(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best antiques & collectibles books

I'll echo others here, but I think it depends on what you'd like to collect. If you don't want to spend much money right now, especially if you haven't decided on what specific things you like, then searching coins from circulation - rolls from the bank, etc. - is a good way to get started (since all you spend is the face value of the coins you keep), but you may need to search a LOT of rolls before you find anything interesting. For example, I searched over $200 in half dollar rolls a few months ago - found no silver, but did find one proof that had escaped into circulation. I mentioned to the tellers that I knew what I was looking for, and they replied "so do we." Ah.

If you want to purchase coins, going to a local coin store, or meeting dealers at a show, is good, as they can help guide you to making a good purchase. If you start to specialize in particular areas, dealers can even keep an eye out for you, and put things aside. You might want to specialize in a particular series (e.g., a date run of Lincoln cents), or from a particular country, or with certain symbology (pics of animals, ships, etc.) or time period (e.g., Roman Empire - $40 will get you a nice coin that is 1700+ years old, for example - a lot of new collectors think that something that is old must be valuable/only in a museum, which isn't the case).

eBay and general Internet sites can be a good source for coins, but unless you are buying coins certified by reputable companies (PCGS, NGC predominately), from dealers that offer returns, I'd not suggest doing things this way if you are just starting out. Even if photos are decent, coins can be cleaned or otherwise impaired (so are worth less than they appear to be - you might overpay, maybe significantly, without realizing), and in one instance I had, an outright forgery (which I figured out after paying, but before it shipped, so was able to get my money back). Once you get more familiar with coins and what's out there, reasonable prices, and such, then eBay in particular can be a very good place to find things. For example, I've been collecting schillings of the Free City of Riga for a while (1563-1580). It is a very very specific collecting interest, and you just can't find them other than via eBay (out of several 100+ table shows, and multiple visits to half a dozen coin stores in driving distance, I found exactly one, but have purchased over 170 via eBay) - apparently metal detectorists in the area are finding them and selling them that way.

Lastly, I'd recommend picking up a few books so you know what is out there - what to look for and what things are worth. For one, if you are collecting US coins, the Redbook is very useful to know what is out there. If you are searching rolls, the Cherrypicker's Guide vol 1, vol 2 is handy to know what particular things to look for. The Redbook will tell you which dates are more rare/desirable, and the Cherrypicker's Guide will do the same for varieties. If you want to collect world coins, the Standard Catalog of World Coins volumes are very handy. There is one volume per century, starting in 1600. They are a bit pricey, but if you have a pile of coins that need identification, are very useful. You might be able to find these in a library, but having your own copi

Hope it helps!

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:

• A forge (these can be built surprisingly cheap if you are inclined)
  
• Coal or charcoal to fire the forge (not bricket charcoal)
  
• A smithing hammer
  
• An anvil (can be as simple as a piece of railroad)
  
• Steel (I recommend starting with 1095, railroad spikes, or rebar).
  
• A bucket of oil or water (depending on the steel) to quench the blade in.
  
• A magnet. Those ones on the long extending stick are the best. (This is for checking the heat of the steel when tempering it)
  
  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.

your dad sounds like mine, but with my dad I leave buying stuff that he likes up to him because he knows what he wants. That and a lot of stuff with sports logos on it are cheap knick knacks or gag gift things that won't really do anything except say "Hey I like this team"

Since your dad isnt too tech savvy like mine is as well, I would suggest a good wrist watch. looks good, but is tough and wont shatter if he drops it. A good watch is really the only "accessory" a man really needs. This watch here
can be used out on the golf course or any sporting event while also looking good. It's an analog watch, there's nothing digital about it. Each band is all one peice so you don't have to worry about any breaking parts or pinching. It's water resistant so if he spills any hot sauce on it there won't be any problem.

If I should be chosen I would really appreciate this gladius or this book whichever would be fantastic.

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!

Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. Regardless of whether you’re a novice or an expert, the term numismatist still applies.

The important thing is to not overwhelm yourself and try to be an expert on everything. Learning how to research and educate yourself is probably the most important lesson to learn in the beginning. I would also recommend figuring out what you’re interested in collecting and focus on learning about that. Once you’ve done that, break it down further into manageable chunks, just like you’re doing with the Seated Liberty type.

I tend to focus on a single denomination at a time. I started with small cents, learning everything I could about varieties, grading, etc. When I want to switch it up, I choose a different denomination and start the process again. So if you’re interested in building a Seated Liberty type set, continue doing what you have been, focusing specifically on learning as much as you can about the type before the show.

