Customer Reviews

Complete Metalsmith: Professional Edition

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've had and used McCreight's original "Complete Metalsmith" for years and wasn't sure I needed the new version. After owning it for several months now I couldn't be happier. The author assumes that the reader is as interested in WHY things happen as he is. This is not a step-by-step project book, but a bench tool. Do you need to know how to score metal to make a sharp corner? How can you tell when a piece of metal is annealed? Have you been bezel setting stones and are now ready to advance to a prong setting? Ready to make a hinge? Casting? Fusing? Repoussé? Need to know what the Precious Metal Clay craze is about and how to start? It's all in here and the information is presented in a format made for the beginner or the experienced jeweler. He even covers how to photograph your work.

I love that McCreight shows several ways of doing things so that if you don't have the equipment or tools, you can still proceed. In his typical style, the author has thought of everything. He's even made a smaller and less expensive version of the book for the "starving artists" and students among us.

I have the version with the CD and use the software on my Palm regularly in my metalsmithing classes.

This book is a worthy successor to the old version and should become as much a classic.

This new "pro" edition of The Complete Metalsmith is everything you would expect it to be. Detailed, accurate, and filled with many useful diagrams. It is a significant improvement over the regular edition in terms of topic depth and scope.

The hard covers are nice and the elastic tie to keep the book closed (and any loose notes you've accumulated inside) is a really nice addition. I'm not a big fan of spiral binding -- I'm sure it's the only way to make a thick reference that will lay flat on the workbench, but the spiral binding makes the pages difficult to turn.

If you're a jewelry professional, the pro edition is definitely the way to go. If you're a beginner, the regular edition is probably sufficient (and $15 less).

It is with the highest recommendation that I encourage any metalsmith, be they beginner or advanced, to have this book on hand. It is chalk full to the brim with resourceful information, much of which can be used on a daily basis. I had the priviledge of learning under Tim McCreight's instruction at MECA for 4 years, and learned so much from him. He is a great teacher, but an even better book designer and author. This revised version of the original Complete Metalsmith has not only refreshed my memory of various techniques and how to do them, but it has also introduced me to many new ones, and best of all, many home-made systems to achieve certain results that normally require specific equiptment. Each time I open this book, I am inspired immediately to go try this or that. There is so much to this book that I couldn't adequately describe it in detail, except to say that if you're looking for a comprehensive and thorough guide to the craft/art of metalsmithing, this is a must-have book! Enjoy

A great wealth of information on metal working. There is a technical discussion about the physical properties of various metals, what makes them soft or hard, alloys, melting points, etc. Information on electroplating, shaping metals, joining metals, welding, casting, etching, patinizing. There are many arts and techniques introduced, such as wire pulling and metal clays. This book would be particularly useful to someone interested in metal sculpture or jewelry making. A nice reference book.

This book is a wonderful overview of most of the techniques of metalsmithing. The professional edition is sturdier for the most part than the older edition the book is designed to lat flat on the bench it is obvious it was designed by someone who designs functional objects for a living. It is the first book I recommend to anyone getting into metal work, from blacksmithing to jewelry making. It is a definite must-have and a classic of its kind. This said, if you get into any one technique more, specialty books are helpful, but this is the best overview out there. I don't give five stars often but this was wonderful.

Pros: This text covers alot of techniques, has a good intro into metallurgy, and it has a great appendix.

Cons: There are no photos, all of the illustrations are drawn so it makes it hard to really understand how to perform some of the techniques. Also, since the text covers so many different things it usually only devotes one or two pages for each technique.

Overall, it is a good book to introduce you to techniques, but for the most part it does not go into enough detail to reproduce them. If it had photos rather than drawings it would be close to perfect.

This book has been very helpful to me in my jewelry-making course. The explanations are generally clear and Mr. McCreight covers a wide variety of topics. I've bought several books on metalsmithing, but this is the one I go to first to familiarize myself with a new technique before trying it out. I wouldn't want to use this book to teach myself metalsmithing; some explanations that seem very clear in the comfort of your study turn out to be just a bit terse when you're at your bench alone with the book and a lump of metal that resists becoming a piece of jewelry. But with the help of a teacher who can fill in the gaps, this book is very useful indeed.

My decision to award this book four stars is due mainly to flaws in the tables at its end. For instance, one table reports that the number of Troy ounces in a Troy pound is the same as the number of Troy ounces in a pound avoirdupois, a bit over 14. Another tells us that the conversion factor for going from 18kt gold to platinum (how much more the same volume of platinum will weigh) is the same as the conversion factor for going from silver to platinum, about 2.06, thus wrongly telling us that silver and 18kt gold have the same density. Those are just the errors I caught as I casually looked over the tables. They shake my confidence in the other numbers provided and convince me I'd better get out my calculator and my CRC manual to verify those tables before relying on them.

Tables like these are usually taken from other sources and compiled by assistants, so I expect those errors are errors either of transcription or in the source material. In the area in which he's expert, metal smithing, Mr. McCreight has been a sure teacher who hasn't led me astray. It would be a very good idea, however, for someone to fix those tables. They do reduce confidence in an otherwise excellent book. Pictures and more illustrations would really help clarify some of the explanations in the text.

This is the best introductory metalsmithing reference book that I have come across so far. McCreight uses basic language and simple images to build understanding of everything from tools to wax casting and includes useful element facts from melting point to purity expectation in an accessible way. The Complete Metalsmith works well as in establishing the base steps for projects and is a essential tool in my little workshop.

The Good: Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight is an excellent basic text for the beginner jewelry maker. Overall it should probably be purchased by every hobbyist with an interest in working with metal in jewelry making.

The Bad: Too much subject matter is condensed to a single page or even a single paragraph. Topics such as gold leaf and its application and enameling are much more complex than the single page definitions Mr. McCreight offers his readers.

The Ugly: Because metal smithing goes beyond the simple jewelry making techniques and methods described in this book, Mr. McCreight chose a very misleading title for this book. Additionally many of the methods and techniques described fit better in a basement crafter's arsenal than in a professional metal smith's shop.

There are a lot of great books on the market for metalsmiths and jewelry makers but this is one of the best. If you are going to buy one book, make this the one. Even if you are going to buy a bunch of books, this is the perfect first one.

The Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight is the bible for metalworking. It is written as a technical reference book covering physical properties of different metals, basic instructions for almost every jewelry making technique imaginable, and even great extras like basic plans for a jeweler's bench that can easily be modified to fit your space and needs. Just about every tool and piece of equipment imaginable is covered with a good description of basic use and an illustrations. Issues of safety are also thoroughly covered.

This is not a pretty book full of full color glossy photos. It is not a detailed project book. But it is a great reference book for your bench. If you need simple basic instructions on any technique or tool, it's a great place to look. Tim McCreight is one of the leading authorities on metalsmithing and jewelry making in the country (maybe in the world), so his instructions are accurate and easy to follow.

This book is designed to be used at the bench. The hard cover is covered in a very durable canvas-like material. It has a heavy spiral binding enabling it to lay flat on the work bench.

This is definitely the best first book for your collection if you are just learning metal working and jewelry making. Even if you have been at it for a while, it is a great book to have in your collection for when you want to expand into a new technique.

Definitely a must have!