What is a good book on all the different kinds of oil painting supports and how to prepare them?

I found one book called ';The Oil Painting Book: Techniques and Materials for Today's Artists'; but it just kind of touches on the different supports and how to prepare them, its not really a step by step guide like I'm wanting.





I would like it to include preparing metal surfaces like copper, and aluminum and painting on wood panels as well as fabric covered wood panels.





Thank you guys!What is a good book on all the different kinds of oil painting supports and how to prepare them?
First, avoid Ralph Mayer's The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques. Mayer was often more interested in dominating the market than providing accurate information. The book contains some misinformation designed to undercut his contemporaries, namely Frederick Taubes and also Jacques Maroger.





Two superior books are highly recommended:








The Painter's Handbook: Revised and Expanded


by Mark David Gottsegen


http://www.amazon.com/Painters-Handbook-鈥?/a>





Not just another guide to artist's materials, this amazingly thorough resource also presents techniques for using them and recipes for making them. Whatever you need to know about any medium and its accessories, you're sure to find the information in these pages, along with the most current data on health hazards and safety procedures in the studio.





The first part of the book offers complete details on the vast array of materials available to the artist, including canvases and papers, sizes and grounds, pigments and binders, solvents and thinners, varnishes and preservatives . Then separate chapters are devoted to each painting medium鈥攊ts composition, characteristics, and methods of application.








The Painter in Oil


by Daniel Burleigh Parkhurst


http://www.amazon.com/Painter-Oil-Daniel鈥?/a>





This four-part treatment encompasses materials, general principles, technical principles, and practical applications. Topics include canvases, easels, brushes, paints, and other tools; attitudes and originality; drawing, perspective, light and shade, composition, and color; and sketching, still lifes, flowers, portraits, landscapes, and figures. 64 illustrations enhance this informative manual.