If you don’t already have them, here are a few books I highly recommend picking up:

Official Red Book of United States Coins
Photograde
Grading Coins by Photographs
Cherrypickers’ Guide - Vol. I
Cherrypickers’ Guide - Vol. II

These aren’t meant to be read cover to cover, but I reference them constantly.

If you’re interested in focusing on Morgan’s at some point, I would also recommend this book:

The VAM Keys

Finally, when you’re considering a purchase, I go to eBay and filter by Completed and Sold auctions to get a sense of what kind of deal I’m getting. The market fluctuates frequently and although the Red Book is a very valuable reference guide, seeing what similar coins have sold for recently is a much more accurate representation of what a fair price is at that point.

I buy coins sometimes but prefer to find them in change. Super hard to find any real valuable coins in circulation but it happens.

I buy coin folders and fill then with what I find. When I find a coin I need to fill a hole I get pretty excited. Get a state quarter book and start sorting and filling it.

If you have money to spend buy some coins that speak to you and see how you like it.

I really like my 20th century type set folder. One slot for each coin type that was made in the 1900s. Lots can be found in changer some have to be bought.

http://www.amazon.com/20th-Century-Type-Coins-Official/dp/0307090469/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1

That is an awesomely insane amount of dimes. Can you post a picture, for science?

Now, some tips from someone who has mass-sorted 10s of thousands of dimes, nickels and pennies:

1. If you're in the NYC area I will gladly help you sort them, just for numismatic joy. PM if so :D
   
2. There are only 29 years worth of mercury dimes. Buy 87 plastic cups and arrange them in a line
   
3. Label the cups after each year in 3s. For each year use "P", "D" and "S" (these are the mints).
   
4. So you should have a grid/line of cups like:
   

• (1916p) (1916d) (1916s)
  
• (1917p) (1917d) (1917s)
  
• (1918p) (1918d) (1918s)
  
• (1919p) (1919d) (1919s)
  
  ...up to 1945
  
  

5. Put on some plastic gloves, your hands are going to get very dirty.
   
6. Now, start putting the coins into each cup. For some more common dates (like the war years) you may have to resort to small buckets, or old take-out plastic food boxes.
   
   Once done:
   
   
7. Buy a "red book": http://www.amazon.com/Official-Red-Book-United-States/dp/0794836771 and check out the current merc values. It will look like an up to date version of this: http://values.hobbizine.com/mercury-dimes.html
   
8. You'll see the most valuable ones instantly and can start separating those cups from the main lot.
   
9. Anything in a non-worn condition is going to be valuable. In fact, they are all valuable. But your "super" key dates are going to be:
   

• 1916D
  
• 1921, 1921D
  
• A special 1942D where the "42" is accidentally double printed over a "41"
  
  Good luck !!!

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.

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

If you're a big fan of this radio line I recommend this great book about them;
http://www.amazon.com/Zenith-Trans-Oceanic-John-H-Bryant/dp/0764328387/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453160820&sr=8-1&keywords=zenith+transoceanic+radio
I have a H500 model and it works great, awesome sound quality. Would love to grab one the 70s/80s era models too.

Thanks brotha! I hope others get into the hobby. It would be AWESOME to see other redditors posting what they MADE and not just BOUGHT! I grew up in a lower middle class family, and my father always instilled in me to build things rather than buy them to save money, or fix things myself rather than pay someone to do the work I could do if I took a little bit of time to educate myself and learn. Also, buy this damn book: https://www.amazon.com/Beginner-Watchmaking-Build-First-Watch-ebook/dp/B004GNFJ4E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1493833543&sr=8-2&keywords=watchmaking

This book is an amazing read. It is simple. It explains things incredibly well. I have read it so many times and every little time my eyes open up to something I was confused on with a watch I was working on or something. It's dope.

On the grading part; there are three circumstances that I'd like something to be graded: to increase its value, to authenticate it or to keep it safe (for something sentimental). Unless a coin is worth 250+ I wouldn't have it graded, I'd just throw it in an air-tite and tube.

PS: I love Morgans, that is the majority of my collection... all the way from cull Morgans to MS-66. If you are serious into collecting silver dollars (Peace and Morgan) I recommend you spend $40 and purchase this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Comprehensive-Catalog-Encyclopedia-Morgan-Dollars/dp/0966016823

There exists no specific written material of tomahawk use but there have been some exploratory stuff done by bowie knife enthusiasts that match the two together. It is mostly a modern interpretation based off period sabre/cutlass drills. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Tomahawk-Illustrated-Guide-Weapons/dp/1581604416

​

Hatchet and round shield does not exist as a source. For round shield, Scottish targe is closest but even then there are precious few resources dedicated to how to use it.

