Blacksmithing

This basic class will give you the foundation needed to start out on your journey of blacksmithing. You'll learn fire management, hammering methods, drawing out, upsetting, cutting, splitting, twisting, and convenience bending along with a demo of forge welding. Make punches and chisels and learn to harden and temper them. Heating material and heat management will be taught and much more.

Dates/Times

• Friday, April 11, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Saturday, April 12, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Sunday, April 13, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Monday, April 14, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Dick Sargent

Member Tuition: $520.00
Non-Member Tuition: $620.00

Material Fee: $100.00 Included in fee shown

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Special Notes: Hard shoes and long pants are required for student's safety.

This basic class will give you the foundation needed to start out on your journey of blacksmithing. You'll learn fire management, hammering methods, drawing out, upsetting, cutting, splitting, twisting, and convenience bending along with a demo of forge welding. Make punches and chisels and learn to harden and temper them. Heating material and heat management will be taught and much more.

Dates/Times

• Friday, September 12, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Saturday, September 13, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Sunday, September 14, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Monday, September 15, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Dick Sargent

Member Tuition: $520.00
Non-Member Tuition: $620.00

Material Fee: $100.00 Included in fee shown

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Special Notes: Hard shoes and long pants are required for student's safety.

Always a popular class, Create Your Own Roasting Fork is geared towards the novice blacksmith. Blacksmith Steve Gurzler will teach basic blacksmithing skills while the students work to create a roasting fork for marshmallows or maybe even bratwurst. Bring something to roast at the end of the day with your finished product!

Dates/Times

• Saturday, April 19, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Steve Gurzler

Member Tuition: $130.00
Non-Member Tuition: $150.00

Material Fee: $25.00 Included in fee shown

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Special Notes: Hard shoes and long pants are required for student's safety.

In this course, using a Damascus billet you have previously forged or can purchase in this course, students will forge a full tang style EDC knife. Students will heat treat and bevel their knives in preparation for fitting the handle. We will discuss and implement etching processes to reveal the beautiful pattern welded steel, then finish the handle making an eye catching and functional tool. I this course we will discuss in detail forging processes, grinding techniques, fit & finish and etching procedures.

Dates/Times

• Saturday, August 23, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Sunday, August 24, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Cody Csontos

Member Tuition: $260.00
Non-Member Tuition: $300.00

Material Fee: $50.00 Included in fee shown

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Special Notes: Students who do not have their own Damascus billet may purchase one from the instructor for an additional charge of $80. Hard shoes and long pants are required for student's safety.

In this dynamic two day class students will forge a billet of pattern welded damascus, then forge heat treat, grind polish and etch several 2-3" bladed all steel paring knives. These little knives though relatively quick to make, are extremely useful in the kitchen and a wonderful platform to explore how thickness and geometry of the edge contribute to a knife's cutting abilities. Most students complete at least two knives in the class. This repetition is essential to cementing the skills learned in the class, allowing students to truly learn from mistakes and reinforce the lessons learned. Skills covered include: basic forge welding of damascus steel, pattern development in damascus steel, forging blades to shape, basic heat treating of knives, grinding and finishing of knives, etching damascus steel and sharpening knives.

Dates/Times

• Saturday, September 27, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Sunday, September 28, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Matthew Parkinson

Member Tuition: $270.00
Non-Member Tuition: $310.00

Material Fee: $100.00 Included in fee shown

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Special Notes: Hard shoes and long pants are required for student's safety.

For this course students will get a chance to forge weld a trillium shaped trivet. This design is based on several early American examples. Students will learn basic forge welding along with traditional blacksmithing techniques. During the course there will be a discussion of early American blacksmithing and design.

Dates/Times

• Saturday, May 10, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Lucas Novko

Member Tuition: $130.00
Non-Member Tuition: $150.00

Material Fee: $25.00 Included in fee shown

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Special Notes: Hard shoes and long pants are required for student's safety.

