• Open Forge Night

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Interested in blacksmithing but unsure how to start? Open Forge Night is the place for you! Every third Wednesday of the month during our blacksmithing season, come see demonstrations by expert blacksmith Steve Gurzler. Observing the demonstration is free and open to the public. If you want to try your hand at blacksmithing there is a $20 fee to cover the cost of materials. Safety precautions must be followed - including hard shoes with no open toes, long pants, goggles (supplied) and gloves (supplied).

  • Beginning Bluegrass Banjo

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Bluegrass banjo is the familiar sound that drove such favorites as the Beverly Hillbillies Theme Song, Rocky Top and Foggy Mountain Breakdown. In this class you will learn enough about the banjo so that you can use a variety of available instructional aids from your home and progress with learning Bluegrass banjo at your own pace. You will be exposed to the basics of playing 5-string Bluegrass banjo, including tunings, left hand chord shapes, right hand rolls, vamping, hammer-ons, pull-offs, chokes, chimes and how to read tablatures. We'll also look at online sites about banjo practice and instruction. Bring a playable 5-string banjo, two metal finger picks and a thumb pick. Although there will be several handouts, an audio recorder is a good idea.

  • Rugs from Rags

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    No weaving experience is necessary! The looms are dressed and ready to go, all you need to do is bring your creative spirit and to leave with a finished one-of-a-kind rug. Students will have a choice of making a traditional Rag Rug using recycled fabric strips or making a Sock Rug using remnants from a sock factory. Colors and choices of fabric and remnants vary from class to class depending on availability. The rugs are 24" wide, and up to 45" long.

  • Dovetailed Shaker Candle Box

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    In this class, students will hand craft a beautiful pine wood box reminiscent of the Shaker craftwork. Students will begin with wood already prepared and cut to finished sizes for the project. They will work on the following skills: cutting and joining the sides/dovetail joints, gluing/planing and sanding the sides, shaping the lid and base, attaching the hardware (hinges), and finishing techniques.

  • Dovetailed Shaker Candle Box

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    In this class, students will hand craft a beautiful pine wood box reminiscent of the Shaker craftwork. Students will begin with wood already prepared and cut to finished sizes for the project. They will work on the following skills: cutting and joining the sides/dovetail joints, gluing/planing and sanding the sides, shaping the lid and base, attaching the hardware (hinges), and finishing techniques.

  • Intro to Welding for the Hobby Blacksmith

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Students will learn the basics of welding to help them with hobbies and everyday life. This class will focus on MIG (Metal Inert Gas) and stick welding. Students will leave teh course with a comprehensive understanding of houw welding works, as well as plenty of hands-on experience.

  • Copper Bowl

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    In this class students will create a beautiful copper bowl from a 12" x 12" sheet of 16 gauge copper. Students will pound and hand tool the sheet into an 8" diameter, approx. 2" deep bowl. Students will also make a decorative vine with leaves from copper that will be attached to the rim of the bowl. Some soldering will be involved in this class.

  • A Taste of the Forge

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Would you like to try blacksmithing, and get a taste of the craft? Join instructor Steve Gurzler for 3 weekday evenings to learn how to operate a coal forge to bring metal to incandescent heat and shape it with hammer in hand. This class will use the Artist Blacksmiths Association of North America (ABANA) curriculum to teach the basics of blacksmithing. Students can expect to create 2 or more projects during the 3 evenings. Class size is limited to ensure all can advance at their own pace.

  • Small Copper Embossing

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Learn the discipline of Metal Working known as Embossing. Students will transfer an image of their choosing from a paper template to a sheet of copper by using various sizes of stylus and other hand tools to create a textured picture. Students will find that copper is a very workable material. Your finished piece will fit in with any Adirondack decor or even in a rustic birch frame! This piece is 6" x 6".

  • Natural Details: Photographing Nature in Motion

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    This class is geared towards beginner to intermediate photographers who want to learn solid fundamentals and put them into practice with instruction, with an emphasis on photographing nature closeup, waterfalls, grasses, plants etc. This should allow almost anyone with a digital camera to create artistic shots without relying on waiting for animals or birds. Participants should have access to a tripod. Dave will share an intro slideshow of his work and a discussion on ethics, safety, subject knowledge and increasing success rate. There will be a handout that covers discussion points of basic camera use, lens selection, composition and more. This class will include shooting in the field at a location picked dependent on the time of year.

  • Introduction to Woodturning

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    To every season turn, turn, turn! This course is for people who have an interest in learning how to turn. The emphasis will be on learning how to use the lathe and tools safely and correctly. In this class you will learn the basics of creating spindle-based objects. Then you will use your new-found skills to create a candlestick and a wooden pen. Friends and family will be truly impressed! You'll need to take this class before moving on to the more advanced turning classes.

  • Felted Squirrel

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Felt a "sleepy squirrel" that could be found in a leafy nest anywhere in the Adirondacks. You will use a simple armiture, natural wool fibers, and easy to use techniques to create a lifelike image of a sleeping gray squirrel. This course is appropriate for beginners and will give you the skills to create your own sleepy character.