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    <title>Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center upcoming events</title>
    <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/classes/blacksmithing</link>
    <description>Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center upcoming events</description>
    <dc:creator>Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center</dc:creator>
    <generator>Wild Apricot - membership management software and more</generator>
    <language>en</language>
    <pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 16:43:11 GMT</pubDate>
    <lastBuildDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 16:43:11 GMT</lastBuildDate>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Pizza Rocker (Tue, September 08, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/WA%20class%20images%201x3%20(9).png" alt="" title="" border="0"&gt;Combine your love of food with forging in this introductory blacksmithing workshop! You'll learn and practice basic blacksmithing processes while making a pizzeria-style curved pizza rocker with two handles, ideal for your pizza slicing needs. We'll start by covering safety in the smithy and then move on to manipulating metal with heat and hammer. Your pizza rocker will include twists, bends, and an edge bevel.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Open to beginners, but this is a project that requires a significant amount of heavy hammering, so you'll be more successful if you have some blacksmithing experience.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;At the end of class, we'll order a couple pizzas from&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://jakeenos.com/"&gt;Jakeeno's&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;and you can try out your new rocker! (Note: pizza time may run beyond class time, so plan on staying a bit later on the final day.)&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$170 ($135 tuition + $35 materials &amp;amp; pizza!)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 16 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Instructor: Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6704663</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6704663</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Hori Hori Garden Tool (Wed, September 09, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-family: Lato;"&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/IMG_2719.jpg" width="182" height="243" style="margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;" align="left"&gt;Hammer your way to a unique gardening tool to use for many summers to come! In this workshop, you'll make a unique, hand-forged hori hori garden knife.&amp;nbsp; This traditional Japanese hand tool (meaning dig-dig) can be used for all your digging, planting and weeding needs. You'll gain a solid&amp;nbsp;understanding of blacksmithing basics by learning key forging techniques such as drawing out and tapering as you create the blade of your hori hori. This class is designed for enthusiasts of beginner to intermediate skill levels who are eager to learn the traditional techniques of metalworking.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-family: Lato;"&gt;$170 ($135 tuition + $35 materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors"&gt;&lt;font style="font-family: Lato;" align="start" color="#FF0000"&gt;&lt;strong style=""&gt;Instructor: Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6704658</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6704658</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Coal Forge Blacksmithing Basics 1 (Thu, September 10, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/PXL_20230908_161022423%20(1).jpg" alt="" title="" border="0" width="283.5" height="213" align="left" style="border-color: rgb(34, 30, 31); margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;"&gt;Join us for a 8-session dive into the basics of blacksmithing at Dodge Nature Center's open-air smithy at Shepard Farm!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.dodgenaturecenter.org/event/blacksmithing-basics-1-with-coal-forge-8-session-sept-oct-2026/2026-09-10" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Register here&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; through Dodge Nature Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Questions? Get in touch with us at &lt;a href="mailto:%20info@cafac.org" target="_blank"&gt;info@cafac.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Please note: classes at Dodge are not eligible for CAFAC scholarship awards.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" class="WaContentDivider WaContentDivider dividerStyle002" data-wacomponenttype="ContentDivider"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of a coal forge, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, drifting, punching, twisting, and setting shoulders. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: quick tongs, scribe/center punch, round punch/drift, basic heat treating, hooks, multi hook rack, trivet… and you'll know what a clinker is!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$450 (includes all materials and supplies)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 sessions&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2026 15:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Whimsical Wand Forging (Sat, September 12, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/WA%20class%20images%201x3%20wands.png" alt="" title="" border="0"&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In this workshop, you'll learn how to use a hammer and flame to fashion a piece of metal into a wand of iron as well as a familiar/companion piece for your wand. Through these pieces, the basics of forging will be covered: tapering, twisting, scrolling, upsetting, as well as other forms of bending, shaping, and finishing. As time and interest allow, we can also explore specialized techniques such as punching, chiseling, engraving, and sparkling (a finishing technique invented by the instructor!).&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Open to all skill levels -- no experience necessary.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$110 ($90 tuition + $20 materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 16 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Helene Constantine&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6704667</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6704667</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2026 15:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Coal Forge Blacksmithing Project Shop: Fire Poker (Sat, September 12, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/2024-dnc-coalforging-022-andyberndt.jpg" alt="" title="" border="0" width="240" height="360" align="left" style="margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;"&gt;Join us for a one-day intro to the basics of blacksmithing at Dodge Nature Center's open air smithy at Shepard Farm!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://app.amilia.com/store/en/dodge/shop/activities/7021186" target="_blank"&gt;Register here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; through Dodge Nature Center.