Making nails has been one the oldest forms of Blacksmithing for centuries. It is usually the first task of any apprentice to learn the basics skills necessary toward becoming a blacksmith.
This course does not require a lot of strength nor skill-set prior to the class. For these reasons it is the perfect starting lesson for those wanting to try their hand at some old fashioned Blacksmithing. This course will teach students the proper terms, techniques, and protocols required to successfully create usable nails. For anyone looking to get a basic understanding of Blacksmithing, this is the course for you.
About the Instructor: This class is taught by Kenneth of Fire & Brimstone Forge.
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class, however minors must be accompanied by an adult.
What to wear: At RMM, you must dress safely and appropriately. Arrive for class in all-natural fiber clothing (100% cotton), long pants, and closed-toe, closed-heel shoes with socks that protect up to the ankle. Long hair must be tied back. Nylon, polyester, spandex, or other synthetics are not allowed around machines, equipment, or processes that can produce hot fragments, sparks, or flames. Additional protective gear will be provided as needed.
Please review our Refund and Cancellation Policy.
In this class students will forge a small knife out of a piece of solid stock metal. This lesson will cover material foresight, design vs functionality, and will briefly hit upon types of metal and tempering techniques. The task used to create this knife will involve drawing- stretching out metal in a linear direction, forging out a bevel using hammer control, cutting, and sharpening. This class will involve the challenge of utilizing tongs and will introduce the methods necessary to handle the metal quickly and efficiently. Though this is an intermediate class, no previous knowledge is necessary to take this class. Work level is light to moderate.
In this class students will forge high carbon steel hammer heads into an axe head. Students will be tasked with using the shop press, fitting a wooden handle, and honing an edge. Planning and preparation are key factors utilized in creating a functional piece. With that said, the head of the axe will have to fit a standard axe handle. After completing the forging, students will then proceed to refine and sharpen their axe by grinding, filing, and sanding as needed
Task involved - (shaping, assembly, measuring, marking, utilizing the press, hammering, fitting, gluing, and temp control)
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
Learn how to forge a knife out of a railroad spike!
This is the perfect class to learn one of the basics of knives-making: balancing durability and hardness of the metal to make the perfect blade.
Students will utilize a high carbon railroad spike and learn methods that induce carbon into the metal while also learning how to temper in a process called normalization. The metal will then posses both features of a durable and hard metal that is ideal for knives.
As far as knives are concerned, the harder the steel, the better the edge, however, the harder edge makes for a brittle knife. A balance is needed between the soft flexible metal and the hard brittle metal to achieve a knife that will hold an edge without breaking. In this class more techniques for blade smithing will be covered, including various heat treatments, tapering, and tempering methods used to maximize strength with durability.
This is it, the ultimate blacksmith class, forging a real sword from scratch! The sword is perhaps one of the most commonly associated items produced by a blacksmith. For thousands of years this tool has helped shape the world and conquered nations, even today it is still romanticize through literature and entertainment. Within this class, students will follow along with the professor and will challenge students to use their skills in the construction of a historically accurate sword. Students will create every piece from start to finish with all the tools and supplies they will need at their disposal. In part I of the class, Students will start by forming the basic shape of the sword, followed by forging the hilt which include components such as the handle, pommel, and cross guard and various hardware in part II. In part III students will work on crafting the handle working with leather and woods and perhaps horn, bone, antler, or ivory- then working on fitting everything. Finally at part IV the blade and components will go through various final heat treatments and acid washes before being put together as a final piece. This course is an advanced lesson involving more work due to its larger size and multiple step process. It is strongly recommended that those wanting to take the class first consider attending a knife course prior to this class so that it’s understood what to expect when making a sword.
NOTE: Forging a Sword is a 3 day course. This class will require students to meet at the very least on four separate days with the professor. It will be important to use the time between classes meetings for some out of class work. As such students will have access to the shop during Red Mountain Makers regularity scheduled hours of operation between meetups. It is strongly recommended that this extra time is utilized to refine work that time will prohibit during class. As a bonus, One month free access to the shop will be granted after class resolves!
Task involved - (drawing/stretching, measuring, hammering, beveling, forming, bending, cutting, penning, woodworking, filing, slitting, punching, grinding, sanding, sharpening, assembling, burn fitting, fluting, carving, oil quenching, normalization, tempering, heat bluing, oiling, this is it, the ultimate blacksmith class!
Homework- continue to refine by rough grinding and sanding the shape to the set parameters.
About the Instructor: Classes taught by Kenneth of Fire & Brimstone Forge
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class. Please read carefully the disclaimers and guidelines
What to wear: At RMM, you must dress safely and appropriately. Arrive for class in all-natural fiber clothing (100% cotton), long pants, and closed-toe, closed-heel shoes with socks that protect up to the ankle. Long hair must be tied back. Nylon, polyester, spandex, or other synthetics are not allowed around machines, equipment, or processes that can produce hot fragments, sparks, or flames. Additional protective gear will be provided as needed. The CDC has a guide to acceptable cloth masks that help prevent the spread of infection.
This class will introduce the process of annealing and working nonferrous metals as opposed to ferrous or “iron bearing” metals. In the first half of class students will construct a steel cloak pin primarily using the forge and horn of the anvil with various forming techniques to create decorative twist and patterns to successfully form and fit two pieces together. In the second half of class students will construct a woven copper bracelet utilizing a torch to soften the metal in a process called “annealing” to easily form decorative twist and weave the metal. Students will be shown how to use tongs, measure, and cut their own metal. No prior classes or prerequisites are required to take this class.
About the Instructor: Class is taught by Kenneth of Fire & Brimstone Forge
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class. Minors must be accompanied by an adult
Cancellations: Please see our cancellation and rescheduling policy here.
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