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What a brilliant day, perfect for anyone with an interest or curiousity in smithing or forging. Excellent tutor and informative from start to end
My ma-in-law got me a blacksmithing voucher for my birthday so yesterday I went and spent the day with Bob. He is a great teacher and showed me how to use a hammer properly. He could see when I picked up a pushing hammer blow from out of nowhere, even though I hadn't done it all day! I made a herb cleaver and some coat hangers and went home tired but very happy. I recommend this course if you fancy being out of your comfort zone and want to learn interesting metalworking techniques :)
I have had one of the best days ever. I have used a hammer most of my life, but I have never realised how hard it was to use a hammer to manipulate hot metal in a way that I was shown.
Bob, the tutor, was very informative and helpful and knowledgeable beyond belief. I have had a great day and would definitely recommend this course to anyone.
My son, Andrew and myself did this course together today and thoroughly enjoyed it. Bob is a first class craftsman and tutor. I would highly recommend this day for anyone who wants to have a go at the art of the blacksmith. Brought home a poker and toasting fork, matching pair. Well pleased.
Got a voucher some time ago from my daughters but only got to go to work with Bob last week because of you-know-what.
It was a great day and watching Bob turn a hoop from a single heating was simply mind-boggling. He has a fantastic depth of knowledge & experience and you learn fast from his show-then-do instruction method.
It's a full-on day and your mind will be spinning trying to apply all the great tips and hints that you learn during the session.
All in all, a thoroughly fascinating and rewarding day. Highly recommended.
Thanks, Bob!
I found this course after becoming an avid ‘Forged in Fire’ fan, and soon began grinding my own knives from flat stock. But all I really wanted to do was actually forge them.
This course was brilliant. Bob is a fantastic teacher and has so much valuable knowledge to share of his craft. The information he gives to you will stick and enable you to pick things up much quicker.
There is a lovely relaxed atmosphere there, but with safety also always being key.
If you’re thinking about doing the course, just get it booked! You won’t regret it!
Thanks for a top class day Bob, I’ll be back again!
My wife sent me on the full day course with Bob. Being the Forged in Fire fan that I am and knife collector I arrived with all the excitement you could imagine.
This was the first time I had even seen a forge in person so a complete novice in all things blacksmithing. After a safety talk and taking a genuine interest in my background Bob went on to explain, demonstrate and then had me repeat some basic skills, which gradually moved on to slightly harder skills. The depth of knowledge of the craft fascinated me, Bob sure knows his stuff!
After a chippy lunch and relaxed interesting conversation we moved onto the second part of the day. Bob asked me what I would like to make - somewhat unsurprisingly to Bob I wanted to make a knife. Bob let me design my own knife to make which I thought was a nice touch. We actually made two knives, the first a Viking knife which combined all the skills from the morning to come together to make an awesome finished piece. We then made my own design. I am very proud of the end results for both knifes that have pride of place in my collection.
Bob is a great guy and effortlessly made me feel at ease. I will be going back again soon for sure now that I have the bug!
Thanks for a great day Bob.
Can’t recommend this course highly enough. Bob was fantastic and incredibly patient and made the day really enjoyable. I wasn’t entirely sure the course would be for me - I’m fairly sedentary and work in an office type environment. However I was wrong - it is truly something anyone can have a try at.
Bob also went above and beyond in the afternoon session (where we make something specific) when I’d asked about making a gecko! Not something they’d ever done but with a bit of research, thought and trial and error we made a fantastic gecko!
Thank you and I’m hoping someone will buy me another lesson for my birthday later in the year!
Had an absolutely fantastic day with Colin and I learned so much, can't wait to set up my own forge to practice what I learned. I was able to make a coat hook, blacksmith tongs and a bottle opener. Would recommend this course to everyone.
I will definitely be back to try the hammer skills.
Had a great day. Bob's an excellent teacher, a good brew maker (I had black coffee) and I will definitely be going back to improve my skills.
Wow! What a fantastic day I've just had with Bob. Such a great guy who by end of the day felt like an old friend. I went along for a day expecting to hit a bit of iron and ended up learning so much about the craft. I now know so many interesting facts about horses feet and horseshoes.
Bob is such an interesting character and a master of his craft. He's great at pointing out what you need to do, but also knows when to leave you to it so you can find your own feet. He even makes a half decent brew!
Thanks again Bob, I've had a brilliant day.
Colin's a really nice guy who taught me loads of techniques. I'd never done any blacksmithing before but came away with 3 wonderful items - a fire poker, a bottle opener and an ornamental viking knife. Highly recommend this course.
I booked a surprise birthday present for my husband. Bob was super helpful with the booking of the course, he took the time to ask where we were coming from so he could give helpful directions.
My husband has had an amazing day, he thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. He has made a lovely letter opener and a toasting fork with an impressive treble clef at the top.
I would highly recommend Bob to anyone.
I have gained good brownie points with such a fab present!
I spent a great day with Bob and learned a lot. A wonderful friendly atmosphere and Bob has great practical skills which amazed me all day. I came away with some amazing things I'd made with Bob's help. I cannot recommend this day highly enough.
My 17yr old son had the best time on the half day course. It was everything he hoped it would be, the instructor (Bob) was so friendly, he made the experience so enjoyable. My son came home with a piece of ironwork that looked so professional, something we'll have many years of use. He'll definitely be returning for further education.
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!
Had a brilliant day with Bob on the Hammering Course, would recommend to anybody. Bob is a master of the art, a truly skilled craftsman.
Booked this course as a surprise for my fiance who loves gaming, fantasy and forged in fire! So obviously he loved it! Bob was amazing, very patient and obviously very skilled in his craft. We did the half day course and, as well as making tips and learning hammer skills, at the end he got to make his own viking knife! Very enjoyable experience and we will be back for another half day soon! Thanks Bob!! #legend
This was easily the best blacksmith course I have done (and I have done a few!). The emphasis was definitely on developing skills rather than just completing a finished object (although I was very pleased with my products) as can be found on other courses.
Bob is a great teacher, giving you guidance and advice but also leaving you time to work on your skills, and most importantly a desire to do it again and become even better.
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....!