Stay tuned, I’ll be posting the whole book on the site chapter by chapter over the coming weeks.        
Click each thumbnail for bigger.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a free e-book for download, so here’s a real good one - submitted by our friend Gazza - for you to sink your teeth into. Hailing from the year 1898 and dubbed “Modern Letter Engraving”, this is a sweet romp though the skill of metal engraving (in case you couldn’t tell by the title). While its filigree and ornate lettering were never intented for the hardcore, D.I.Y bike builder, few things can give a bike some real “oh wow” factor as some well done, tasteful engraving. Good stuff, many thanks to Gazza for sending it in.

To download the PDF file, click the following link: Modern Metal Engraving

To learn more about our free ebook series, go here
And to see other free eBooks that have been posted, go here

The folks at Caswell put together this pretty solid overview on the basics of metal polishing. Obviously a good marketing tool for them to sell more products, but the info is legit and I like it when I see a company trying to educate their customer instead of trying to pull a fast one on them. If the ins & outs of metal polishing seem like black magic to you, click the image below to download the PDF and get up to speed.

Here’s a quick download for you that goes through the basics of motorcycle fuel systems, specifically carburetors. Great for the greenhorn or old timer who needs a refresher. Click the image below to download the pdf.

Another free book for you cats to download, this one’s called Elementary Metal Work. More along the craftsman / artisan line of things, but as always, there are good things to pick up and take away that you could apply to bike building.

To download the PDF file, click the following link: Elementary Metal Work

To learn more about our free ebook series, go here
And to see other free eBooks that have been posted, go here

I’ll admit to not really reading through this latest ebook, but the subject falls perfectly inline with the D.I.Y. Knucklebuster attitude, so I figured I’d post it. I’m not sure how often you’re going to need to know how to color metal and bronzing, but when you do, you’ll have this book to help you through. Granted, this book is from the late 1800s and new techniques have been developed BUT as always, there is plenty of good knowledge to pick up within these pages. Plus, who says the new techniques are better than the old ones? They might be easier, but is the final product actually better? I’m not sure, but there are plenty of examples of craftsmanship that have lasted the test of time. Anyway, enough rambling…

To download the PDF file, click the following link: Metal Coloring and Bronzing

To learn more about our free ebook series, go here
And to see other free eBooks that have been posted, go here

The latest in our free e-book series, this little ditty is a great basic overview of a wide range of metal working tools and techniques. Checking in from the year 1903, it’s definitely an introduction, so it’s perfect for you newbs, but also a lot of great tips and history of how things used to be done for you guys who’ve been around the block a few times.

To download the PDF file, click the following link: Basic Metal Working Manual

To learn more about our free ebook series, go here
And to see other free eBooks that have been posted, go here

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a free e-book for you cats to download, so it’s time to start that tradition back up again. I’ve got my greasy paws on a handful of “new” old books for you guys to dig into. Not sure about you, but I love reading through this old stuff. Not only to pick up tips and tricks from days of yore, but also to get a better understanding and sense of history into these crafts - from welding to machining to general metal work and casting - evolved through time. A great way to get the most of out these books is to print them out, then three hole punch them and put them in a 3-ring binder. Then you can carry it with ya whenever you know your going to have some down time (waiting at an airport, sitting on the can, going to the in-laws house… etc). Reading them on the computer kind of blows, to really get the most out of the books, I think printing them is the way to go.

For this installment I’ve got the Metal Turners Handy Book by P.N. Hasluck. This one is all about different types of lathes, the accompanying tooling, uses, etc. Tons of pics and stacks of info and generally an easy read.

To download the PDF file, click the following link: The Metal Turner’s Handybook

To learn more about our free ebook series, go here
And to see other free eBooks that have been posted, go here

This latest free ebook - The American Machinist Handbook & Dictionary - is so dense with info, I had to break it into 3 files. This is the 3rd and last installment, the other installments can be found here

Click the link to download: American Machinist Handbook & Dictionary

To learn more about our free ebook series, go here

This latest free ebook - The American Machinist Handbook & Dictionary - is so dense with info, I had to break it into 3 files. This is the second installment, the other installments can be found here

Click the link to download: American Machinist Handbook & Dictionary

To learn more about our free ebook series, go here

This latest free ebook - The American Machinist Handbook & Dictionary - is so dense with info, I had to break it into 3 files. The whole book is over 600 pages, so you’re getting the first 225 this time around. The remaining segments will be posted soon.

