Reviews for Anvilsring Ironwork

My boyfriend booked this course for us as a surprise for my birthday, and I can honestly say it's the best gift I've ever received! Bob was an excellent teacher, with incredible skill, endless patience and a clear passion for the craft. He guided us in building a basic foundation of skills and tool use, which stood us in good stead for the crafting in the afternoon. We made bottle openers and amazing Viking style knives, and I can't stop looking at them, I can't believe I made that! I've had an absolutely fantastic day, Bob creates a lovely atmosphere, with lots of tea and banter and made us feel comfortable straight away. I really can't recommend this course enough. Thank you Bob!

Myself and my two sons, had a great day on the course, which was perfectly ran by Bob, who is a real character. We had lots of laughs, and learnt an awful lot, thanks to Bob's guidance, and we had a brilliant lunch with him at the local dine-in chip shop, which I thoroughly recommend.
We made a boot scraper, a set of Belfast sink brackets, and Dan’s unique long handled shoe horn!!
I can’t recommend the course enough, plus we stayed overnight at The Fleece pub nearby which was brilliant as well.
Cheers again Bob....!

My friends and family chipped in to send me and a friend on this course after they noticed that I happened to be watching a lot of Forged in Fire lately and it was well worth the money. Working as a machine fitter who earns a living from a workshop, I had a small degree of confidence that I'd be going home with something that resembled a Viking kitchen knife and a functional bottle opener. This definitely would not have happened without Colin's guidance and wealth of experience and thanks to him the items came out better than I expected for a first timer.

The experience was both enjoyable and educational which leaves you finishing the day with a sense of accomplishment (I had to get some beer on the way home to test the bottle opener). Colin taught us how to properly heat steel, work it using a wide range of different methods, while also explaining what colours to look out for, how to treat the steel and how to rectify any mistakes using the best possible techniques. Although Colin kept us supervised to make sure we weren't about to ruin our work, once you work yourself into a rhythm you also get a liberating sense of independence while working on your project.

Overall, a brilliant day out, taught by a very experienced and down to earth guy. I would love to go back to make something else in the future and would recommend this course to anyone who has an interest in trying their hand at blacksmithing.

Many thanks to Colin for our fun and insightful day. Both my brother and I spent the day under Colin’s master supervision. Colin taylored the course to our interests and ability, teaching us some basic techniques in the morning which we untilised in the afternoon for a mini project. Colin taught in a patient and flexible way making breaking all the steps of the process down.m. The workshop is in a nice setting with a tasty eat in Fish and chip shop 5 minutes down the road.

If you have any interest in this skilled art then Colin is offers a great course and you get to take home some nice own made survenoirs.

This is the second time I have been on a coursewith bob .I enjoyed it so much the first time I went away and bought myself a forge and anvil.After a year on my own I am producing some nicework .I have just had a day with bob learning the basics in the art of making horse shoes , there is a lot involved in just making one shoe , but with bobs patience and guidance, by the end of the dayI was getting the just of it .
I can’t recommend this course enough you will thoroughly enjoy it guaranteed .

I started the day as a complete beginner but Colin took me through the basics and I managed to complete four items in a busy day at the forge.
Colin has a collection of photographs showing various items that you can make but he is happy to accommodate your own ideas. He demonstrates the techniques as you go along and then makes suggestions about ways of achieving your design ideas.
It was a pleasure to spend a day with a true craftsman. I learned a lot and I would recommend this course to anyone who has an interest in this traditional craft skill.

I bought this as a present for my partner but also joined him on the course. It was absolutely brilliant and we’d definitely go back.

We were able to make what we wanted but Colin was also on hand to make suggestions too and show us examples. He is obviously very experienced and knowledgeable and was happy to share this with us. He answered our many questions and we produced some genuinely lovely pieces that don’t look like they were made by beginners.

I can’t recommend this course enough !