PLEASE SEE OUR BLOG FOR ALL RULES AND CURRENT INFORMATION.
£35; Our sample course. Safety, technique, forging an s hook or coat hook. This is a nice, quick class but covers some of the basics.
£45; The beginner course is a great way to have a little longer at the anvil. It involves; Safety, technique, forge set up and firing, forging a troll cross or bottle opener and finishing the metal. These classes take a little longer but cover more details.
£50; We offer private one on one tuition for those that prefer to have the Forge to themselves. (Up to 2 hours, but this can be increased at an additional charge).
per week; Mon-Fri 10am-4pm (by appointment). This route is suited to those that have a lot of experience blacksmithing, or for makers that need the space to work. All you have to do is let us know when you want to come in, arrange the times, bring your materials and we supply the space and a plethora of workshop tool
£75; couples class. This is ideal for those looking for an original date idea. In this class you will make two hearts and then link them together. If you are looking for a story to tell about your first or hundreth date this is definitely the class for you! All aspects of forging, safety, and techniques will be covered in the class.
One of our most popular courses are our bladesmithing classes, here you will learn the art of creating your own blade (as long as they fall within legal boundaries); The classes will involve all aspects of the art, so that you will have a practical and working knowledge of creating your own blades.
£200; This is our high carbon steel bladesmithing experience. Creating a better quality blade from an experienced bladesmithing instructor. All projects must be agreed ahead of time.
£150 High carbon sgian dubh course. This little sock knife is a great way of trying bladesmithing as there are a few options to chose from. Here at Bear and Thistle Forge we love our sgian dubhs, be it traditional or new school designs. we always ensure our high carbon knives are usable and this knife.
All of our bladesmithing courses will take multiple sessions, as you can see we have an incredibly high standard and the finish only comes with time. Hence the three months to complete, after purchase.
We will use stock removal, forging and any combination of techniques within. This will depend on the knife, the person, any limitations etc.
They will start no later than 9am. We open at 7am so please feel free to come in any time between. We supply the steel, some hardwood for handles and pin stock. If you have something specific you'd like to add (darker wood/scale material, brass, bronze, copper, mosaics etc.) These are your responsibility to supply!
BLOCK BOOKINGS;
(No bladesmithing)
These are intended to develop your skills in moving steel and becoming better at the craft.
£200; you will have 5 sessions (up to 3 hours per). A new project each session (depending on the project). With all of our courses, including blocks, we are project based. So, when five or ten projects have been completed; the block is done.
£350; this is the same as the above only you will receive 10 lessons.
With these, you can experiment with techniques, items to be made and different tools for the projects.
As with our beginners sessions, if you have an idea for a project we can discuss it and if doable we can get it done!
These sessions can be carried out in one day, or over multiple. It all depends on the smith and how they work. Usually multiple projects can be completed in one day.
So with these courses you are not buying an item, you are coming into our forge and learning the craft. We insist you look into all legal aspects before booking, and contact us to discuss the course before purchase.
Full tuition in all aspects of bladesmithing will be given, and as there is a lot of knowledge to be gained, we do not apply a time limit; sans the completion of the blade. We do not offer swordsmithing courses at this time.
If you have your own idea for a course, e.g prop weapons, a unique blacksmithing idea, or anything else; get in touch with us and we can discuss.
If in doubt, please contact us before booking and we will go over everything.
Students are more than welcome!
There will be no more than 4 people working with the forge at one time, this is based on a first come first served basis.
Weekend courses may be made available, these will start at 9am, no later, if you need these please contact us before hand and we can arrange from there.
All times are subject to how the guests work. Some need more time, some less; as each guest is an individual, so to is their tuition.
PRECLASS INSTRUCTIONS
Appropriate clothing should be worn: no man made fabrics (football tops, track suits etc.). Legs should be covered (jeans are excellent), the toes should be covered completely (leather is good, work boots are best). Arms can be covered, again natural material is preferred here.
Disclaimers must be signed before all classes begin. All of our policies can be found at the entrance to the Forge, we recommend having a read through them.
All ideas should be agreed ahead of time. This allows us to get what we need. We will give a clear answer if the item is doable or not.
No more than 10 people working in the workshop at any time.
The workshop can be used by those that are 18 years or older and can swing a hammer whilst holding tongs. No one under eighteen years old will be permitted to participate in our classes.
Weekend classes are available, these have to be arranged in advance and will start no later than 9am.
Once a class has been purchased you have three months to complete, the money is non-refundable and you may be recharged if you do not complete the class within this time. That means you have to book and use your purchase within this time, if you fail to do this no refunds are given! Don't miss out.
All sales are final. You will have 14 days, after purchase, to claim a refund for cancelling any classes. After that, you will not receive any refunds. This does not effect your rights.
All refunds are at the discretion of the blacksmith.
If 48 hours notice is not given, for a cancellation, a fee of £40 is chargeable to cover costs and monies lost.
We will not Forge any knife, sword or weapon on the UK banned list. Please view all said weapons on the government's website etc.
Most importantly :
HAVE FUN!
If you are unwell, for any reason, it is better for you (and everyone else) to reschedule and get better. If you are sick and attend you may be asked to leave.
We will not tolerate rudeness, verbal abuse, or any act of aggression. This extends to harassment of any kind. In these cases you will be asked to leave and will not be permitted to finish your class or course
At this time we are not taking commissions, as we are focusing on the tuition of our guests.
If you don't see what you're looking for, ask us and we'll be able to help. We love new ideas for classes and courses, so if you have a project in mind; get in touch and we can discuss!
local blacksmith classes. blacksmithing for beginners.
Bladesmithing classes.
We work seven days a week to ensure we are at the premiere of our craft and able to give our guests the best experience possible.