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font&gt;Questions? Get in touch with us at &lt;a href="mailto:%20info@cafac.org" target="_blank"&gt;info@cafac.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" class="WaContentDivider WaContentDivider dividerStyle002" data-wacomponenttype="ContentDivider"&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In this class you will transform a piece of raw metal into an artistic yet functional fire poker for your fireplace or fire pit. You'll learn about traditional methods and equipment, including the coal forge, hammer, tongs, and anvil. To create your custom hand-forged piece, you'll practice essential skills: taper, bend, twist, forge weld, and collar. Open to beginners, though some forging experience will be helpful.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$140 (includes all supplies and materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Lee Meilleur&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6705458</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6705458</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sun, 13 Sep 2026 17:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Bottle Openers for Beginners (Sun, September 13, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Build your blacksmith skills with a fun and useful project: making a bottle opener. They’re quick to make and can incorporate all basic blacksmithing processes in one compact project. We'll end class with a celebratory bottle-opening to try out your new tool - that means a beer or soda is included! No experience necessary.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$100 ($75 tuition + $25 materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 16 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;John Hehre&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6704655</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6704655</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2026 17:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Unfinished Business: Finishing Techniques for Metalwork (Tue, September 15, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Join us for a one-day workshop that's all about taking your metal artwork across the finish line.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In this hands-on class, you’ll learn how to safely and confidently use angle grinders, die grinders, dremels, and other finishing tools to refine surfaces and remove casting or weld marks. We’ll also dive into needle scalers and sandblasters for texturing and cleanup, giving you a full toolkit for professional-quality finishes. A comprehensive patina demo will introduce you to color, oxidation, and sealing options so your work looks intentional and gallery-ready. This class is perfect for past casting students who have unfinished pieces waiting for attention, as well as artists who want to add hardware or make minor adjustments so their work functions smoothly. Bring your “almost done” projects and leave with completed, exhibition-ready metal sculpture.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$90 ($75 tuition + $15 materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors"&gt;Brighton McCormick&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6704686</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6704686</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Coal Forge Blacksmithing Basics 1 (Tue, September 15, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/PXL_20230908_161022423%20(1).jpg" alt="" title="" border="0" width="283.5" height="213" align="left" style="border-color: rgb(34, 30, 31); margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;"&gt;Join us for a 8-session dive into the basics of blacksmithing at Dodge Nature Center's open-air smithy at Shepard Farm!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.dodgenaturecenter.org/event/blacksmithing-basics-1-with-coal-forge-8-session-sept-oct-2026/2026-09-10" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Register here&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; through Dodge Nature Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Questions? Get in touch with us at &lt;a href="mailto:%20info@cafac.org" target="_blank"&gt;info@cafac.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Please note: classes at Dodge are not eligible for CAFAC scholarship awards.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" class="WaContentDivider WaContentDivider dividerStyle002" data-wacomponenttype="ContentDivider"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of a coal forge, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, drifting, punching, twisting, and setting shoulders. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: quick tongs, scribe/center punch, round punch/drift, basic heat treating, hooks, multi hook rack, trivet… and you'll know what a clinker is!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$450 (includes all materials and supplies)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 sessions&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Coal Forge Blacksmithing Basics 1 (Thu, September 17, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/PXL_20230908_161022423%20(1).jpg" alt="" title="" border="0" width="283.5" height="213" align="left" style="border-color: rgb(34, 30, 31); margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;"&gt;Join us for a 8-session dive into the basics of blacksmithing at Dodge Nature Center's open-air smithy at Shepard Farm!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.dodgenaturecenter.org/event/blacksmithing-basics-1-with-coal-forge-8-session-sept-oct-2026/2026-09-10" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Register here&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; through Dodge Nature Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Questions? Get in touch with us at &lt;a href="mailto:%20info@cafac.org" target="_blank"&gt;info@cafac.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Please note: classes at Dodge are not eligible for CAFAC scholarship awards.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" class="WaContentDivider WaContentDivider dividerStyle002" data-wacomponenttype="ContentDivider"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of a coal forge, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, drifting, punching, twisting, and setting shoulders. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: quick tongs, scribe/center punch, round punch/drift, basic heat treating, hooks, multi hook rack, trivet… and you'll know what a clinker is!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$450 (includes all materials and supplies)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 sessions&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 22:30:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Penannular Brooch (Tue, September 22, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Elements/PXL_20241111_222142328.jpg" alt="" title="" border="0" width="220" height="166" align="left" style="margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;"&gt;Want to pin your kilt or cloak, or add a clever brooch to your scarf? Have an appreciation for Celtic fashion? In this introductory blacksmithing workshop, you'll make a penannular brooch of your very own! Penannular refers to an incomplete ring, which when combined with a pin serves as a clothing fastener. You'll be introduced to and practice basics blacksmithing techniques while you twist and taper your penannular and sharpen its accompanying pin. No experience necessary.