What is Clay and Steel?

Clay and Steel is small business that makes affordable metal art for the people, and teaches blacksmithing to everyone who wants or needs it. Celeste Flores is the owner and lead blacksmith. Patrick is our lead instructor.

Celeste has been blacksmithing for more than fifteen years as of 2024. She specializes in custom metalwork in brass and bronze, forged aluminum and steel, classes and training of groups and teams. Celeste was employed by The Crucible in Oakland in the blacksmithing class department and has been a working artist blacksmith for the entire time.

Celeste’s smithy, Clay and Steel, is located within Seaport Studios, an artist run and operated organization. Seaport Studios offers long term shop rentals for dozens of artists. It is a shared space with lots of activity, welders, wood workers, fire artists, shop cats and shop dogs all in abundance.

Am I Strong Enough?

The hammers used in blacksmithing usually weigh about 2lbs… a good bag of grapes weighs about 2lbs. You can squish a lot of metal with a 2lb hammer, however you may need to do this for a while. Classes that use copper or bronze will require less exertion. The effort needed to move the metal gets greater as the size increases…. meaning it’s much much harder to squish a 3/4” RR Spike knife, than a 3/8” hook; the stock’s cross section is about 4x larger!

If you want to try your hand at blacksmithing, but are uncertain about your abilities begin with the Bronze Bracelet class or the Copper Feather class.

I have experience, do I have to take a beginning class?

The beginning classes introduce you to the building, the tools and the safety requirements. All shops have different rules, so it’s important to know the rules for my particular shop. Since I learned blacksmithing at The Crucible, the safety guidelines are very similar. If you have recently taken blacksmithing at The Crucible and are confident in your tong control and knowledge of safety, I can waive taking a first time class for you. If you made a center punch in HS, or have similar experience, I would say take a first time class. Maybe make a RR Spike knife. If you have experience from other smithies or schools, just contact me.

What should I wear?

You should wear all natural fibers, such as cotton, leather and wool when working with fire. Synthetic fibers, such as polyester, spandex and nylon shrink melt and permanently stick to your skin. Pants are highly recommended although seasoned smiths wear shorts, skirts or other clothing to ensure burns…

Note for steel classes: When common steel gets hit with a hammer, earth’s atmosphere can naturally cause small pieces of “scale” to flake off. Scale can potentially land on a blacksmith’s skin when hammered. In most people’s opinion, this feels like the kind of splatter that you get when hot cooking oil lands on you. Fabric that does not catch fire helps prevent this by simply being in the way for a bit.

Copper and Bronze classes do not have this side effect, as they do not produce any “scale”.

More on scale: It is recommended that you do not wear plastic sneakers, as the plastic can melt if hot metal lands on it. Traditionally, real Leather or Canvas shoes are good. Doc’s, Red Wings, or Chucks are common. Our smiths wear good leather boots and jeans. Some smiths wear shorts or a skirt. Some people wear leather church shoes they don’t need. Others just wear “work” shoes, those are fine usually. NO ONE WEARS SANDALS EVER.

Can I be your apprentice?

Yes… Maybe. Training is a hard and time consuming process for this profession. It took me years before I felt confidence to take on my first railing job. If you are dedicated to this craft, I absolutely want to hear from you. I want to make blacksmiths and will probably bend over backwards if you are truly serious! I want to help other people succeed, but as an artist blacksmith, my time and resources are limited. This craft truly requires dedication and showing up every day. We don’t make money if you don’t hit metal, but if you hit metal we WILL make money.

In short: If you want to be a blacksmith, you will show me. Contact Celeste to get a chance.

Do you teach private lessons?

YES. I want to make blacksmiths.

INDIVIDUALS: Please request a private class for true one on one training in this art. The lessons include materials. Special projects may incur additional costs based upon the needs for special tooling and/or extra preparation time. It’s 2025 currently.

PRIVATE GROUP LESSONS: are charged per person. Please visit this link or email celeste@clayandsteel.com for group pricing inquiries

Birthday parties, bachelor/ette parties, corporate team builds, are all welcome. Quinceañera and bah/bat mitzvah’s and other youth groups require an adult present, or all of them!

Can I make a sword?

Oh yeah. With enough time and experience you can make a sword for sure. You will need to learn the basics of forging, heat treating, grinding and handle making, as those are all required for a functional sword. You should take a class that teaches tapering, a class that teaches tool making and a class on bladesmithing to start. Our Full-Tang Blade class is a genuine treasure in this regard.

A newer” smith with learned skills can expect a sword to take around Fifty (50) hours of shop time, even though they get it done sooner on Forged in Fire. Celeste can make a sword in 10 hours.