land, its not a bad idea, otherwise its not needed unless that's your thing.
That's about it, may have gone overboard into detail lol, but hopefully you find something here useful. Happy hunting :)
Congrats on getting into the hobby! I'm not sure that either of these is of any significant value, so if they were in my pocket I'd probably save the money and not grade them.
If you haven't already, get yourself a copy of The Red Book to help you better understand the value of coins you might be interested in, and what to look for when evaluating a specific coin.
I'd also spend a little time on youtube learning about luster (particularly cartwheel luster) so you can better spot coins that have been cleaned...before learning it the hard way like I did!
Well first of all, the numismatic value of any of your individual coins will depend not only on the scarcity of it's date & mintmark, but also on the quality of it's condition. Here's an online guide that I frequently use to assist me in making that evaluation: US Coin Photo Grade Coin Grading Guide
Once you've determined the quality/condition of the individual coin, you are better informed to determine its value based on the scarcity of the date/mintmark.
And as an alternative to the previous website, I also compare to the values listed at USA Coin Book
And if you might develop an interest in maintaining/continuing your father's collection as a hobby/investment, I would recommend picking up a current edition of Guide Book of United States Coins -- Either the "Red" book or the "Blue" book... The Red one provides much more historical information & pictures, and the prices are what you might expect to PAY to a dealer if you wanted to buy a coin ("retail" price) The Blue Book has more abbreviated information, and the values listed are more what you might expect to get from a dealer if you wanted to sell your coin.
Of course these are just guides to help you determine an approximate value... The actual auction prices on eBay can vary significantly... I myself have obtained a few "bargains" and at other times have seen other coins sell for 2~3 times more than I thought they were worth...
So welcome to the hobby! I hope that you find it relaxing, interesting & rewarding! Don't forget, it's not just about hoarding a large stash of coins... You can always sell your more common duplicates to help fund & acquire the more difficult specimens in your collection.
You can buy a red book if you don't have one already - https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Book-United-States-Coins/dp/0794845061/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1498506416&sr=8-2&keywords=red+book
People will ALWAYS exploit you for your lack of knowledge in any subject. Educate yourself on coins and their values, the best thing new collectors can do is to buy the red book . It is a price guide of US coins, every coin that the United States has officially made is in there along with montage numbers and it’s value in several different conditions. You don’t have to buy the 2019 you can get one that is a couple of years old for a lot cheaper. Buy it and actually read the beginning, it gives a good run down of American coins and tips on how to get started.
That being said a 56D is one of the most common wheat pennies out there. Unless it has an unusual mint error it should never go for thousands of dollars even in BU condition that’s been graded by the PCGS.
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
Spike knives are great to practice knifemaking on. They will be decorative however since, as you pointed out, they do not contain enough carbon to heat treat or keep an edge. But do work with them; it's free steel and you can practice how to go about profiling a knife on them.
As far as hammers go, I have known accomplished smiths who are happy with the hammer they picked up at a flea market. I've also known those who have made their own, or those that have bought from Centaur Forge or from other smiths.
It seems everyone has their own idea of what works for them. Quality of steel, balance, and ergonomics are obviously the main priorities, but the rest is up to you.
At this stage, just use what's economical until you start refining your smithing style.
Pick up The Backyard Blacksmith and The $50 Knife Shop. If you've got time, I would also invest in The Art of Blacksmithing, mainly for it's ideas on projects and moving metal.
As for your forge questions, I'm not sure what the best answer is as I primarily work with coal and only occasionally work with gas. The gas forges I use are pretty big, so I don't have experience in your model. Maybe try to stick a RR spike in there, close the doors, and see how it does? You can make small knives for now until you figure out the direction you want to take. Hope this all helped, good luck!
there is a book called 50$ knife shop that would be a good start. ABANA also has a level one beginning blacksmithing project guide. I would recomend trying that. its helpful.
as for the cheapest and dirtiest way to forge a knife, take a leaf spring or coil spring heat it up to orange color smash it flat on a flat hard surface (an anvil), forge a point on one end and a tang (handle) on the other. you can attempt to forge bevels too, but that part is hard to do correctly. it is absolutly necesary to beale to forge flat and straight. this is also hard to do. you can grind/ file a bevel from a flat, but you cant grind/ file something from crooked to straight.
once you have a straight flat forged to shape blade you take it to the grinder to remove scale. this can be done with a hand grinder or a belt grinder, but scale will eat belts fast!!! so a hand grinder is more cost efective. with the scale removed you are ready to grind/ file your primary bevel. No grinder? then clamp your blade to a 2x4 and get at it with some files. first establish a bevel then draw file it flat. (remember when draw filing right hand pushes and left hand pulls) once you have the blade filed its time to sand all those ugly marks out. i sand to 220 or so then heat treat...