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$85 ($70 tuition + $15 materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 16 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Gaea Dill-D'Ascoli&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6713326</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6713326</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Coal Forge Blacksmithing Basics 1 (Tue, September 22, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/PXL_20230908_161022423%20(1).jpg" alt="" title="" border="0" width="283.5" height="213" align="left" style="border-color: rgb(34, 30, 31); margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;"&gt;Join us for a 8-session dive into the basics of blacksmithing at Dodge Nature Center's open-air smithy at Shepard Farm!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.dodgenaturecenter.org/event/blacksmithing-basics-1-with-coal-forge-8-session-sept-oct-2026/2026-09-10" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Register here&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; through Dodge Nature Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Questions? Get in touch with us at &lt;a href="mailto:%20info@cafac.org" target="_blank"&gt;info@cafac.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Please note: classes at Dodge are not eligible for CAFAC scholarship awards.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" class="WaContentDivider WaContentDivider dividerStyle002" data-wacomponenttype="ContentDivider"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of a coal forge, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, drifting, punching, twisting, and setting shoulders. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: quick tongs, scribe/center punch, round punch/drift, basic heat treating, hooks, multi hook rack, trivet… and you'll know what a clinker is!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$450 (includes all materials and supplies)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 sessions&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2026 20:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Spoon-Making (Fri, September 25, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Dip your fingers into basic blacksmithing and come out with a spoon, suitable for slurping soup (or anything else you'd eat with a spoon). In this short workshop, you'll learn basic blacksmithing techniques and have fun creating a unique and functional piece. We'll start with pre-cut spoon blanks, then dish the spoon using hammer and swage block, and finish the handle with twists, curves, or other decorative techniques.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;You'll make two spoons - one to keep for yourself, and one for our &lt;strong&gt;Bowls &amp;amp; Spoons Harvest Feast&lt;/strong&gt; happening this fall! No experience necessary.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;$85 ($70 tuition + $15 materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 16 and up.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Gaea Dill-D'Ascoli&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6709049</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6709049</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Coal Forge Blacksmithing Basics 1 (Tue, September 29, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/PXL_20230908_161022423%20(1).jpg" alt="" title="" border="0" width="283.5" height="213" align="left" style="border-color: rgb(34, 30, 31); margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;"&gt;Join us for a 8-session dive into the basics of blacksmithing at Dodge Nature Center's open-air smithy at Shepard Farm!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.dodgenaturecenter.org/event/blacksmithing-basics-1-with-coal-forge-8-session-sept-oct-2026/2026-09-10" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Register here&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; through Dodge Nature Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Questions? Get in touch with us at &lt;a href="mailto:%20info@cafac.org" target="_blank"&gt;info@cafac.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Please note: classes at Dodge are not eligible for CAFAC scholarship awards.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" class="WaContentDivider WaContentDivider dividerStyle002" data-wacomponenttype="ContentDivider"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of a coal forge, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, drifting, punching, twisting, and setting shoulders. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: quick tongs, scribe/center punch, round punch/drift, basic heat treating, hooks, multi hook rack, trivet… and you'll know what a clinker is!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$450 (includes all materials and supplies)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 sessions&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Coal Forge Blacksmithing Basics 1 (Thu, October 01, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/PXL_20230908_161022423%20(1).jpg" alt="" title="" border="0" width="283.5" height="213" align="left" style="border-color: rgb(34, 30, 31); margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;"&gt;Join us for a 8-session dive into the basics of blacksmithing at Dodge Nature Center's open-air smithy at Shepard Farm!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.dodgenaturecenter.org/event/blacksmithing-basics-1-with-coal-forge-8-session-sept-oct-2026/2026-09-10" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Register here&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; through Dodge Nature Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Questions? Get in touch with us at &lt;a href="mailto:%20info@cafac.org" target="_blank"&gt;info@cafac.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Please note: classes at Dodge are not eligible for CAFAC scholarship awards.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" class="WaContentDivider WaContentDivider dividerStyle002" data-wacomponenttype="ContentDivider"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of a coal forge, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, drifting, punching, twisting, and setting shoulders. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: quick tongs, scribe/center punch, round punch/drift, basic heat treating, hooks, multi hook rack, trivet… and you'll know what a clinker is!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$450 (includes all materials and supplies)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 sessions&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Penannular Brooch (Fri, October 02, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Elements/PXL_20241111_222142328.jpg" alt="" title="" border="0" width="220" height="166" align="left" style="margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;"&gt;Want to pin your kilt or cloak, or add a clever brooch to your scarf? Have an appreciation for Celtic fashion? In this introductory blacksmithing workshop, you'll make a penannular brooch of your very own! Penannular refers to an incomplete ring, which when combined with a pin serves as a clothing fastener. You'll be introduced to and practice basics blacksmithing techniques while you twist and taper your penannular and sharpen its accompanying pin. No experience necessary.