Forge Work

"Forge Work" by William L. (William Lewis) Ilgen, is a how-to guide for learning the old art of blacksmithing. The book teaches students and teachers about what's needed to work with metal, describing the tools, how to use them, and practice exercises, and gets into tools and materials, and the methods for shaping metal. The beginning of the book gives an overview of the basics of forge work, covering what makes up a forge, including the fire, instruments, fuels, anvils, and hammers. Also, it talks about why certain tools, like tongs are important and the manual training needed for blacksmithing. It aims to give readers the knowledge of blacksmithing's basic ideas so they can understand more complex material.