Last week I got some books on investment casting and I've had a chance to read most of the chapters so I thought I would do a quick review.

Anyone who wants to get into investment casting should definitely have these two in their library:

• Precision Investment Casting by Edwin Laird Cady (Reinhold Publishing)
  
  • Old school but very relevant, detailed treatise that answers questions instead of glossing over them or asking but leaving unanswered. The author makes sure you stop and consider what you're actually doing and what you want to achieve, giving you the right information to make informed decisions instead of getting stuck in trial & error. On top of all that, completely accessible to layperson audience.

Notably, Edwin wants you to know that this process is not for the "Tyro". True dat, if you try to treat it that way you are in for a whole lot of pain - this sets you up with the right mindset to succeed from the start, if you are doing it at all.

• Investment Casting edited by Peter R. Beeley and Robert F. Smart (the Institute of Materials)
  
  • This book has been put together by a small army of industry veterans, and you can definitely tell. The text is so tight and efficient that it practically cuts like a razor blade. Just like the other book, extremely accessible. Unlike the other one, very modern. Tons of detail, the authors really try to take you on a journey and show you all the behind-the-scenes. If you are looking for tables, fear not, you will get tables (but this book is definitely not a boring collection of tables and charts).

As for the rest of the books on that table, total garbage. Do yourself a favor and don't buy them. There was hardly a sentence worth reading.