Classes, Metalwork, Team Builds
Affordable
Fun Classes (easy or hard), exciting Team Builds, and Luxury Metalwork, we keep prices competitive, like the early 2000’s.
Bring your whole work team or friend group and get group discounts. Newsletter discounts and subsidized classes available.
Independent
We are not associated with The Crucible, we are a small for-profit near the Richmond shoreline. Clay and Steel (est. 2020) is owned and run by Celeste Flores. Celeste has been blacksmithing professionally for 13 years.
Artist Community
Our Classroom Smithy is located within a hard-working collective of artists at Seaport Studios. We support other local artists, makers, and our local community. Request flyers in the mail.
Strong Allies
Woke AF up in here.
Swing a hammer at Open Sauce:
Use the button to reserve a time slot and participate in a 20 minute guided session with real fire and hammers. Arrive 10 minutes prior for safety experience. Limited slots available. Subject to cancellations. Safety Gear provided.
General rules:
NO
NO: Open Toed Shoes
NO: Alcohol or Bud
NO: Synthetic clothing, it DOES catch fire. We WILL have to put you out
NO: Children under 16
NO: Kings
YES
Drunk or otherwise inebriated guests will not be allowed to participate.
YES: People who want to swing a hammer at something hot and metallic
YES: People with Disabilities
YES: People nervous about skin burns (we have good safety gear)
YES: Arrive 10 minutes prior for Safety Experience and Waiver (REQUIRED)
YES: It’s free, but you should buy a sticker or donate
About Clay and Steel (and our friends)
Blacksmithing
Clay and Steel is Celeste Flores and her crew. A for-profit business based in Richmond CA, they offer a full course menu of metalwork:
Take blacksmithing classes for all skill levels and difficulty. Welding and Leatherworking too!
Why/How are you a blacksmith? Click and find out! (I taught at The Crucible for 12 years -Celeste)
Hire a blacksmith for an private class, an event, or for custom forged metalwork.
Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths
SIBS is an intentionally inclusive organization aiming to help further the art of blacksmithing by smoothing social and economic barriers to entry.
While grants and scholarships are the SIBs’ most visible productions, SIBs also provides one on one mentorship to new, dedicated blacksmiths, and promote smiths who may have been traditionally underrepresented.
The aim of the mentorship program: get people past “a couple of classes” into something more serious and lasting. It pairs experienced smiths with inexperienced ones in a somewhat official (yet virtual) manner.
Seaport Studios
Seaport Studios is a studio space renting to all sorts of independent arts businesses:
A crew who makes giant dragons that breathe fire and light up. With a DJ booth, obviously.
A blacksmith, one you may have heard of, makes her home here.
Leather, Wood, a Sea Serpent destroying a giganic sailing ship, oil painting, parties, ceramics, fire performers, clowns(!?), and a cat named Sauron.
Department of Spontaneous Combustion
The DSC Crew are a multi-talented grouping of artists specializing in FIRE SCULPTURES. Just fire all the time. And sewing. But not fire sewing, probably.
The DSC provides training in welding and industrial fire arts on an appointment basis and is locally represented by Jenny Mount in Seaport Studios.
CA Blacksmith Association (CBA)
The CBA is the largest organization for blacksmiths in the nation. They train smiths, run “Hammer-In” events, and promote the art of the smith in a bi-monthly magazine called California Blacksmith. They do much more as well!
Classes not for you but still want to feed our blacksmiths? Donate, grab a sticker, or buy shirts!
There’s other colors too. Grey for example.
California Blacksmith Association
The California Blacksmith Association (CBA) is the nation’s largest group of smiths and holds events all over the state.
Clay and Steel offers CBA Level 1 courses for people who are interested in learning techniques, traditional and modern in a structured and more formal manner.
Smiths or students who are interested in becoming an “official” blacksmith can receive their level 1 certification at Clay and Steel; Classes in the “CBA curriculum” are geared towards competency and professional workmanship.
Clay and Steel Membership will soon be available for forge access and guided or independent practice.
Thanks for looking. Hope to see you at my shop!
-Celeste