​

If you are interested in axes & round shield in particular, you may find more information from reenactment or larp groups than from HEMA groups as we don't really 'do' axes unless they come in the form of a poleaxe. And even then, mostly in harness.

I was recently given a copy of Ed McGivern's Fast and Fancy Revolver shooting ($2.51 kindle edition). It's a really good read but the tips on how to have your wife hold various targets so you can shoot it out of her hand is just awesome. Safety first! You wouldn't want to shoot your her fingers off when practicing your upside-down-two-revolver technique. In all seriousness he thoroughly documents a lot of his shooting of different guns and ammo and his trick shooting is unbelievable.

That's a neat looking radio. I like it. What does the tag on the chassis look like?

It looks like someone replaced the grill cloth but aside from that it seems pretty original. I wouldn't plug it in again. There are capacitors used to filter out the 60Hz hum from the AC that dry out (electrolytic) and leak (wax) which can cause them to blow open or start on fire. Until those are replaced, applying power to it is a risky proposition. If you ever feel like taking on a project, Antique Radio Repair and Restoration is a good book if you can find it. I can't really tell from the pictures whether it still has the original shellac finish, but if it does the refinish job can be fairly easy. You can find out if it's shellac by applying a small amount of alcohol - preferably denatured alcohol from the hardware store - to an inconspicuous spot. It will dissolve the shellac and get sticky. Polyurethane won't and is also a pain to get off.

Youtube is a vast resource for almost any gun these days.

Four basic rules of gun safety:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQrlDUIZ3f0

Basic range safety and ettiquette:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COvFyw-6Fqs


How to operate an AR15:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFFN_j3WD80

How to zero it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9oXGT55cV8


How to shoot it (like a boss):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ligUEAJH25E

How to maintain it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW4DQ5QlwrA

How it works:

P1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKKQcJnMEOo

P2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VntwFqcE4-g

Development history:

Early development and current ongoing modernization
https://www.full30.com/video/9b50f8a825ab510b4c227c7b32a76bc1

A2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX5RoaYqQ04

Army approved camouflaging methods:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE_Ly61h10w

Things you should consider if your going to involve yourself in gun ownership and the greater gun community:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGYf9AZlSyU



Literature (for your library of badassery):

Owners guide:

http://www.amazon.com/NEW-AR-15-Complete-Owners-Guide/dp/1888722193/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419244413&sr=1-3&keywords=ar15

Builders guide:

http://www.amazon.com/AR-15-Complete-Assembly-Guide-Kuleck/dp/1888722126/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419244598&sr=1-4&keywords=ar15

DOD technical manual (vintage repro) A1:

http://www.amazon.com/The-M16A1-Rifle-Preventive-Maintenance/dp/1616088648/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1NXC05W604YBE436A34P

DOD technical manual A2/M4:

http://www.amazon.com/M16A2-Carbine-5-56mm-Technical-Manual/dp/1601700199/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419244734&sr=1-3&keywords=m16+manual

Another manual:

http://www.amazon.com/M16-Weapon-Gordon-Rottman/dp/1849086907/ref=sr_1_31?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419245604&sr=1-31&keywords=black+rifle

Collectors guide (early rifles):

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Rifle-Retrospective-Modern-Military/dp/0889351155/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1419245668&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=black+rifle+retrospective

Collectors guide (modernized rifles & carbines):

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Rifle-II-Into-Century/dp/0889353484/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419245763&sr=1-5&keywords=black+rifle


Wiki page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AR-15

If you decide to get into gun ownership taking a firearms safety course and getting what you need to participate in an Appleseed marksmanship clinic are good first steps into getting some hands on experience with firearms and the history of the 2nd amendment. Safety courses are held all over the place some googling will find you one in your area pretty easily they are usually fairly inexpensive. Appleseed clinics are scheduled events that are at predetermined ranges. https://www.appleseedinfo.org/ Beyond that if you choose to get an AR15 there are a lot of schools that host "Introductory Carbine Classes" designed around the AR15. They are good ways to get some hands on training but they usually require you to bring your own rifle, mags, some basic load bearing kit, and ammo. If you can afford to get into an entry level carbine class they are usually worth it. Watching youtube videos and reading some text on the stuff can be greatly useful but there is a limit to how much you can learn without getting hands on experience.

Nice radio! I like that it has a power transformer.