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$85 ($70 tuition + $15 materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 16 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Gaea Dill-D'Ascoli&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800769</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800769</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 22:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Kitchen Petty Knife (Fri, October 02, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/WA%20class%20images%201x3%20petty%20knife.png" alt="" title="" border="0"&gt;In this class, you'll forge a functional kitchen knife from reclaimed car spring steel, learning essential techniques like shaping, beveling, heat treating, and grinding. The class will cover preparing the steel, learning to control heat, and hammering the blade to shape. Then you'll learn the technique of hardening and tempering the knife to ensure durability and edge retention. Grinding and sharpening will then refine the blade, preparing it for practical use. By the end of the class, you'll walk away with a custom, hand-forged kitchen knife and a solid foundation in traditional knife making.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Previous blacksmithing experience is strongly recommended. Beginners are still welcome to sign up, but expect to work hard in this fast-paced class with a lot of hammering.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-family: Lato;"&gt;$360 ($315 tuition + $45 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; Weekend intensive&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors"&gt;&lt;font style="font-family: Lato;" align="start" color="#FF0000"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801278</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801278</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Kitchen Petty Knife (Sat, October 03, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/WA%20class%20images%201x3%20petty%20knife.png" alt="" title="" border="0"&gt;In this class, you'll forge a functional kitchen knife from reclaimed car spring steel, learning essential techniques like shaping, beveling, heat treating, and grinding. The class will cover preparing the steel, learning to control heat, and hammering the blade to shape. Then you'll learn the technique of hardening and tempering the knife to ensure durability and edge retention. Grinding and sharpening will then refine the blade, preparing it for practical use. By the end of the class, you'll walk away with a custom, hand-forged kitchen knife and a solid foundation in traditional knife making.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Previous blacksmithing experience is strongly recommended. Beginners are still welcome to sign up, but expect to work hard in this fast-paced class with a lot of hammering.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-family: Lato;"&gt;$360 ($315 tuition + $45 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; Weekend intensive&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors"&gt;&lt;font style="font-family: Lato;" align="start" color="#FF0000"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801278</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801278</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Kitchen Petty Knife (Sun, October 04, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/WA%20class%20images%201x3%20petty%20knife.png" alt="" title="" border="0"&gt;In this class, you'll forge a functional kitchen knife from reclaimed car spring steel, learning essential techniques like shaping, beveling, heat treating, and grinding. The class will cover preparing the steel, learning to control heat, and hammering the blade to shape. Then you'll learn the technique of hardening and tempering the knife to ensure durability and edge retention. Grinding and sharpening will then refine the blade, preparing it for practical use. By the end of the class, you'll walk away with a custom, hand-forged kitchen knife and a solid foundation in traditional knife making.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Previous blacksmithing experience is strongly recommended. Beginners are still welcome to sign up, but expect to work hard in this fast-paced class with a lot of hammering.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-family: Lato;"&gt;$360 ($315 tuition + $45 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; Weekend intensive&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors"&gt;&lt;font style="font-family: Lato;" align="start" color="#FF0000"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801278</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801278</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Coal Forge Blacksmithing Basics 1 (Tue, October 06, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/PXL_20230908_161022423%20(1).jpg" alt="" title="" border="0" width="283.5" height="213" align="left" style="border-color: rgb(34, 30, 31); margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;"&gt;Join us for a 8-session dive into the basics of blacksmithing at Dodge Nature Center's open-air smithy at Shepard Farm!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.dodgenaturecenter.org/event/blacksmithing-basics-1-with-coal-forge-8-session-sept-oct-2026/2026-09-10" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Register here&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; through Dodge Nature Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Questions? Get in touch with us at &lt;a href="mailto:%20info@cafac.org" target="_blank"&gt;info@cafac.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Please note: classes at Dodge are not eligible for CAFAC scholarship awards.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" class="WaContentDivider WaContentDivider dividerStyle002" data-wacomponenttype="ContentDivider"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of a coal forge, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, drifting, punching, twisting, and setting shoulders. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: quick tongs, scribe/center punch, round punch/drift, basic heat treating, hooks, multi hook rack, trivet… and you'll know what a clinker is!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$450 (includes all materials and supplies)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 sessions&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (TUE EVE) (Tue, October 06, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Forged Flowers &amp; Leaves (Wed, October 07, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Elements/image_67216641.JPG" alt="" title="" border="0" width="200" height="267" style="margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;" align="left"&gt;Transform inorganic material into organic shapes in this hands-on workshop. You’ll learn how to manipulate metal into delicate, lifelike forms inspired by nature. Discover the intricate balance between strength and finesse as you hammer, bend, and texture steel to mimic the flowing lines of flower petals and leaves. By the end of the session, you’ll not only create a beautiful, hand-forged piece but also gain a deeper appreciation for the artistry and precision involved in blacksmithing while practicing essential forging techniques.