Upcoming classes

Dates:  January 22nd and 23rd, 2022  (Saturday and Sunday / 10am - 6pm)

Location:  Wrought Academy / 2440 Adeline Street / Oakland  CA  94607

Level:  Beginning

Maximum Class Size:  4

This class will run if at least 3 students are enrolled by the Sunday, January 16th.  Otherwise the class may be cancelled with full refunds to enrolled students.

Class Description:   In this class we start with the basic blacksmithing skills focused on the fire,  the anvil and the hammer.   These fundamental skills will set you on a path to forging the hardware, decorative articles and tools which were common throughout the Iron Age.  Such items were essential to our ancestors and were often forged with exceptional quality and beauty.  All of this will inform our work.

Class space is very limited!  Students will be registered in the order that their payments are received.

See you at the Forge!  James Austin

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Class Set-Up and Safety Considerations:

At the time of this writing, due to the ongoing pandemic students need to arrive vaccinated, and we will practice distancing and masking inside the shop.  Students must bring their own face masks.

All necessary tools and materials will be provided for the students.

Students must bring their own safety glasses and work gloves, and wear them at all times in work areas.

Students must wear snugly fitted, long-sleeved work shirts and long pants of cotton or wool (no nylon or polyester allowed) and firm, leather work-shoes.

Hearing protection is required and is provided in the shop in the form of foam ear-plugs. Students who need over-ear protection must provide their own.

Dates:  February 12th and 13th, 2022  (Saturday and Sunday / 10am - 6pm)

Location:  Wrought Academy / 2440 Adeline Street / Oakland  CA  94607

Level:  Beginning + Intermediate

Maximum Class Size:  4

This class will run if at least 3 students are enrolled by Sunday, February 6th.  Otherwise the class may be cancelled with full refunds to enrolled students.

Hone your basic forging skills by making the simple yet essential articles of hardware (such as hooks, rings, chains, and hinges) that would have been common in any early European town or settlement.

Class Description:  In this class we will continue with more core blacksmithing techniques such as punching, hot-cutting and heat treating which are not covered in Basic 1.  These techniques will introduce the students to new forging concepts and tools which lend themselves to both tool-making and decorative blacksmithing.

Class space is very limited!  Students will be registered in the order that their payments are received.

See you at the Forge!  James Austin

*****************************

Class Set-Up and Safety Considerations:

At the time of this writing, due to the ongoing pandemic students need to arrive vaccinated, and we will practice distancing and masking inside the shop.  Students must bring their own face masks.

All necessary tools and materials will be provided for the students.

Students must bring their own safety glasses and work gloves, and wear them at all times in work areas.

Students must wear snugly fitted, long-sleeved work shirts and long pants of cotton or wool (no nylon or polyester allowed) and firm, leather work-shoes.

Hearing protection is required and is provided in the shop in the form of foam ear-plugs. Students who need over-ear protection must provide their own.

Dates:  February 19th and 20th, 2022  (Saturday and Sunday / 10am - 6pm)

Location:  Wrought Academy / 2440 Adeline Street / Oakland  CA  94607

Level:  Beginning / Intermediate

Maximum Class Size:  4

This class will run if at least 3 students are enrolled by the Sunday, January 16th.  Otherwise the class may be cancelled with full refunds to enrolled students.

Class Description:   This class will focus on the forging skills essential for producing medium-sized, utility knife blades.  As students gain experience they will each start working in high-carbon steel and forge a knife blade which they can grind and heat treat.  Emphasis will be placed on proper working temperatures at all stages of production as well as efficient and accurate hammer work.  The skills learned will be directly applicable to the more advanced classes we offer in pattern-welded and laminated knife forging.

Class space is very limited!  Students will be registered in the order that their payments are received.

See you at the Forge!  James Austin

*****************************

Class Set-Up and Safety Considerations:

At the time of this writing, due to the ongoing pandemic students need to arrive vaccinated, and we will practice distancing and masking inside the shop.  Students must bring their own face masks.

All necessary tools and materials will be provided for the students.

Students must bring their own safety glasses and work gloves, and wear them at all times in work areas.

Students must wear snugly fitted, long-sleeved work shirts and long pants of cotton or wool (no nylon or polyester allowed) and firm, leather work-shoes.

Hearing protection is required and is provided in the shop in the form of foam ear-plugs. Students who need over-ear protection must provide their own.

Dates:  March 4th, 5th and 6th, 2022  (Friday, Saturday and Sunday / 10am - 6pm)

Location:  Wrought Academy / 2440 Adeline Street / Oakland  CA  94607

Level:   Intermediate                                  

Maximum Class Size:  4

This class will run if at least 3 students are enrolled by the Sunday, February 27th

Class Description:  In this class students will learn how to laminate traditional, Norwegian knife blades by forge welding high carbon steel between two layers of soft steel, then forging out the blanks so produced into traditional, Scandinavian style knife blades of the type traditionally worn on the belt.

Class space is very limited!  Students will be registered in the order that their payments are received.

See you at the Forge! - James Austin

 *****************************

Class Set-Up and Safety Considerations:

At the time of this writing, due to the ongoing pandemic students need to arrive vaccinated, and we will practice distancing and masking inside the shop.  Students must bring their own face masks.

All necessary tools and materials will be provided for the students.

Students must bring their own safety glasses and work gloves, and wear them at all times in work areas.

Students must wear snugly fitted, long-sleeved work shirts and long pants of cotton or wool (no nylon or polyester allowed) and firm, leather work-shoes.

Hearing protection is required and is provided in the shop in the form of foam ear-plugs. Students who need over-ear protection must provide their own.

Private instruction with James Austin is available for 1 student, or a pair of students, for 4, 6 or 8 hour sessions.   After discussion, the projects can be tailored to the students interests and experience or picked from standard class projects ranging from beginning to advanced skill levels.  The costs for these sessions are as follows:

1 Student:     4 hours / $400    6 hours / $520    8 hours / $640 

2 Students    4 hours / $540    6 hours / $720    8 hours / $880

Please contact James at   hotsteel@sbcglobal.net   to discuss possible projects, scheduling and payments.