1 Day Blacksmithing Experience

One-Day Blacksmithing Experience A full-day introduction to traditional blacksmithing, offering time to learn core forging techniques and then apply them to a larger project in the afternoon. This course is ideal if you want a complete day in the forge, with more time at the anvil and the opportunity to work with heavier material.

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What you’ll do You’ll begin with a welcome to the forge, safety briefing, and an introduction to the tools, fires, and materials. You’ll learn how to light and manage a traditional forging fire using hand-blown bellows before moving to the anvil. The morning focuses on learning the fundamentals. Working step by step with the blacksmith, you’ll forge a bottle opener, learning essential techniques such as drawing out, tapering, bending, twisting, and controlling hot steel under the hammer. Once these techniques are established, you’ll move on to forging a simple hook, following a full demonstration before making your own independently from start to finish. After a break, the afternoon session allows you to take things further. You’ll work on a larger project, usually a fire poker, forged from heavier stock, applying the same techniques with more material, more heat, and more time at the anvil. All work is carried out using traditional hand tools only. There are no power hammers or grinders.

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What you’ll make

• A forged steel bottle opener
• A simple forged hook
• A larger forged item, usually a fire poker, made during the afternoon session

All pieces are finished during the day and ready to take home.

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Who it’s for

• Complete beginners
• Those choosing between a half-day or full-day experience
• Anyone wanting more forging time and a fuller day in the forge

No previous experience is required.

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How this differs from other blacksmithing experiences

• The Two-Hour Forge Taster focuses on a single guided project.
• The Half-Day Blacksmithing Experience includes guided learning followed by independent making.
• The One-Day Blacksmithing Experience adds an afternoon session with a larger project using heavier stock.

Each option offers a different depth, rather than a required progression.

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What’s included

• All forging tools and safety equipment (excluding footwear)
• Steel and materials
• Expert tuition and demonstrations
• Tea, coffee and water

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What to wear & bring

• Long sleeves and long trousers (cotton or denim recommended)
• Sturdy boots (no open-toe footwear)
• Warm layers — the forge can be cool away from the fires
• Lunch and snacks
• Long hair must be tied back