Welder's Handbook: A Guide to Plasma Cutting, Oxyacetylene, ARC, MIG and TIG Welding, Revised and Updated Paperback – February 21, 2007

This is a 2007 update of Finch's 1997 classic by the same name. It is also important to note that this is the 3rd Edition of this book, which says a lot about the "staying power" of information in the book and Mr. Finch's ability to convey the knowledge he has. I have know of Richard Finch, his writings, and works for over 30 years now (more from the experimental aviation movement than anything else) & have found him to be an authority on the topics for which he writes. Not surprising since he is both a trained engineer and certified welder. The book is described as a "guide" & that is the best way to think about it. It is not so much a "how to" text as a text that lets the novice know what is possible now in the world of metal fabrication, and the amateur welder with limited experience (or only knowledge of one method of welding) be able to self-transition into the other methods of welding. There are numerous very clear, crisp and explanatory photos, as well as diagrams & charts with the only drawback being that they are all in B&W. Of additional value, the are frequent photos of completed projects/jobs that are reference in the text - including a SCCA race car Mr. Finch campaigned which had a tube frame that was completely joined only by gas brazing (Page 85). The general thrust of the book is toward automotive applications, but there are also examples from aviation and even marine fabrication. He includes a chapter on various useful smallish projects that can be used to practice one's welding skills. Though this is now a 10 year old edition, it is my understanding that Mr. Finch has passed and as such we can't expect any new edition coming out, though this book was usually updated about every 10 years. While the mention of recent advances in welding will become dated, much of the other information in the book gained by Mr. Finch over the course of his career will become more valuable, such as when to use brazing in auto restoration (especially if you don't have a donor car to cannibalize) - see page 80-81. He also covers several other potentially "lost techniques" such as Oxyhydrogen welding of aluminum, something that may be of interest to some readers who are already proficient with gas & don't want to dish out money for a MIG welder. If you have any interest in welding, buying this book will not be a waste of time or money & it will be a reference you will keep for quite some time in your welding library - I know I have all three editions and intend to keep them all for the rest of my time in welding! RIP Richard Finch.

I bought this book to act as a refresher for welding. Out of the trade for 20 years and used welding as a fall back career. Excellent descriptions and photos of do's and don'ts. Helped me gain confidence to do my test weld two weeks later at my job application. Now I'm back full time welding and fabricating making a good income. I've always Love to weld and am happy to be back in it.

As a beginner welder, this book was a life saver! I learned so much and the book was hard to put down, from start to finish! I cannot say anything negative on this product! It was an easy read, full of amazing information, and I'm grateful it was recommended to us by our welding instructor.

I like this book but be aware that the focus tends to be on welding chromoly tubing (airplane frames, bicycles, roll bars/cages). This is not a textbook but a good starting point to get you from zero to beginner welder. I think the tips around chromoly welding are good.

If you are (or want to be) a skilled welder in all areas, this is a great handbook. It covers most aspects of the craft. I especially like its treatment of Plasma Cutting and TIG.

This book covers many areas of welding. It covers a lot of associated information as well . Although it is hard to get all the information in one book, this book does a good job covering many details.

Just a very general outline about welding processes,especially off was his recommendation that the reader learn to Oxy-Acetlene weld first as a primer to doing any other types of welding. If you have any welding lnowledge pass on this book.I have 10+ years of MIG experiance and bought this book for insite on a new TIG welder that I just bought, but it really had no information that you could not get off U-Tube for free.

I set out to learn a little about welding. I didn't need an intense course on the matter and just wanted to get some general concepts of the technique. From the first few chapters, I was able to see that the author was knowledgeable about the subject and that the reading was easy to comprehend. For me the book offered more than what I needed from it, so it's worth the 5 stars.