Cascadia Center For Arts & Crafts
Connecting Community with Art
Kicking off Blacksmith Week 2025 this class will teach the basics of Blacksmithing with a Level I (part 1) class with Mark Aspery.
Kicking off Blacksmith Week 2025 this Level I (part 2) class will create a gorgeous Gate Latch with renowned blacksmith Mark Aspery.
Sculptural forms that can be adapted to functional works. Students will be able to focus on traditional and nontraditional methods and techniques of joinery and design. We will practice how ancient forging craft of blacksmithing can make a contemporary modern piece of functional art.
You will learn how to make the punches and chisels needed to sculp a dragon’s head on the end of a bar of steel; learn how to pre-form the head by hammer and anvil, chisel out the beard, ears, mouth and teeth; punch the eyes and nostrils; and form additional details that will bring it -and new possibilities in your work- to life.
In this class we will be exploring the rudimentary hammer techniques used, step by step, to forge a knife blade to shape from scrap steels with very little use of a grinder. This class is centered around the clever techniques of ancient smiths melded with the minimal help of modern tools. Research the "Neo-Tribal Bladesmithing" movement and "Tai Goo" for more info on this philosophy and methodology.
