TABLE OF CONTENTS

Thank you for reading! This book will be released in blog format over the next few months (please subscribe for updates). You can navigate chapters through the below table of contents or the forward and back arrows at the bottom of each post.

Read More
Metallurgical Theory for Mokume Gane

The layers of a mokume billet should be completely and permanently bonded into a single unit, while retaining very clearly defined color boundaries. Any third alloy formed during the bonding process from the parent metals, should be kept to an absolute minimum, so as not to blur or muddy the demarcation between the metal layers.

Read More
Steve MidgettComment
FIRING METHODS | PART TWO

I learned the basic process of Mokume-Gane from Gene and Hiroko Pijanowski in the late 1970s. We fired our billets in a traditional blacksmith's coal forge and created an oven by bricking up the edges and layering a plate of steel on top to reflect the heat back into the chamber.

Read More
Steve MidgettComment
Firing Methods | Part Three

With the advent of digital temperature-controllers, it has become possible to make mokume gane in a different fashion. Digital temperature control allows a kiln to be set to an exact temperature and held at that point, plus or minus a couple of degrees.

Read More
Firing Methods | Part Four

As discussed earlier in this book, there are some inherent problems associated with soldered mokume but, the familiarity of the techniques used to produce it, and minimal prep time, make this technique an attractive way to start.

Read More
Steve MidgettComment
From Billet to Sheet

The first thing to do with the rough billet is to gently forge it. You should reduce the thickness by about 15% of its original size. This helps to reduce the size of the internal grain structure and will make rolling out the billet much easier.

Read More
Steve MidgettComment
Patterning

In this chapter the basic patterning techniques are discussed. Use these as starting points for developing patterns unique to your own work. You can, of course, combine these techniques to fine-tune your control, and to enhance the pattern according to your every whim.

Read More
Steve MidgettComment
Finishing Techniques

Putting the final finish on a piece of mokume gane is one of the most exciting parts of the process. It is only after all your labors to create the show stopper, the prize winner, the grant getter, that you will finally see it in all its true splendor…

Read More
Steve MidgettComment