G3 Blacksmithing Class Descriptions

Class Descriptions

2 Day Introduction to Blacksmithing

A class designed for the person who is curious about the art of blacksmithing and would like to see if it is something they would like to pursue further. In this session we will cover some of the fundamental basics of blacksmithing and use those skills on fun projects that will give you hands on time in the fire and on the anvil.

2 Day Introduction to Blacksmithing - Part 2

For the person who has come to the 2 day introduction class and is interested in continuing on to the next step. It will eventually be followed by a third class which will be equivalent to taking a 5 day basic class.

5 Day Basic Blacksmithing Class

This is a serious class for both the novice and the smith with limited experience who would like to learn all of the basic aspects of blacksmithing for a solid foundation to work from. This course will cover hammer control, lighting and tending a coal fire forge, tapering, upsetting, twisting, splitting, punching, drifting, tool steel forging and heat treating, scrolling, and forge welding.

5 Day Intermediate Class

This class is meant for someone who has blacksmithing experience and is proficient at all of the basic aspects of blacksmithing. We will start with layout and execution of a project which will incorporate upsets, forge welding, mass isolation, scrolling, and collaring all combined to make one finished piece. You will also take a more in depth look at designing, making and heat treating tools, using proper tool steels for the job. You will then use them throughout the class on things like face carving, slitting and drifting, traditional hinge making and tong making.

3 Day Focus on Forge Welding

If you have ever wanted to get better at forge welding, this is the class to come to. Not only will we be doing a lot of welding but we will be showing you how to preserve mass in your welds to avoid ending up with thin spots and blemishes. We will also explore many different types of scarves and how they best apply to stock size and shape you are using. All exercises will be done in a coal forge.

2 Day Rose Building Class

In this session Robb Gunter will show you the process that he has developed to make one of the most realistic iron roses out there. He has built over 300 in his carrier as a blacksmith and is willing to show all the tooling and tricks to make an efficient and enjoyable project.

3 Day Introduction to Repousse

This is a great way to start developing the skills required to make clean and beautiful leaf work to add volume and detail to your iron work. Repousse is a French technique done over a steak and is not widely known. It will make your work stand out from others. This class will also be a great way to see if repousse is something you would like to pursue further.

6 Day Repousse Class with Wendel Broussard

Wendel Broussard was privileged to attend and graduate from the school of repousse at Les Compagnons Du Devorir in Muizon, France, in 1991 and now does it professionally. He has been offering classes in the technique he learned and they have worked extremely well. This class is for someone who is very serious about learning this skill and is limited to 10 students.