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$265 ($225 tuition + $40 materials), 5 sessions&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors"&gt;Instructor: Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800813</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800813</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Coal Forge Blacksmithing Basics 1 (Thu, October 08, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/PXL_20230908_161022423%20(1).jpg" alt="" title="" border="0" width="283.5" height="213" align="left" style="border-color: rgb(34, 30, 31); margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;"&gt;Join us for a 8-session dive into the basics of blacksmithing at Dodge Nature Center's open-air smithy at Shepard Farm!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.dodgenaturecenter.org/event/blacksmithing-basics-1-with-coal-forge-8-session-sept-oct-2026/2026-09-10" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Register here&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; through Dodge Nature Center.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Questions? Get in touch with us at &lt;a href="mailto:%20info@cafac.org" target="_blank"&gt;info@cafac.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Please note: classes at Dodge are not eligible for CAFAC scholarship awards.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" class="WaContentDivider WaContentDivider dividerStyle002" data-wacomponenttype="ContentDivider"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of a coal forge, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, drifting, punching, twisting, and setting shoulders. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: quick tongs, scribe/center punch, round punch/drift, basic heat treating, hooks, multi hook rack, trivet… and you'll know what a clinker is!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$450 (includes all materials and supplies)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 sessions&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6799535</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sun, 11 Oct 2026 15:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (SUN MORN) (Sun, October 11, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Lee Meilleur&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 Oct 2026 19:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 2 (Tue, October 13, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"&gt;For blacksmiths with experience, this class is aimed at continuing to develop your knowledge and skills. The approach will be less structured than Blacksmithing Basics 1 and more focused on your individual projects and exploration. You'll be able to take on new forging challenges including slitting, punching, and drifting as a lead in to forged joinery, along with variations on twists that require slitting and multiple passes. You'll practice drawing and tapering multiple splits in wider bar by making leaves. You'll leave this class able to design projects that combine multiple elements either in a single piece or multiple parts. Coming with a few design ideas will help you focus on skill development.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Prerequisite:&lt;/strong&gt; Blacksmithing Basics 1 or equivalent experience/permission from instructor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;Open to ages 16 and up.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (TUE EVE) (Tue, October 13, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Forged Flowers &amp; Leaves (Wed, October 14, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Elements/image_67216641.JPG" alt="" title="" border="0" width="200" height="267" style="margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;" align="left"&gt;Transform inorganic material into organic shapes in this hands-on workshop. You’ll learn how to manipulate metal into delicate, lifelike forms inspired by nature. Discover the intricate balance between strength and finesse as you hammer, bend, and texture steel to mimic the flowing lines of flower petals and leaves. By the end of the session, you’ll not only create a beautiful, hand-forged piece but also gain a deeper appreciation for the artistry and precision involved in blacksmithing while practicing essential forging techniques.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$265 ($225 tuition + $40 materials), 5 sessions&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors"&gt;Instructor: Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800813</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800813</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>First Heat: Blacksmithing Sampler (Fri, October 16, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Get a taste of blacksmithing in this introductory workshop, designed with newcomers in mind. You'll learn about traditional methods using modern equipment, including the propane forge, hammer, tongs, and anvil. Practice your technique by forging an S hook, a J hook, or a shape that has yet to be invented. Feel the force when shaping molten metal!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$95 ($70 tuition + $20 materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Lee Meilleur&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801257</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801257</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sun, 18 Oct 2026 15:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (SUN MORN) (Sun, October 18, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Lee Meilleur&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 20 Oct 2026 19:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 2 (Tue, October 20, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"&gt;For blacksmiths with experience, this class is aimed at continuing to develop your knowledge and skills. The approach will be less structured than Blacksmithing Basics 1 and more focused on your individual projects and exploration. You'll be able to take on new forging challenges including slitting, punching, and drifting as a lead in to forged joinery, along with variations on twists that require slitting and multiple passes. You'll practice drawing and tapering multiple splits in wider bar by making leaves. You'll leave this class able to design projects that combine multiple elements either in a single piece or multiple parts. Coming with a few design ideas will help you focus on skill development.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Prerequisite:&lt;/strong&gt; Blacksmithing Basics 1 or equivalent experience/permission from instructor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;Open to ages 16 and up.