Blacksmithing Project Shop: Hand-Forged Utilitarian Knife

In this project workshop, you’ll forge your own full-tang, well-balanced knife for kitchen or outdoor use. We’ll start with a blank of high carbon steel and forge it to shape. Next is heat treatment techniques - annealing, hardening, and tempering - and then finishing the edge with files or grinders. The final step is creating a wood handle (feel free to bring your own hardwood if you’d like). Once you’ve completed a classic utilitarian knife using tools and techniques that are readily available, you’ll be ready to continue making knives on your own, for different uses with more exotic metals and techniques.

This class requires forging experience to ensure you have the hammer control skills to be successful. Questions about your skills? Contact acmeprojectshop@gmail.com. |  $205 ($155 tuition + $50 materials)

Instructor: Brad Buxton began his blacksmith/metalwork journey in 2009, taking classes through the Guild of Metalsmiths, North House Folk School and with nationally recognized blacksmiths. He works out of his shop, Acme Project Shop, making metal sculpture, bottle openers, campfire cooking tools and other utilitarian pieces. He teaches copper chasing/repousse blacksmith classes, to adults and high school students. His philosophy for teaching blacksmith classes is to focus on five basic processes: drawing and tapering, slitting and punching, bending, twisting, and upsetting.