heat treat... use simple steel like OTS (old truck spring/ 5160) heat to nonmagnetic then quench in warm canola oil. take it out and check with a file. it should slide across it like glass. if the file dosent bite you have a hard blade. now go temper it at around 400 deg for 2 hours twice. (4 hr total)
now you have a heat treated and tempered blade. you can sharpen it and test it now. file or grind your final bevel then sharpen on a stone. go chop some 2x4s and then try to cut some paper. if you got a good edge you should be able to chop multiple 2x4s and still have a sharp blade. if the edge chips or rolls something went wrong. go rebevel the edge and re sharpen. test again. Chips mean the edge is too thin or HT didnt go right. fix your problems hear not later. make a good preforming blade before you make it pretty.
now make it pretty, back to hand sanding. start at 120 and work your way to 400 or so. make sure to completely remove the marks form the previous grit sand paper. before moving to a finer grit. careful not to cut yourself when hand sanding. your blade should be razor sharp by now.
in all honesty id start with stock removal and if you still want to forge knives build up to it. for me forging is easy and fun. its the stock removal part thats the hard work. if you dont mind the stock removal part you will be a lot less frustrated...
http://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956
Ditto. Linke to book. Here's another one I liked
Ok then, military surplus rifles. That's a solid place to start. Here's a rundown:
I actually don't have a K31 book, but this one is written by Joe Poyer who is an author I trust. K31s are pretty straightforward for the most part, it's the earlier rifles that are a tad complicated to study.
There's so many damn Mausers that it's hard to recommend a book that covers enough of them. This one should be enough to get you started. This one just came back in print and is for the Swedish Mauser.
For Mosins, This one should provide enough knowledge, but there's actually a surprising amount of material online. Not many printed books on Mosins in English, sadly.
For Enfields, Ian Skennerton's book is the go-to.
And that should be enough to get you started. For any other guns, just type the gun name followed by "book" into Google and you should find what you need. And as always, the internet has plenty of it's own resources too.
https://smile.amazon.com/Mauser-Military-Rifles-World-Robert/dp/1440215448?sa-no-redirect=1
Glad to help.
Strike it rich with pocket change is also a great book if you're getting into errors and varieties.
https://www.amazon.com/Strike-Rich-Pocket-Change-Error/dp/1440235708/
Something somewhat related coins with errors you can find in your pocket change... some are pretty unnoticeable and can be worth a few dollars, while in general the more noticeable ones, if you are lucky enough to find in circulation, can be worth hundreds or thousands. If you're interested this book has a lot of the ones worth more than 25 cents listed in book (or pdf you may be able to find online)
http://www.amazon.com/Strike-It-Rich-Pocket-Change/dp/1440235708
I have coconut oil on my list but apparently it is not as weird as I thought! You can seriously use it for EVERYTHING!
As for non makeup related items:
This - because I love Beetlejuice!
This - because they are magic, really.
This - because it is awesome and sloths are my favorite.
This - because it would be majestic as hell to drink my home brew out of.
And this - because they are delicious and I can't find them anywhere anymore!
On top of all that, I have a wishlist full of rabbit supplies for my baby buns.
Edit: We all know interspecies romance is weird!
This is probably the strangest thing on my wishlist, but it's just so friggin cool lol.
http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-For-The-Recently-Deceased/dp/1482665328/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1EUAU8M5V64UP&coliid=IAALVJ1CKKCKA
Amazon
Amazon.
Wife got me this one for Christmas
http://www.amazon.ca/Handbook-For-The-Recently-Deceased/dp/1482665328
The reviews are good for a chuckle too.
Perfect companion to this book.
And this book can be yours for as little as $86 ($3k if you want a new one)
From the same author: Flashlight Fighting: How to Make Your Pocket Flashlight a Take-Anywhere Self-Defense Weapon:
http://imgur.com/R6seCSu
I'm more curious about what's in this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Flashlight-Fighting-Pocket-Take-Anywhere-Self-Defense/dp/1581605021/ref=pd_sbs_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PK2E53PW1FZKQJTFTS67
I mean you can use it as a club and to blind your enemy. But how do you fill a book with that?
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Bladesmith-Forging-Your-Perfection/dp/1581606338/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1506287194&sr=1-3&keywords=knife+making This book has almost everything you need to know to get started and then some. It helped me a lot. The author is amazingly thorough. He even covers proper anvil height and hammer use.
*Edit: grammer and spelling