Beginning Blacksmithing Course Syllabus and Schedule
The Curran Homestead Living History Farm and Museum
372 Fields Pond Road, P.O. Box 107, Orrington, ME 04474
An Eastern Maine Community Education Project and a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation
Website: www.curranhomestead.org
Beginning Blacksmithing Course Syllabus and Schedule
Instructor: Adriaan Gerber
Contact Information: email: sharp@adriaangerberknives.com , (207) 667-1307
Adriaan Gerber’s Website: www.adriaangerberknives.com
Cancelled Classes: The instructor will inform you of class cancellations.
Tools and Equipment Required
Students should purchase a hammer for blacksmithing. The recommendation is a hammer that is comfortable for you. Anything more than 3 pounds in weight may cause excessive fatigue to the user after continued use so many prefer to use a 2.5 lb. or less weight hammer. This can be of the drilling, cross pein, straight pen, or ball-pein variety.
A leather apron is not necessary for this class but might be a good investment if you plan on continuing with blacksmithing.
A pair of safety goggles/glasses is required. Glasses or goggles with sides is optimal.
Leather gloves are optional.
It is recommended that students choose natural fiber clothing to wear in the smithy; synthetics have a tendency to melt rather than burn. Be aware that you will be working with fire with flying sparks as a natural occurrence, so don’t be surprised if the clothes you wear develop holes over time.
Safety
Breathing coal smoke can cause respiratory problems over time. Our current smithy configuration has undergone several re-adjustments in past months to improve the inevitability of smoke; we currently have two functioning exhaust fans in a space of roughly 450 square feet. We are aware of the improvements we can make, and we plan to realize these as funds permit. Our smithy, as you know, is a new facility financed entirely by grant money and private donations, and built by volunteers.
For our summer classes we will have completed a lean-to roof off the smithy with a gravel and stone floor. This open air facility will be well-ventilated and cool for the summer season. The indoor smithy will be available as well.
A Non-Profit, Its Mission, and How It Can Continue to Thrive Through Your Contribution
We are offering a class for the beginning blacksmith student at a fraction of the cost that long established institutions do. Given the cost of continued repair and improvement of our facility and equipment, the purchase of new equipment, coal, metal stock, and an instructor to teach blacksmithing, The Curran Homestead receives little compensation, which ultimately goes back into the non-profit's facility, for what we offer you. Currently, we use exclusively volunteers to fulfill our mission of education and the preservation of rural Maine history. We welcome your volunteer help in maintaining the facility, tools, and equipment, so that we can continue to share knowledge of blacksmithing and other traditional arts with you and others.
Since we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit, we can receive charitable donations of money, tools and equipment; these can be used as tax-exemptions by the donor. Talk with the museum director or a board member of The Curran Homestead, if you are interested in making a donation or if you would like to volunteer for any one of the other projects currently underway at The Curran Homestead.
Student Rules:
1. You are required to fill out a “Waiver of Liability” form before you begin blacksmithing at this facility. A copy of this “Waiver of Liability” is attached to this syllabus; detach it fill it out, get a witness to sign it, and return to the instructor (A print version will be available at your next class). If you are injured you need to inform the instructor or the overseer of the smithy at that time. We have a first aid kit on premises.
2. Always treat tools in the smithy as your own. No tools are to leave the smithy without the permission of the museum director or a board member of The Curran Homestead. Contact: Bruce Bowden, museum director @ 207-356-5O76, or Irv Marsters, Treasurer of the Board @ 207-745-4426.
2. Cut metal hot! Your instructor will repeatedly tell you to cut metal hot. Cutting the metal at cooler temperatures dulls tools. Cutting all the way through your metal mars the anvil surface, so cut and break off rather than cut clean through. Someone [a volunteer] has to sharpen these tools on a regular basis, if tools are dulled. This takes time that could otherwise be used to do other things for the smithy. Please be conscientious about using tools properly.
3. We are requiring a “How to fix a hammer handle” and a “How to sharpen dull tools” workshop on a Saturday---To be announced. The rationale for this is that if you break a hammer handle or dull a tool that belongs to the smithy [and this frequently happens], then you will know how to fix it and sharpen it.
4. Some of the tools and equipment are antique. They are part of a museum collection. Many of these tools and pieces of equipment were donated or are currently on loan from private individuals. We wish for these tools and equipment to continue to serve as they have in the past, and we wish them to be taken care of. You act as their temporary custodian by using them properly and maintaining them.
5. If you break something, please notify the instructor. If you have the knowledge to repair tools or a piece of equipment, first notify the instructor or the museum director of your intentions.
6. Scrap metal, metal stock, files and the like. The raw material for blacksmithing at our facility is largely donated. Some of what might be considered scrap may eventually be used for the restoration of farm equipment, wagons, sleds and the like, so students and smithy visitors may only use materials designated for use by the instructor or the person overseeing the smithy. These people have been informed what can be used and what can’t. We hope to eventually have a designated scrap heap that is for student use exclusively. Metal stock is costly, and our supplies housed in the smithy are designated for coursework. Please be thrifty with the supplies we have, and only use what has been designated for your use by the instructor.