You should pick up a book on radio restoration. You will need to replace all of the old capacitors and resistors. Then you'll need a signal generator to align it. All that will be covered in the book.

Once you restore it, give some thought to putting up an external antenna on your roof. External antennas really help a lot - you will be surprised by how good an old AM radio can sound.

It is a shortwave and AM receiver, not a ham radio. The ham radios transmit as well as and receive.

I'd be careful of plugging it in and trying it if you don't know that it works already. Old tube radios can do a good job of killing you if they have a major problem.

Value? Yes, this radio is popular. One that works well and is in good condition can go for $200 or so. Super great condition is $300 or so. It is hard to tell from the photo since we can only see a tiny part, though I can see the faceplate isn't cracked around the screws. That happened a lot with this model. That's a good sign.

Untested and unworking, but complete? Maybe $80-$100.

The bottom line is, someone will definitely want it. It is a very cool radio with a long history. Somebody even wrote a book about them: http://www.amazon.com/Zenith-Trans-Oceanic-John-H-Bryant/dp/0764328387/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451588096&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=trans+osceanic

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.

Well, based on the condition from the photo and according the the 2012 Red Book I would say a conservative $3,000 at least. Of course the market does fluctuate... I also used the ANA Grading Standards for United States Coins: American Numismatic Association and Grading Coins by Photographs. There may be some really good online services that can help you figure out the value as well, but I don't really know of any of the top of my head...

PS- Nice photos!

I'll start with your last question. The coins were left to my brother and myself. He wants to cash out his half entirely. I'd personally love to hold on to many of the coins - although I will have to liquidate some. The idea is that we want a decent appraisal, so that we can divide the collection without just liquidating it all. It's kind of a sin to break up the half dollars though, the only ones missing are a 1794 and stuff past the 1940s. And most of them are in AU or better condition.

Most of the coins went to PCGS for your reason #2, there's a fairly big jump in value depending on the grade. The idea was that getting them slabbed would definitely increase the value more than the grading fees. Somehow I don't think a "PCGS Genuine - AU Cleaning" holder does that. In most cases, anyway- there were a few items that do fall into your category #1.

I've already picked up blue and red books. Is this the photograde that you recommend?

If you want to know more about gun slinging and revolver shooting, check out this book: https://www.amazon.com/McGiverns-Book-Fancy-Revolver-Shooting/dp/160239086X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483076483&sr=8-1&keywords=fast+and+fancy+revolver+shooting

It was written by one of the best revolver shooters of all time. He lived a little later than the "wild west" but not by much. The best revolver shooter of our time is Jerry Miculek, who currently holds several world records for speed and accuracy with a revolver, and he credits that book with getting him started down that path.

When I started over a year ago, I bought the Red Book and the Blue Book and the ASE guide.

• A Guide Book of United States Coins 2015: The Official Red Book Hardcover (Official Red Book: A Guide Book of United States Coins)
  
• Handbook of United States Coins 2015: The Official Blue Book Hardcover
  
• American Silver Eagles: A Guide to the U.S. Bullion Coin Program, 2nd Edition
  
  But it sounds like you want the Red Book. It's a general price guide to US coins.

Totally! A great book is called cherrypicker’s guide vol 2 it is full of useful errors. Finding an FS-101 for the 1976-D Bicentennial Quarter would be awesome!

Is this the book you were talking about? I put it on my Christmas list either way. Definitely looks like it will be helpful. Thanks for the recommendation.

For error/variety collecting, I'd recommend the following:

Jeweler's loupe: 15x in my mind should be fine for most major varieties and errors.

Lamp: I like a small, flexible desk lamp kind like the Ikea Jansjo.

Gloves: optional. only really necessary if you are working with high-value coins. Since most error/variety collecting comes from bank rolls, bags, etc. and has generally circulated, I don't see much of a point in gloves. In addition, gloves decrease your sense of grip which can actually lead to dropping coins MORE often.

Books: books are gear, too. I'd recommend the cherrypicker's guide. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008OAZJY0/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb

Watch making as in buying premade parts and putting them together? If so I can recommend this book. For only $15 it gives pretty good details on how to do this and I will be trying it eventually.

If you mean making all the gears and whatnot by hand than that is a whole other story.

Get, read and absorb the following:

• The Complete Modern Blacksmith
  
  
• Step by Step Knifemaking
  
  
• The Complete Bladesmith
  
  
• This one is arguable, but I've enjoyed my 1977 copy. How to Make Knives
  
  The knowledge is more important than the tools. That said, don't scrimp on the anvil, the vise and the flatter hammer.
  

