This is a hands on course designed for the person who wants to start with blacksmithing or knife making as a hobby or small business. We will be covering all aspects of setting up your workshop and a grounding in the basic smithing skills. We will also cover how to avoid some of the pitfalls and how to not waste money on unnecessary equipment. A bare bones workshop set up that will get the job done and get you started.

The first night is a basic introduction, getting to know me and my workshop, OH & S and details of the days to come. Also to establish your motivations so we can ensure to focus on relevant aspects.

The next day begins with a hands on workshop breakdown; learning how all the equipment and tools work including how to build them or where to source them and a comprehensive materials overview.  After that you will be on the tools, including angle grinder and bench grinder and starting some practical smithing skills on the gas forge.

The final day we really get stuck into the forging using the coke forge, fly press and any other tools we can find! We will be working through different hammer techniques, hot cutting, punching, drifting, as well as basic arc and forge welding. By the end of the course you will have made some of the simple tools to take home with you that you will need to begin forging your own path.(Pun intended)