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 20 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (TUE EVE) (Tue, October 20, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Forged Flowers &amp; Leaves (Wed, October 21, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Elements/image_67216641.JPG" alt="" title="" border="0" width="200" height="267" style="margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;" align="left"&gt;Transform inorganic material into organic shapes in this hands-on workshop. You’ll learn how to manipulate metal into delicate, lifelike forms inspired by nature. Discover the intricate balance between strength and finesse as you hammer, bend, and texture steel to mimic the flowing lines of flower petals and leaves. By the end of the session, you’ll not only create a beautiful, hand-forged piece but also gain a deeper appreciation for the artistry and precision involved in blacksmithing while practicing essential forging techniques.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$265 ($225 tuition + $40 materials), 5 sessions&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors"&gt;Instructor: Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800813</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800813</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2026 15:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (SUN MORN) (Sun, October 25, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Lee Meilleur&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 27 Oct 2026 19:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 2 (Tue, October 27, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"&gt;For blacksmiths with experience, this class is aimed at continuing to develop your knowledge and skills. The approach will be less structured than Blacksmithing Basics 1 and more focused on your individual projects and exploration. You'll be able to take on new forging challenges including slitting, punching, and drifting as a lead in to forged joinery, along with variations on twists that require slitting and multiple passes. You'll practice drawing and tapering multiple splits in wider bar by making leaves. You'll leave this class able to design projects that combine multiple elements either in a single piece or multiple parts. Coming with a few design ideas will help you focus on skill development.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Prerequisite:&lt;/strong&gt; Blacksmithing Basics 1 or equivalent experience/permission from instructor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;Open to ages 16 and up.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 27 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (TUE EVE) (Tue, October 27, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Forged Flowers &amp; Leaves (Wed, October 28, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Elements/image_67216641.JPG" alt="" title="" border="0" width="200" height="267" style="margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;" align="left"&gt;Transform inorganic material into organic shapes in this hands-on workshop. You’ll learn how to manipulate metal into delicate, lifelike forms inspired by nature. Discover the intricate balance between strength and finesse as you hammer, bend, and texture steel to mimic the flowing lines of flower petals and leaves. By the end of the session, you’ll not only create a beautiful, hand-forged piece but also gain a deeper appreciation for the artistry and precision involved in blacksmithing while practicing essential forging techniques.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$265 ($225 tuition + $40 materials), 5 sessions&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors"&gt;Instructor: Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800813</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800813</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2026 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (SUN MORN) (Sun, November 01, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Lee Meilleur&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2026 19:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Bottle Openers for Beginners (Sun, November 01, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Build your blacksmith skills with a fun and useful project: making a bottle opener. They’re quick to make and can incorporate all basic blacksmithing processes in one compact project. We'll end class with a celebratory bottle-opening to try out your new tool - that means a beer or soda is included! No experience necessary.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$100 ($75 tuition + $25 materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 16 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;John Hehre&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800978</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800978</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2026 20:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 2 (Tue, November 03, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"&gt;For blacksmiths with experience, this class is aimed at continuing to develop your knowledge and skills. The approach will be less structured than Blacksmithing Basics 1 and more focused on your individual projects and exploration. You'll be able to take on new forging challenges including slitting, punching, and drifting as a lead in to forged joinery, along with variations on twists that require slitting and multiple passes. You'll practice drawing and tapering multiple splits in wider bar by making leaves. You'll leave this class able to design projects that combine multiple elements either in a single piece or multiple parts. Coming with a few design ideas will help you focus on skill development.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Prerequisite:&lt;/strong&gt; Blacksmithing Basics 1 or equivalent experience/permission from instructor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;Open to ages 16 and up.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (TUE EVE) (Tue, November 03, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Forged Flowers &amp; Leaves (Wed, November 04, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Elements/image_67216641.JPG" alt="" title="" border="0" width="200" height="267" style="margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px;" align="left"&gt;Transform inorganic material into organic shapes in this hands-on workshop. You’ll learn how to manipulate metal into delicate, lifelike forms inspired by nature. Discover the intricate balance between strength and finesse as you hammer, bend, and texture steel to mimic the flowing lines of flower petals and leaves. By the end of the session, you’ll not only create a beautiful, hand-forged piece but also gain a deeper appreciation for the artistry and precision involved in blacksmithing while practicing essential forging techniques.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$265 ($225 tuition + $40 materials), 5 sessions&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors"&gt;Instructor: Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800813</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800813</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2026 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (SUN MORN) (Sun, November 08, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Lee Meilleur&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2026 20:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 2 (Tue, November 10, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"&gt;For blacksmiths with experience, this class is aimed at continuing to develop your knowledge and skills. The approach will be less structured than Blacksmithing Basics 1 and more focused on your individual projects and exploration. You'll be able to take on new forging challenges including slitting, punching, and drifting as a lead in to forged joinery, along with variations on twists that require slitting and multiple passes. You'll practice drawing and tapering multiple splits in wider bar by making leaves. You'll leave this class able to design projects that combine multiple elements either in a single piece or multiple parts. Coming with a few design ideas will help you focus on skill development.