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.

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!

Very cool, thank you for the follow up. To me, the tomahawk is quintessentially THE american weapon. Utilitarian and lethal. In addition, there are rudimentary examples of natives using stones as axe heads in a similar manner, before settlement when the Europeans introduced their own metallic version. I'm a fan of native american weapons.

I find mine invaluable around the camp but I also feel comfortable with it as a weapon. Theres a great pair of books if you want to learn more on how the tomahawk was historically used in combat 1 2

It's an interesting piece. Would you mind if I posted your pics elsewhere? I have a few specialty sites that may be able to shed light.

The books in question: Red Book. Blue Book. and if you are super into muffin pans by Griswold, the Yellow Book.

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.

Lots of great info in those. The yellow book should be next on your list if you like gem pans.

Nope, those are C7IURs made by Colt Canada (previously Diemaco).
Colt Canada makes rifles/carbines for Canada (LEOs & military), Iceland (ICRU), Netherlands (military), Norway (LEOs & military), Sweden (SF units), UK (LEOs & SF units), and Denmark (SF units).

As for trying to tell the difference; since the TDP for the AR platform went public, everyone and their mothers have been producing an AR to compete in both the civilian and government markets. They all look the same and generally operate the same, but they're not all made the same. Generally, ARs made for the civilian market aren't held to any standard (aside from what their makers impose), and their performance usually reflects this. Any small arms produced for a NATO country are held to a NATO standard (which involves some fairly interesting testing, I might add), as well as any other standards imposed by their destination country/military.

But, I digress... If you're looking for more info about the AR platform, I'd suggest reading The Black Rifle, and The Black Rifle II.

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

The Black Rifle: M16 Retrospective. I don't have the book at hand at the moment, so I can't give a specific page number. Here is a Loose Rounds article, the relevant paragraph is towards the end.

"Ironically, production lots of M193 Ball loaded with IMR 8208M were soon withdrawn for practice use only. Reliability problems had been discovered in a new set of performance trials conducted by the USMC at Fort Sherman7 in Panama. Part of the goals was to sort out the relative merits of Ball versus IMR powders in the reliability of the M16A1."

The "dirtyness" issue is sometimes taken as excess Calcium Carbonate in production powder, which did clog gas tubes on one particular lot with excess CaCO3. However, a year's testing was unable to find any other lots with excess CaCO3, and it's allowable amount was later reduced anyway, just to be safe.

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

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.

Thanks man. I've been watching videos online and reading a lot on the USN forums, hadn't even thought of the library - it's only a hundred yards from my house and the wife gets us all our fiction reading material from there anyways.

I just put a hold on the following at the local library:

http://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Knives-Richard-Barney/dp/087341389X/

http://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Knifemaking-Wayne-Goddard/dp/1440216843

Other recommendations?

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=

I didn't have the ISBN's handy for all of these it was easier to find Amazon links and a link to Rick Snow's site for the Indian books. These are the books on my bookshelf which aren't the common ones: (Some are hard to find.)

• Photograde: Official Photographic Grading Guide for United States Coins, 19th Edition
  
• United States Early Half Dollar Die Varieties 1794-1836, 4th Edition
  
• The Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection, 2nd Edition
  
• The Complete Guide to Barber Dimes
  
• The Complete Guide to Barber Quarters
  
• The Complete Guide to Barber Halves
  
• The Flying Eagle & Indian Cent Attribution Guide (Volumes 1-6)

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.

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

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

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0794836771/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

Or even Moby Duck.

> 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

Someone wrote a book about the whole thing. Moby-Duck

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0794842135/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_bJsGub0METX1V

For those of you not on a mobile device:

http://www.amazon.com/Official-Red-Book-United-States/dp/0794836771

I read that book!

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

Read This

The Army demanded it before the gun was ever fielded. They didn't want to lose the functionality of the reciprocating bolt handles of older rifles. It wasn't part of the original design.

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 ;-)?

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.

After reading The Fighting Tomahawk which discusses the axe from a Native American standpoint my eyes were really opened up to the versatility of the axe.

You can use the top to punch opponents, use the top edge of the blade in the opposite direction to "rake" across an enemy and give jagged wounds, you can of course slash, and probably the biggest advantage use the curved portion to catch an opponents weapon, limbs, or even shield, and redirect them.

If i recall correctly the author stated that the off balance nature of the tomahawk lent itself to either quickly killing an enemy or being thrown off balance yourself because it is a hard weapon to recover from a missed swing.