Prospect Hill Forge April Newsletter, 2012
May 12th & 13th
We would love any of our students or fellow smiths to join us in demonstrating at the Watch City Steampunk Festival.
This Festival is tons of fun, and even more so when you see it from the forge. Any students or fellow smiths with a portable forge are welcome to join us and make it a Blacksmiths' row. We are also looking for help to man our own forge(s) and/or schmooze the public. We'll be demonstrating on the Waltham Common, all day (10-7) Saturday and Sunday. Please join us, and let us know if you can make it, even if only for one of the days.
As of this writing, there is still room in the April classes listed below. More detailed information can be viewed on our classes pages on our website listed here:
April 14th, 2:00PM to 5:00PM
April 23rd, 1:00PM to 4:00PM
April 23rd, 6:30PM to 9:30PM (yes, same day)
April 29th, 6:30PM to 9:30PM
Sundays at the Forge ($35)
No prior experience needed.
April 15th, 2:00PM to 4:00PM
April 29th, 2:00PM to 4:00PM
(maximum 8 students)
A version of our popular "A Taste of Blacksmithing" just for teens.
April 27 or May 29th 11:30AM to 3:00PM (includes lunch break)
(maximum 4 students)
A variation on our "A Taste of Blacksmithing" adjusted for younger students.
May 4th 11:30AM to 3:00PM (includes lunch break)
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If you are interested in a blacksmithing class for a youth please note that we have a Youth Program e-mail list just for information on classes specifically for youths; send us an e-mail and we'll be happy to add you to it (it's a low-volume list, and we won't sell your address to anyone).
Nothing but Knives ($315)
(currently unscheduled)
We want to put a Nothing but Knives class together on Monday afternoons, time and dates to be determined by interest. Please send us an e-mail if you are interested and we'll coordinate the current wants/needs of the collective students.
Open Smithy ($25/hour)
- A Taste of Blacksmithing or equivalent required
(Thursdays) April 19th, and 26th, 6:30PM to 9:30PM
(Sundays) April 29th, 6:30PM to 9:30PM
5th BIRTHDAY OPEN HOUSE! (free)
May 5th, 5:00PM to 11:00PM
Come one, come all, bring something to grill and celebrate the forge turning 5!
May 18th - 20th
We can't recommend this enough!
Forging Hot & Cold ($150)
A joint class with Metalwerx, the jewelry school next-door.
Cold forging silver at Metalwerx,
and hot forging iron at PHF.
At each shop, the project is a bracelet. (see pictures above)
In the morning, half the class will work iron whilst the other half works silver.
After a lunch together, everybody switches shops and works the other metal.
A joint class with Metalwerx, the jewelry school next-door.
Cold forging silver at Metalwerx,
and hot forging iron at PHF.
At each shop, the project is a bracelet. (see pictures above)
In the morning, half the class will work iron whilst the other half works silver.
After a lunch together, everybody switches shops and works the other metal.
Anyone can take this class.
June 15th, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, with lunch break
Advanced Knife Making III ($600)
Students will choose their own hours to fit their schedule over the course of the five days
Students will choose their own hours to fit their schedule over the course of the five days
Nothing But Knives is a prerequisite for this class.
June 25th through 30th (all day, all week!)
Building a Bloomery ~ Learn How to Smelt Iron! ($35.)
No previous experience needed.
July 7th
April is Teacher Appreciation Month, and as such, we'd like to appreciate teachers as well. All teachers receive a 10% discount for classes this month! Just let us know when you're registering, and bring in your teacher id card.
March was a month of playing with punches.
First I had to remake the "PHF" punch that I'd been using to mark
my work for nearly a year. The 'H' lost a leg, becoming a "P4F" punch
and thus useless.
Instead of making another of that same sort with its inherent
weakness, I made a correct-reading male punch and used it to make a
reverse-reading female punch.
It makes a set-in rectangle with the letters left raised within it.
I'm very happy with the look it gives.
It's made of mild steel that has been superquenched. I don't know how
long it'll last, but the technique is disturbingly easy.
For the March 17 Nothing but Knives class I made a shamrock punch (St.
Paddy's Day y'no) and a reverse from it. The figuring-out took a
while, but the actual execution was surprisingly fast.
There's a sort of 'officialness' imparted to a piece by a maker's mark. I think it shows that the craftsman is proud enough of the piece to sign it.
The blacksmithing world needs more makers' marks.
- Carl
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In the middle of a busy day, but just commenting to say that I like the new newsletter style - I think it leaves more room to be flexible in how you put them together.
Cheers!
Historians agree: smiths need to use more makers' marks to make future historians happy!
New newsletter format is great.