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Prerequisite:&lt;/strong&gt; Blacksmithing Basics 1 or equivalent experience/permission from instructor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;Open to ages 16 and up.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Wed, 11 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (TUE EVE) (Tue, November 10, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2026 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (SUN MORN) (Sun, November 15, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Lee Meilleur&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 17 Nov 2026 20:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 2 (Tue, November 17, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"&gt;For blacksmiths with experience, this class is aimed at continuing to develop your knowledge and skills. The approach will be less structured than Blacksmithing Basics 1 and more focused on your individual projects and exploration. You'll be able to take on new forging challenges including slitting, punching, and drifting as a lead in to forged joinery, along with variations on twists that require slitting and multiple passes. You'll practice drawing and tapering multiple splits in wider bar by making leaves. You'll leave this class able to design projects that combine multiple elements either in a single piece or multiple parts. Coming with a few design ideas will help you focus on skill development.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Prerequisite:&lt;/strong&gt; Blacksmithing Basics 1 or equivalent experience/permission from instructor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;Open to ages 16 and up.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (TUE EVE) (Tue, November 17, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Creatures &amp; Critters (Wed, November 18, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Want a metal friend? Come make a pocket-size companion or two! In this 3-session class, we'll combine blacksmithing fundamentals into creative projects like whales, owls, and snails. No experience is necessary, but if you've swung a hammer before, this class will give you the opportunity to think through your skills in new ways. At the end of the class, you'll have 2-3 hand-made critters to decorate their keychains, desks, or keep in your pocket.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-family: Lato;"&gt;$170 ($135 tuition + $35 materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors"&gt;&lt;font style="font-family: Lato;" align="start" color="#FF0000"&gt;&lt;strong style=""&gt;Instructor: Gaea Dill-D'Ascoli&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801130</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801130</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2026 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Hair Accessories (Fri, November 20, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 15px;"&gt;&lt;img src="https://cafac.wildapricot.org/resources/Pictures/WA%20class%20images%201x3%20(19).png" alt="" title="" border="0"&gt;Keep your flowing locks in place with hand-forged hair accessories that you'll craft yourself in this&amp;nbsp;introductory blacksmithing workshop! We'll start by crafting a straight hairpin, practicing bends and twists along the way. Then you can continue making straight pins or veer into curved pieces to go with your hairpin.&amp;nbsp;You'll be introduced to and practice basics blacksmithing techniques while you twist and taper your hair accessories to your satisfaction. No experience necessary.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$90 ($75 tuition + $15 materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 16 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Gaea Dill-D'Ascoli&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801160</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801160</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2026 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (SUN MORN) (Sun, November 22, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Lee Meilleur&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Nov 2026 20:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 2 (Tue, November 24, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"&gt;For blacksmiths with experience, this class is aimed at continuing to develop your knowledge and skills. The approach will be less structured than Blacksmithing Basics 1 and more focused on your individual projects and exploration. You'll be able to take on new forging challenges including slitting, punching, and drifting as a lead in to forged joinery, along with variations on twists that require slitting and multiple passes. You'll practice drawing and tapering multiple splits in wider bar by making leaves. You'll leave this class able to design projects that combine multiple elements either in a single piece or multiple parts. Coming with a few design ideas will help you focus on skill development.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Prerequisite:&lt;/strong&gt; Blacksmithing Basics 1 or equivalent experience/permission from instructor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;Open to ages 16 and up.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (TUE EVE) (Tue, November 24, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Sergey Vaynshenk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800805</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Creatures &amp; Critters (Wed, November 25, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Want a metal friend? Come make a pocket-size companion or two! In this 3-session class, we'll combine blacksmithing fundamentals into creative projects like whales, owls, and snails. No experience is necessary, but if you've swung a hammer before, this class will give you the opportunity to think through your skills in new ways. At the end of the class, you'll have 2-3 hand-made critters to decorate their keychains, desks, or keep in your pocket.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-family: Lato;"&gt;$170 ($135 tuition + $35 materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors"&gt;&lt;font style="font-family: Lato;" align="start" color="#FF0000"&gt;&lt;strong style=""&gt;Instructor: Gaea Dill-D'Ascoli&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801130</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801130</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sun, 29 Nov 2026 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 1 (SUN MORN) (Sun, November 29, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;If you had a hammer, would you use it to drive a nail? Or would you rather use it to forge a nail from red hot iron? This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of expressing yourself by shaping iron with fire and hammer. You'll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging, and the ability to safely shape iron with heat and a hammer.