Metalwork for Craftsmen by Emil F. Kronquist (review)

Books 375 were also represented, although to a much lesser degree. Then came the rise of new sports, particularly cricket and then golf, and in the early 19th century came the passion for driving vehicles. Some of the finest examples of Sporting Art are of stage-coaches, which came with the construction of tolerable roads. Sporting Art is an epitome of the social life of the English squirearchy over two centuries. Without it this aspect of English life would be difficult to understand. The author’s text is scholarly and informative and the plates, many in colour, are numerous and beautifully reproduced. The price, when all this is considered, is very reasonable for so handsome a book. Metalwork for Craftsmen. Emil F. Kronquist. Dover, New York, 1973. 202 pp., illus. $2.50. Reviewed by Harold Cousins* It is with a certain trepidation that I open books on crafts written by craftsmen. I am never sure whether they will be oversweet ‘artsy-crafty’, do-it-yourself or highly technical pompous tomes. Whereas these approaches may do something for the ego of a writer, they offer little to a reader seeking information. I am happy to say that this book is an excellent handbook that is clearly presented, easily read and well-illustrated . The text is in large type on pages opposite the explanatory drawings. The book is designed for handy use in a studio or workshop. The author is too modest, for he underestimates his book‘s value to others than hobbyists, especially to artists who work with metals. The first section opens with an illustration of 21 basic tools. This is followed by methods of cutting and treating metals-for example, annealing to soften metal and pickling to remove the oxide scale thereby formed. The subsequent pages describe various methods of forming materials by hammering and bending. Different types of soldering and welding are explained and, further on, methods are described for constructing special kinds of equipment that are often needed in metalwork. The rest of the book is concerned largely with specific construction techniques, starting with simple coasters and ending with complicated Roman lamp lighters. The concluding pages describe how to finish and color metal. A glossary of terms is provided and there is a useful index. Metalworkers will find this book a valuable addition to their bookshelves. Experimental Techniques in Enameling. Fred Ball. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1972. 141 pp., illus. $9.95. Reviewed by Edward Winter** During the past 44 years, hundreds of articles and dozens of books have been published on enameling metals, causing the craft to become very popular in the U.S.A. and interest in it is growing in other countries. The book by Ball deals with variations of techniques developed by other craftsmen. I find that his experience with pottery, clay and glazes does not qualify him as an authority on the enameling of metals. He has no new approaches to propose and the works illustrated lack technical excellence. He describes the trick of obtaining ‘happy accidents’ with liquid enamels (combining colors with white) but I find that few of the accidental results are happy ones. The line drawings shown are amateurish as are the graffito enamel drawings on flat tile and trays. The processes of applying white enamel to leaves or to paper towelling and then pressing them into copper surfaces and metal foil pressed on milk cartons and bowls, supposedly to be enameled and fired, are unacceptable. The author does not explain how to successfullyrepeat a design nor does he deal with plain transparent surfaces. *46 Place du Chltelain, Brussels 5, Belgium. **University Circle, 11020 Magnolia Drive, Cleveland, OH 44106, U.S.A. Students would find it difficult to know how to start learning the craft as essential tools and equipment are not discussed. No firing operations are mentioned, except for the use of a torch. While the book is beautiful in format, its contents has a hurried look, possibly due to the demands of a publisher anxious to compete with other available books on the subject. It is unfortunate that the book has so little in it that is new and that what it does contain does not...