This class is taught by renowned instructor and the very first winner of History Channel's Forged in Fire, Matthew Parkinson. The chef's knife is the most used knife in almost any home. These iconic knives help to create meals for family and loved ones. Well-made kitchen knives can last a lifetime and this class will give you the opportunity to create one of your very own. In this two-day class students will make their own chef's knife from high carbon steel. All aspects of bladesmithing will be covered, from forging the blade to shaping, then heat treating, grinding and polishing, making and fitting a wooden handle and finally, sharpening – with very special attention given to the design and geometry of this kind of knife. This class is intended as an introductory bladesmithing class, but some forging experience is helpful.

Dates/Times

• Saturday, August 2, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Sunday, August 3, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Matthew Parkinson

Member Tuition: $270.00
Non-Member Tuition: $310.00

Material Fee: $50.00 Included in fee shown

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Special Notes: Hard shoes and long pants are required for student's safety.

This class is taught by renowned instructor and the very first winner of History Channel's Forged in Fire, Matthew Parkinson. The chef's knife is the most used knife in almost any home. These iconic knives help to create meals for family and loved ones. Well-made kitchen knives can last a lifetime and this class will give you the opportunity to create one of your very own. In this two-day class students will make their own chef's knife from high carbon steel. All aspects of bladesmithing will be covered, from forging the blade to shaping, then heat treating, grinding and polishing, making and fitting a wooden handle and finally, sharpening – with very special attention given to the design and geometry of this kind of knife. This class is intended as an introductory bladesmithing class, but some forging experience is helpful.

Dates/Times

• Thursday, July 31, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Friday, August 1, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Matthew Parkinson

Member Tuition: $270.00
Non-Member Tuition: $310.00

Material Fee: $50.00 Included in fee shown

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Special Notes: Hard shoes and long pants are required for student's safety.

Strap Hinges are an iconic form of blacksmith-made hinge. This 2-day class will take participants through the process of forging a small set of strap hinges with wrapped eyes and decorative finials. We will also forge the hooks to mount them. Students will either be able to replicate historic examples or design their own unique styles of hinges.

Dates/Times

• Saturday, April 26, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Sunday, April 27, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Derek Heidemann

Member Tuition: $260.00
Non-Member Tuition: $300.00

Material Fee: $50.00 Included in fee shown

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Special Notes: Hard shoes and long pants are required for student's safety.

Doing something you love, like gardening, is even more rewarding when using tools you created yourself! In this class you will learn how to spread out metal to forge a garden trowel, and how to forge a weed puller. You'll also learn to attach handles and apply a finish to a forged item. Some basic blacksmithing experience is recommended.

Dates/Times

• Saturday, May 31, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Steve Gurzler

Member Tuition: $130.00
Non-Member Tuition: $150.00

Material Fee: $25.00 Included in fee shown

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Special Notes: Hard shoes and long pants are required for student's safety.

In this two-day workshop, learn to forge functional and decorative cooking utensils great for the barbecue or the kitchen! We will explore both two piece construction and one piece forgings. Each student will create multiple utensils while learning simple hand forging techniques, material isolation, sheet metal forming, and simple food safe finishes.

Dates/Times

• Saturday, June 28, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Sunday, June 29, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Ian McCarthy

Member Tuition: $260.00
Non-Member Tuition: $300.00

Material Fee: $50.00 Included in fee shown

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Special Notes: Hard shoes and long pants are required for student's safety.

In this 2 day workshop, students will learn basic sheet metal forging and riveted construction. Starting with a steel disk, learn to shape a simple skillet body and forge a decorative riveted handle. Create a functional and decorative piece of cookware to last a lifetime!

Dates/Times

• Saturday, October 4, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Sunday, October 5, 2025 – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Instructor: Ian McCarthy

Member Tuition: $260.00
Non-Member Tuition: $300.00

Material Fee: $50.00 Included in fee shown

Location: AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY

Special Notes: Hard shoes and long pants are required for student's safety.