Blacksmithing Classes
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(15% off “Intro” classes with newsletter signup!)
“Intro” Classes for Beginners
Bronze Bracelet - Gorgeous and “easy.” Make one bracelet or two from gorgeous silicon bronze. Choose to shine your bracelets up, or lean in to a matte finish. Textured or smooth. The copper rich bronze alloy you’ll work with is more pliant than steel, but comes with unique challenges that steel doesn’t…
Bronze Spoon - Also “easy,” this class tests your restraint, detail, and timing. Design your own handle, dish depth, and size using the same lush bronze as the bracelet. The finished spoon is food safe and useable after cleaned. Bronze (copper) is anti-microbial and makes a great breakroom spoon.
Sword Box Cutter - This blade features sharp, symmetrical edges and a needle-like profile. This is “remix” of the classic blacksmith’s knife; modified for a shorter class time and 2X edges. This blade is faster to make than the RR Spike Knife. Sharp, svelte, sturdy and reliable as a tool.
Railroad Spike Knife - The classic beginner project, this blade has a very distinct profile and a beefy blunt end. You’ll taper down a RR spike, shape your profile, bevel the edge and add a twist in the handle for grip. This 4 to 6 hour class for brand-new or experienced smiths uses thicker steel, and often requires more trips between the forge and anvil!
Intermediate Classes
(prior blacksmithing experience recommended not required)
These are designed to look intimidating, but be achievable for determined smiths, even new ones.
It is recommended to take an “Intro” class but you do not have to. These classes are excellent for advancing towards Blacksmith Certification and teach skills that can make you self-sufficient behind an anvil. Intermediate projects are genuinely useful tools, heat treated, balanced, and dressed for real work…. Preppers take note!
If you want to jump right in with an Intermediate class and skip an “Intro” class, read “How to attend a free Safety Lecture.” One safety lecture session attendance is required for Intermediate classes. Class Size: 2-5 students per session (Age 16+ permitted)
Intermediate classes may take multiple days.
Forge a Full-Tang Blade - A “proper” knife with a comfortable handle. This is the gateway into designing your own blade. Members can save on this and CBA Classes.
Forge a Beginner’s Hammer - AKA “Intro to Hammer Making” This is a scaled down but still challenging version of a much harder certification project. Excellent for a third or fourth time returning student.
“Special” Classes
By Guest Blacksmiths
Forge a Tomahawk - A difficult class that consists of a hardened bit forged onto a tomahawk head. Blacksmith and CBA Education Board Member Jake Trogdon instructs.
(NEW) Copper Relief with Douglas Pryor - A class taught by a very notable chasing/raising/repousse artist!
Sculptural Forging
(NEW) Steel Like Clay - Discover why Celeste named her smithy Clay and Steel. “Intro” class focusing on sculpture.
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Certification/CBA
CBA Level 1 - Skills of a Blacksmith - “Traditional” and “Official” blacksmith courses for continuing education
CBA Level 1 for Youth - Forge a Chisel - A slice of the above class to get youth interested. 14-18 years old only. Parents welcome to attend.
Special Classes
California Blacksmith Association Classes
These are subsidized (cheaper!), traditional classes that are geared to certify blacksmiths. Find out more at calsmith.org.
(Celeste is certified to teach the Level 1 CBA Curriculum).
Students taking CBA classes are gifted a year long membership to the CBA. This means they can join in at “Hammer-in” and “Conference” events with other blacksmiths. We love teaching new smiths at meet-ups!
Age 14-100 permitted for CBA insured classes. Parents of minors are expected to attend or sign a Minor Participant Liability Waiver and a Parental Consent Form.
Guest Classes
We sometimes run classes with local or far-away Guest metal artists who come to teach their skills. Past smiths have included Jake Trogdon (re-appearing this summer), Ellen Durkan, Jenny Mount, and others.
Celeste herself often attends these! These classes are rare but are oftentimes a big event, sometimes with catering or in-house BBQ, fresh beer and good (cheap) wine.
Subscribe to find out when guests come by.
Fantasy Classes
Celeste is known for natural shapes, fantasy shapes, and metal sculpting like an artist. These classes often stray far away from the realm of “tradition”