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;By the end of class, you'll have covered the basic forging processes, including drawing and tapering, splitting, cutting, drifting, punching, twisting, upsetting. You'll develop those skills through projects such as: hooks, utensils, bottle openers, trivets,&amp;nbsp;and forging tools.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up, or 17 with a parent/guardian in attendance.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Lee Meilleur&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800869</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 01 Dec 2026 20:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Basics 2 (Tue, December 01, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"&gt;For blacksmiths with experience, this class is aimed at continuing to develop your knowledge and skills. The approach will be less structured than Blacksmithing Basics 1 and more focused on your individual projects and exploration. You'll be able to take on new forging challenges including slitting, punching, and drifting as a lead in to forged joinery, along with variations on twists that require slitting and multiple passes. You'll practice drawing and tapering multiple splits in wider bar by making leaves. You'll leave this class able to design projects that combine multiple elements either in a single piece or multiple parts. Coming with a few design ideas will help you focus on skill development.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Prerequisite:&lt;/strong&gt; Blacksmithing Basics 1 or equivalent experience/permission from instructor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;$415 ($360 tuition + $55 materials)&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp; 8 weeks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;Open to ages 16 and up.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Dan Osadchuk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;" color="#000000"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6800872</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Dec 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Creatures &amp; Critters (Wed, December 02, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Want a metal friend? Come make a pocket-size companion or two! In this 3-session class, we'll combine blacksmithing fundamentals into creative projects like whales, owls, and snails. No experience is necessary, but if you've swung a hammer before, this class will give you the opportunity to think through your skills in new ways. At the end of the class, you'll have 2-3 hand-made critters to decorate their keychains, desks, or keep in your pocket.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-family: Lato;"&gt;$170 ($135 tuition + $35 materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors"&gt;&lt;font style="font-family: Lato;" align="start" color="#FF0000"&gt;&lt;strong style=""&gt;Instructor: Gaea Dill-D'Ascoli&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801130</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801130</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sat, 12 Dec 2026 18:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Unfinished Business: Finishing Techniques for Metalwork (Sat, December 12, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Join us for a one-day workshop that's all about taking your metal artwork across the finish line.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In this hands-on class, you’ll learn how to safely and confidently use angle grinders, die grinders, dremels, and other finishing tools to refine surfaces and remove casting or weld marks. We’ll also dive into needle scalers and sandblasters for texturing and cleanup, giving you a full toolkit for professional-quality finishes. A comprehensive patina demo will introduce you to color, oxidation, and sealing options so your work looks intentional and gallery-ready. This class is perfect for past casting students who have unfinished pieces waiting for attention, as well as artists who want to add hardware or make minor adjustments so their work functions smoothly. Bring your “almost done” projects and leave with completed, exhibition-ready metal sculpture.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$90 ($75 tuition + $15 materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors"&gt;Brighton McCormick&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801211</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801211</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Fri, 18 Dec 2026 22:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Open Forge Time (Fri, December 18, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;u&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Open Forge Time is available to people who have taken (or are currently taking) a blacksmithing class at CAFAC&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/u&gt;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;Let's fire up the forges and work on personal projects! This is a great opportunity to make tools or finish something you've been working on, with an instructor on hand to answer questions as needed. You'll provide your own metal and&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&amp;nbsp;CAFAC&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;will supply the tools, equipment, and shop consumables.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Experience is required. Please don't sign up if you haven't taken a blacksmithing class at CAFAC.&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$45&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Open to ages 18 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;Gaea Dill-D'Ascoli&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801218</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801218</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sun, 20 Dec 2026 19:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Blacksmithing Project Shop: Bottle Openers for Beginners (Sun, December 20, 2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Build your blacksmith skills with a fun and useful project: making a bottle opener. They’re quick to make and can incorporate all basic blacksmithing processes in one compact project. We'll end class with a celebratory bottle-opening to try out your new tool - that means a beer or soda is included! No experience necessary.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;$100 ($75 tuition + $25 materials)&lt;br&gt;
Open to ages 16 and up.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instructor: &lt;a href="https://www.cafac.org/meet-the-instructors" target="_blank"&gt;John Hehre&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-weight: 300;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801243</link>
      <guid>https://cafac.wildapricot.org/event-6801243</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
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