Please Note Since Covid it is recommended you purchase your own ppe. This should cost around £20 per person. Details of what to buy and where to buy can be given on request. 2nd hand pre-used ppe can be provided
Bladesmithing for Beginners to book click the images with the dates above, click right or left for alternative dates
£250 per Person per Weekend, £125 per Day Class
First Day Class, The first knife you will make is a Full tang Blade which you can then place a paracord wrap on or put handle(scales) on it at a later date, Alternatively you can make a Japanese hidden tang or fully hidden tang and purchase a premade handle for £30. It'll be your taster and your opportunity to get to grips with the colours/heat you need to work your tool steel at, some basic Blacksmithing hammer techniques and most importantly how to shape with fire your knife into the blade of your dreams. Importantly you can take the knife you've on the day class and turn it into full tang knife, with wooden scale handles with brass piens if you take it to your next day at Hot Milk Forge. If you are on your first day of a weekend course we typically forge a hidden tang knife.
Day 2 This will be your first step into creating a wooden handle(what type of knife is your choice we could make a kitchen knife or a survival drop point, it'll be your call). You will learn how to attach it securely choose your wood and shape it to your taste.
The 2nd weekend we'll be be making San Mai (Three Layered Steel) it will be your first fireweld, done using the gas forge and power hammer. By this stage shaping the knife into whatever type of knife you desire won't be such an issue, heat treating will be wee buns, it'll be refining your handle design so we will be in brass pins into your handle etc.
On your 3rd weekend we'll be doing Damascus/pattern welding. I know what your thinking 'I want to do that on my first weekend.' But to be honest sure I could take your money and show you how to fireweld and fold your steel and you could watch me do it, however if you did without the grounding in steel and fire understanding you got on the other two weekends you'd be going home with a metal splodge. Trust me on that I've been teaching this Craic for over 15 years. Let's do this properly let's learn these techniques so you can do it on your own away from Hot Milk Forge.
Valerian steel Pah! Wait til you see what you'll be making
Cost of Course £250 for the weekend, Lunch not included.
Evening Class
£25 per Night
Classes start at 7pm finish 9pm...ish
There is now a waiting list for the evening class spaces. If you'd like to be on it contact me and we can arrange it.
See above for details on the Bladesmithing Evening Class.
If this class is the first class you have booked with Hot Milk Forge it will be a taster lesson aimed at complete beginners, if however you have completed a taster class previously, we will use this class as an opportunity to further your skills.
Please note you must be over 16 to take part in any of the classes.
The Day Class in Blacksmithing
£125 per day
On your first day at blacksmithing you may want to treat it as a taster, make a simple poker or viking knife of fancy candle holder or all of these things, while being introduced to the basic skills of blacksmithing.
The focus on all my blacksmithing courses is to begin or continue your path to completing your Complete Introduction to Blacksmithing. With this in mind you can treat it as day one of a 2 day project (see weekend course below for details) when you book onto to the next day class in May or June or July or August....you get the idea.
