About the Course
This course will provide a sound understanding of basic blacksmith skills and tools. Participants will be guided through a series of hands-on lessons that culminate in knowledge of how to move and form hot steel with hammer and anvil. All work produced is yours to take home.
Outcomes of the Course
shop safety
ergonomic hammer techniques
start and maintain a coal fire
forging techniques: draw down, upset, hot cut, fuller, swage, punch, drift, forge weld
scrapyard steel identification
Your Instructor:
M. Craig Campbell
"You create because you have to create. You like the feel of metal, you like the potential in metal. You like simplicity in your designs because the metal itself has something to say. You like the noise, the smells, the fire, and the weight of what you do. You like to open the doors and let people wander in. You like to talk about what you do. You never tire of telling people about the material, techniques, joinery and finishes. You like to teach. You want to learn."
Craig began blacksmithing in 1992 at the Western Development Museum in Saskatoon. A hobby that became a passion and then a career, blacksmithing has taken Craig across Canada and across oceans. Craig’s focus as a contemporary artistic blacksmith is on sculpture, furniture and architectural commissions. He describes his design aesthetic as industrial minimalism.
Prerequisites
Prerequisites:
- good physical health
- an easy comfort with hand tools and fire.
What You Need To Bring
leather and cotton clothing (no synthetics)
leather footwear
safety eyewear
hearing protection
hat or bandanna (optional)
thermal mug / water bottle
note/sketch book
BYOB
What Is Provided
metal
coal forges
blacksmith coal
anvils on stands
leg/post vises
swage block
several tongs
2 slack tubs
several chisels and punches, swages and fullers
soap stone markers
wire brushes
hack saws
hammers