Weekend blacksmithing course in Ontario, Canada

In times past the art of the blacksmith was a cherished secret passed down only from master to apprentice. However, after blacksmithing nearly disappeared in mid 20th century in North America, many blacksmiths opted to openly teach about their craft, enabling more people to learn the skills of blacksmithing. In David Robertson’s basic blacksmithing course you will get the opportunity to do just that with 20 hours of instruction and supervision. The class size is small, only 4 students per class, meaning you’re guaranteed close attention and guidance from David.

Outline of the course:

Friday night we cover safety, introduction to large and small tools, proper hammer technique and create our first project: a tool hook. You will learn techniques such as drawing out, curling, notching, curving and hot cutting.

Saturday will consist of a series of projects with techniques building upon each other. The projects we will be working on include coal rake, coat hook, leaf hook, finials, and tongs, with techniques used such as pointing, flattening, shepherd's crook, hot reverse twisting, spade point, offsetting and shouldering, just to name a few.

Sunday starts with a discussion of alloy steels, after which you will be instructed how to make a cold chisel from high carbon steel. A demonstration of forge welding will then follow, and several hours will be set aside for you to work on a personal project. The weekend will conclude with a discussion around how to set up a personal workshop.

All materials are provided for, although personal projects may require additional expenses. Coffee, tea and snacks will be provided throughout the days. Lunch and accommodation are not included in the price, however, there are several bed and breakfasts located nearby, highly recommended by previous students.

David Robertson has held introductory blacksmithing classes at his workshop since 1993. He has also taught at Fleming College in Ontario, Canada, instructing students in the art of blacksmithing and knife making. David is a graduate of Ontario's University of Waterloo Engineering program and has sold his work to private collections in Canada, the United States, Ireland and Germany. The largest part of his current work is custom wrought iron for customers in Southern Ontario. Another area of interest is building air hammers and gas forges, supplying the blacksmithing community.