7. Cut-offs. With each project comes a lot of left over metal stock. The tendency is to toss it underneath the forges or leave it on the fire pan to cool and forget about it. Unfortunately, the next person to use the forge must contend with it. You are responsible for putting the tools you use back where you got them from; tools and metal stock is not to be left in the fire pan; start cleaning up at 8:00PM and that will allow you enough time to put your work area in order. There are drawers for fullers and hardies. There are hooks and racks for hammers. There are oblong metal boxes and metal pails for your cutoffs. Please use them.
8. Cleaning up the forge you use after you use it is important to everyone using the smithy. As part of the course you will learn to recognize the difference between coal, coke, and clinker. All of these materials should be treated accordingly. Coke is used to start your forge fire, coal is used to fuel your fire, and clinker is the inevitable waste of the coal fire. Clinker should be cleaned from the fire pan after each use. It is to be put into a metal bucket. Coke can be used when starting forge fires and should be placed in a metal bucket under the forge for later use. Clinker is to be dumped when the pail containing it is full. You are to dump it in the trench behind the smithy; the trench will eventually be filled with stone for drainage. Clinker lasts in the same state seemingly forever, so we don’t want piles of this stuff all over the farm; put it in this designated area.
Thank you for your cooperation. Have a good time blacksmithing.
Schedule
Intensive Beginner's Blacksmithing Course
Day 1 - Morning
Introduction to Safety, Materials and Tools of the Trade. Tapering To A Square Point. Drawing Out Metal. Forging Square Taper To Octagonal And Round. Bending Over The Horn. Twisting. Using the Cross Pein Hammer to forge a basic S-hook.
Afternoon
Tapering To A Square Point. Drawing Out Metal. Forging Square Taper To Octagonal And Round. Bending Over The Horn. Twisting. Decorative Bending. Setting Down Using Half-faced Blows. Forge a Set of 6 Skewers With Fancy Handles.
Day 2 - Morning
Hot-cutting and Splitting. Separating Split Parts For better access. Smoothing Out Cuts Using the Vise. Tapering To A Square Point. Drawing Out Metal. Forging Square Taper To Octagonal And Round. Flattening and Twisting. Forging Out a Meat Fork.
Afternoon
Upsetting. Reducing Metal Width to Form A Neck. Preventing Folds. Flattening. Drawing Down. Bending and Filing Using the Vise. Forging Out a Spatula.
Day 3 - Morning
Preparing for Welding. Upsetting and Scarfing. Fire Control For Welding. Using Flux. Forge Welding. Forging a Spoon.
Afternoon
Preparing for Welding. Upsetting and Scarfing. Fire Control For Welding. Using Flux. Forge Welding a Ring. Punching a Square Slot. Punching Mounting Holes. Forging a Door Knocker.
Day 4 - Morning & Afternoon
Drawing Down. Folding and Welding. Preparing Steel Insert. Welding High-carbon Steel. Cutting and Spreading. Heat-treating High-carbon Steel. Forging a Tomahawk
Metal Requirements:
6’ of 3/16" round pp.
8" of 3/16" x 1/2" pp
1’ of 3/16" x 1 1/2" pp.
1’ of 1/2" sq pp.
2’ of 1/2" round pp.
There’s enough steel for the tomahawk making, plus files.
Forging a Bearded Axe/Viking Style Axe 3-Day Workshop
Forging A Slot Punch. Forging an Eye Drift. Forging a Slitting Chisel. Upsetting and Drawing Out End. Punching and drifting An Eye. Cutting Edge to Accept Steel Bit. Preparing Steel Bit. Welding in Bit. Shaping Edge. Heat Treatment. Sharpening. Making and Fitting handle.
Metal Requirements:
Metal for punches and drifts, maybe 5/8” O-1 or some old chisels or crowbars.
8” of 1” x 1” square pp.
file steel
flux
Forging a Tomahawk – 1 Day Workshop
Class Activity:
Forging Bowtie Body. Folding Over and Welding Eye. Preparing Steel Bit. Inserting and Forge-welding Edge. Cut to Length. Draw Out Edge. Drift Eye. File to Final Shape. Heat Treatment. Sharpening. Making a Handle and Fitting. Throwing.
Metal Requirement
2’ of 2” x 3/16” pp.
files
Forging A Knife and/or Tomahawk from Welded Cable Steel Workshop (no power hammer needed)
Class Activity:
Preparing the cable for welding.
Forge-welding the cable.
Drawing down the cable to usable format.
Forging knife blank.
Demonstration of etching process.
1’ of cable pp.
flux
Finally, your contact information has been added to The Curran Homestead e-mailings, or you may be phoned if you don’t have e-mail. Please contact us at brucerbowden@hotmail.com or 2O7-356-5O76, if you wish not to be updated on classes, workshops and future events at The Curran Homestead.
|
