Nicholas Wicks – författare

Forge smarter, not harder. This modern guide to blacksmithing provides the practical systems, techniques, and mindset you need to master your craft. Blacksmithing is one of humanity’s oldest trades—and one of its most adaptable. In The Master Blacksmith, Nicholas Wicks offers an unprecedented look at blacksmithing as a modern production practice, merging centuries-old techniques with lessons drawn from manufacturing and design.Rather than treating blacksmithing as an isolated art, Wicks approaches the forge as an evolving system: a workshop where time, heat, and material must be managed as efficiently as any industrial process. He will teach you how to think in heats, optimize tool setups, and apply “shop ecology” principles to eliminate waste and increase consistency.Part philosophy, part manual, and part toolkit, the book covers:The science of heat and time in forgingThe economics of handmade value in a mechanized worldSystems thinking for workshop managementTool- and jig-making for repeatable productionDesign strategies for scaling handmade workThroughout, Wicks balances technical expertise with a craftsman’s sensibility. He shows that “production” and “handmade” need not be opposing ideals—one can build sustainable business practices while preserving the integrity of craft.From hobbyists scaling up to professionals refining their workflow, The Master Blacksmith provides a new model for the twenty-first-century smith: informed by tradition, grounded in efficiency, and focused on longevity.Expertly written, beautifully illustrated, and deeply practical, this book reframes blacksmithing as a craft of systems—a field where every heat counts, every tool has a purpose, and every hammer blow is part of a larger rhythm.

The Everyday Blacksmith is your essential reference for learning how to make items you’ll use everyday: tools, hardware, utensils, decorative objects, and more. Get great techniques and tips for hand forging, and discover projects contributed by leading blacksmiths from around the world, each featuring plenty of opportunity for variation.Modern smiths can use the first section of The Everyday Blacksmith as a reference for shop basics: safety tips, equipment, and techniques like spreading, using a chisel, twisting, and finishing pieces. These basics are incorporated through a series of distinctive projects that include a bookmark, spoon, and leaf fob.The second section of the book features a diverse array of essential step-by-step blacksmith projects, which are arranged by category and difficulty. Projects include accessible techniques, functional designs, and diverse styles.Among the techniques and projects you’ll discover are:How to heat treat high-carbon steelsMethods for making curved bookendsInstructions for creating decorative functional pieces such as a towel rack and napkin ringsHow to make unique jewelry and jewelry display itemsIdeas for creating basic hardware, including latches and hingesFor centuries, blacksmiths were the craftsmen and artists who worked society’s most important material—iron. Blacksmiths were not only a fixture in their community, they helped shape that community through their particular methods of making the hinges, hooks, brackets, and tools their neighbors used every day. Blacksmithing today is enjoying a resurgence. No amount of technical perfection replaces the feeling of picking up a hand-forged object, knowing that it was shaped by someone’s creativity and physical effort. Celebrate that individuality with The Everyday Blacksmith.