After years of teaching and thousands of students- we're proud to be Pittsburgh's premier blacksmithing instructional shop!
$125-150 per student
OUR MOST POPULAR CLASS!
Without a doubt, our most popular class and our main offering- Introduction to Bottle Openers, an interactive experience designed to be the blacksmithing equivalent of drinking wine at a paint studio. Come learn to forge while meticulously crafting bottle openers out of a traditional railroad track spike.
In this class, we spend half our time talking tools and history and half our time forging bottle openers.
We start with a discussion on Anvils- the centerpiece of the shop. We’ll explore the history of these iconic tools, what to look for in purchasing an anvil, discuss what tools you need to purchase to set up your own shop (Tongs, hammers, forges) as well as shop layout and safety. We’ll move on to forging our project and getting hands on.
This project will showcase squaring, hammer technique, drawing of metal (making it longer), twisting, bending, cleanup, and finishing. At the end of the class, each student will have two of their own hand crafted, beautiful and long lasting hand forged bottle opener to take home with them to "Test Thoroughly"!
I’ll help you with your first one, and you’ll work with your peers on the second one so that you can truly go home with something that you can confidently say “I MADE THIS! This one in particular, this ugly one- I made this!” and people will believe you!
(Don’t worry, it’ll turn out great!)
Will you go home an expert blacksmith, No chance. Will you go home with some awesome bottle openers and a heck of a fun experience? YOU BET! At the end of the class, you should leave as an informed beginner ready to continue on your blacksmithing journey with some good tips, some good experience, and some good knowledge! No Experience Necessary, join us!
Some classes will be 4 students, some classes will be 8 students. We got a bigger and better space to bring on a second instructor and offer larger, more fun classes! We think you’ll love our bigger classes, they fill up fast! Our 4 student classes are $150 a person, but we also offer larger 8 student classes to keep the prices down a little lower ($125 per student).
So come learn a dying art and swing a hammer at some hot steel!
Each student will make 2 bottle openers- one with some help, and one entirely on your own!
You will leave with some key knowledge on:
How to Save money buying Tools and what tools to buy
How to find the best deal on an anvil
How to lay out their own shop for safety and efficiency
Proper posture, technique, and process for drawing, tapering, bending, curling, twisting, and using fixtures.
All students must be at least 18 years of age and fit enough to swing a 2lb hammer.
WE DO NOT OFFER ANY CLASSES TO MINORS (It’s an insurance thing…)
WE HAVE A KNIFE MAKING CLASS! We believe that if you want to learn to make a knife, much like learning to play Tchaikovsky- you need to start by learning the chords and scales. The best way to become good at making a knife, is to start by not making a knife. We worked hard to bring you a knife making class, this class will be the prerequisite to it!
If you want to learn to play…. you’ve gota be able to show up and run through the scales first.
Info on our knife making class:
Knife Making Class
Classes will take place at production blacksmithing studio in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. Additional information will be emailed to those who sign up, usually one to two days before the class.
Sign up for a class if we’ve got a spot open for you, by clicking here:
PRIVATE CLASSES
Want to schedule a private class for your group or event beyond the scope of what’s seen here?
Private classes can involve 1-10 people and are billed based on a $125/person rate.
Weekday classes are billed at a 4 student minimum rate (1-4 people) ($500 total, and $125 for each student beyond 4)
Weekend classes are billed at an 8 student minimum rate (1-8 people) ($1000 total, and $125 for each student beyond 8)
This applies to classes with less students, that’s just the minimums we need to get to run a class and cover our costs.
Fill out this simple form:
For more information on what it is we’re doing to keep you safe and comply with all the regulations we’re required to, as well as “WHY” our classes have had to change a bit- check out or “COVID PIVOT” page here:
COVID PIVOT
Interested in a gift card?
https://www.thebarefootforge.com/gift-cards