Intensive Beginner's Blacksmithing Course

Blacksmithing Workshop

4 Consecutive Days of Intensive Blacksmithing/
24 Hours of Instruction

Date: To Be Announced

Tuition: $360

Materials Fee: $25

Class Limit: 6

Where: Museum Village, “The Other Smithy”

Instructor: Adriaan Gerber



If interested, contact Robert Schmick, Museum Director, Museum Village, email: rschmick@museumvillage.org or 845-781-3729

Mr. Gerber is a largely self-taught, full time blacksmith. He refers to himself as a “bladesmith”, as much of his creative output results in high quality knives, axes, and swords that he sells world-wide. These objects are entirely created by hand and without power tools, although most recently Mr. Gerber has employed the use of an antique trip hammer for the purpose of preparing the metal billets he uses in his work. Mr. Gerber’s home smithy is located in Lamoine, Maine.

Day 1 / 3-9PM, 6 Hours
Introduction to Safety, Materials and tools of the trade. Tapering to a square point. Drawing Out Metal. Forging square taper to octagonal and round. Bending over the horn. Twisting. Make a drift tool for punching holes. Temper. Using the Cross Pein Hammer to forge a basic s-hook. Decorative Bending. Setting down using half-faced blows.

Day 2/ 10-5PM, 6 Hours
Forge a Set of Skewers with fancy handles using knowledge from prior class. More hot-cutting and splitting. Separating split parts for better access. Smoothing out cuts using the vise. Tapering to a square point. Drawing out metal. Forging square taper to octagonal and round. Flattening and twisting. Forging out a meat fork. Upsetting. Reducing metal width to form a neck. Preventing folds. Flattening. Drawing Down, bending and filing using the vise.

Day 3/ 10-5PM, 6 Hours
Using knowledge from Tueday’s class forge out a spatula (to be used for forge welding). Work on prior projects, if necessitated. Preparing for Welding. Upsetting and Scarfing. Fire Control For Welding. Using Flux. Forge Welding. Forging a spoon.

Day 4/ 3-9PM, 6 Hours
Preparing for Welding. Upsetting and Scarfing. Fire Control For Welding. Using Flux. Forge Welding a Ring. Punching a Square Slot. Punching Mounting Holes. Forging a Door Knocker.
Forge Studio. Drawing down. Folding and welding. Preparing steel blade insert. Welding high-carbon Steel. Cutting and Spreading. Heat treating high-carbon steel. Forging a Tomahawk.

Weekend Workshop: Making a Tomahawk and Hunting Knife Blade
Saturday, 10-3PM & Sunday, 10-3PM

Date: To Be Announced

Tuition: $175
Class Limit: 6

If interested, contact Robert Schmick, Museum Director, Museum Village, email: rschmick@museumvillage.org or 845-781-3729
For the intermediate level blacksmithing student only, or those who completed Museum Village’s beginning blacksmithing class. Draw down mild steel shape of tomahawk and hunting blade. Prepare steel blade edge inserts for both projects. Forge welding. Heat treating high-carbon steel.