Click the link to download: American Machinist Handbook & Dictionary

To learn more about our free ebook series, go here
And to see other free eBooks that have been posted, go here

Ok chumly, we’ve got another free e-book for gearheads coming your way. It’s dubbed “Modern Toolmaking Methods” and that would be “modern” for 1915. Lots of really cool knowledge being dropped in this one… it’s one of my favorites so far. Dig in and get schooled

Click the link to download: Modern Toolmaking Methods

Here’s another free eBook for you to download as part of our “Old books for backyard motorcycle builders” series.
I’ve posted a book about Oxy-Acetylene Welding before, but I’m a book nerd, so more is always better in that regard. Straight out of 1919 comes Lorn Campbell Jr. with his Oxy-Acetylene Welding Manual. Get schooled chappy.

Click the link to download: Oxy-Acetylene Welding Manual PDF

Here’s another free e-book for you to download as part of our “Old books for backyard motorcycle builders” series.
From the year 1909 is this little ditty called Foundry Practices and it’s all about metal casting and molding.

Click the link to download: Metal Casting e-Book

To learn more about our free ebook series, go here
And to see other free eBooks that have been posted, go here

Here’s another free eBook for you to download as part of our “Old books for backyard motorcycle builders” series.
Checking in from the year 1914 is 222 pages of Welding enlightenment. The quality is dodgy in a few places, but still a lot of great info to soak up, and hey it’s free, so you’ve got nothing to lose.

Click the link to download: Welding e-Book

Here’s another tasty old book for you to download. Chiming in from from the year 1874 is “The Amateur Mechanic’s Workshop”, which is dubbed “A treatise containing plain and concise directions for the manipulation of wood and metals, including casting, forging, brazing, soldering and carpentry”. Well alright cat, get your learn on.
Click to download: The Amateur Mechanic’s Workshop
(Photo: Anthony Hopkins as Burt Monroe, the quintessential “amateur” mechanic)

I am an information junkie. When it comes to anything I’m interested in, I want to know everything about it. I’m constantly on the search for new information, new ways to learn things, the history behind how this became that and why it works that way. So I’m always on the search for cheap or free ways to get my hands on that info, which is one of the reasons I spend so much time scouring and searching the web. For an information junkie, it is the promised land.

Recently, I’ve come across a huge stash of old books in PDF format, that I believe provide a huge amount of insight and knowledge to the backyard, do it yourself bike builder. These books cover things like Oxy Acetylene welding, metal casting, the use of specific handtools and much more. The books are old - from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, which you might think makes them outdated - I think it makes them even cooler. While time, and technology may have evolved new techniques, possibly even better techniques - it does not make the methods that were done in the past any less effective. Having recently returned from Europe and being surrounded by homes and buildings that have been standing for 400+ years reinforced that belief in me. Just because methods and practices may have evolved, doesn’t mean the old way of doing things was wrong - it also doesn’t always mean the new way of doing things is better. But that discussion is for another day (or the comments section of this post…)

Part of the fun of learning something is being able to share it with someone who has the same passion for it as you do. So over the course of the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting these books to the site so that you can download them yourself. Hopefully you’ll learn something from them, maybe it will even help you solve a problem or figure out a better way to do something with your current build - if nothing less, I think you’d find it an interesting read from a historic prospective.

So the first book up is an old ditty from 1918 - Oxy-Acetylene Welding Practice by Robert Kehl. As the title pages says its “A practical presentation of the modern processes of welding, cutting and lead burning, with special attention to welding technique for steel, cast iron, aluminum, copper, and brass.” Bitchin.

And it’s all yours for free - just click the thumbnail below to download the PDF.
Be on the look out for more books to be posted in the coming weeks.

I love the internet because with a little effort you stumble across things like this: the U.S Army’s Lathe Operation Manual for machinist. I’m a knowledge junkie, especially with anything that is or could be related to bike building, so coming across this kind of stuff (for free!) gets me psyched. Hopefully by sharing it here I make it a little easier for some folks to dig their teeth into. So for all you D.I.Y junkies here is something meaty to chew on. Enjoy.

Click to download: U.S Army Lathe Operation Manual