Anvilsring Ironwork reviews

29 Jul 16'

Martin reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

"With the health and safety briefing over ("don't burn yourself") Colin took a look at the ideas I'd brought with me and explained the basic principles of the forge and the tools we would be using. Each time we used a new technique throughout the day, Colin would explain it and demonstrate it, before letting me try it. This proved to be a good way to work and gave me the confidence to have a go myself. Whenever my cack-handed attempts to copy him started to go awry, he was always on hand to offer guidance on how to correct things and, between us, we managed to make three utensils for my pizza oven and hooks to hang them on. An excellent day out if you fancy trying something different!"

1 Jul 16'

Tony and Caroline reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

"We had a fantastic day with Colin. He is a great teacher - shows you all you need to know and lets you really get into it, just helping out where needed. Very informative and relaxed, we're very proud of the items we made! What an amazing experience."

29 Jun 16'

Chris Ennion reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

"Colin is an excellent teacher and I wouldn't hesitate in recommending him and here is why... He is clear & concise in what he wants you to achieve, he will give you a demonstration but then he is then relaxed enough to let you crack on and have a real go at it, you will make mistakes but he will then show you how you went wrong and how to fix those exactly the way he would on his own work, an invaluable part of the learning experience in my opinion given even the most experienced blacksmiths make mistakes, no stress whatsoever. In terms of the equipment on hand, he has everything you could want. You have your own work space & tools for starts so you don't feel like you are treading on his toes by working away on a piece for too long. He has both gas and fire forges in the workshop and you will use both depending on what you are doing (I understand a good number of smiths tend to use only one depending on their preference), he also has various more modern machines to have a go with i.e. power hammers so your experience really will cover all bases. One big thing to mention that may be overlooked, Colin's passion is in tool making so he has a tool for nearly everything you could think of, most of which he has made so they work with his existing kit perfectly, I barely scratched the surface with what he had available and even I can't remember all the bits and pieces I used. All in all I really can't fault Colin or his workshop, a great guy and an even better teacher. I will undoubtedly use him again... Get him booked!"

8 Jun 16'

Matt reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

"Fantastic course with Colin, had a great day full of really good advice and guidance. Colin is a great instructor who shows clearly what needs to be done but then allows you to have a go and only stepping in when it's going a little pear shaped. This is the way practical courses should be run. Copious amounts of tea/coffee are on tap and the whole atmosphere is relaxed. I would recommend this to anyone and have done! It's amazing what you can make in one day on a forge. Fantastic, thanks Colin, we will be back. Matt and Matt"

29 Apr 16'

Greg reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

"Spent the day with Colin and had a fantastic time. He is really a good instructor and has a wealth of knowledge. Takes the time to explain everything no matter what your level of experience is. I had never done any blacksmith work before and was able to complete 4 pieces which looked really good. Workshop is well setup and has all the tools required. Would not hesitate to recommend this course to anyone."

19 Mar 16'

Sharon Murtagh reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

"Fantastic day. I booked this course as a surprise birthday present for my boyfriend. He made a poker, keyring and also a coat rack for our porch and really enjoyed it. I was kept company by cutie Molly the Jack Russell."

12 Mar 16'

Emma Vann reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

"I have just got back from a wonderful day on this blacksmithing course. I went with my friend Lisa and we had a fabulous time. We both made a poker each, then I made the cutest snail and Lisa made a letter-opener. Lisa finally made a key-ring and I made an "over-the-door" coat hook. We had a great day with lots of tuition and advice and a helping hand when needed. I would recommend this course to anyone. Five stars!!"

6 Mar 16'

Mike Pilkington reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

"Absolutely brilliant course, had a fantastic time with Colin (& Bob) and learned so much! Having never tried anything like this before I thought it would be impossible to make some of the things on the website but not so! Everything was so well explained and demonstrated I eventually walked away with 5 items I was proud of; which show lots of different techniques. I definitely want to go back and learn more skills!"

18 Jan 16'

Neil reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

"Had a fantastic day with Colin making some cool things. Learned how to put twists in the metal and punch holes amongst other things. Colin is a great instructor and was happy to explain things to us and we had a laugh with him too. Can't wait to go back."

18 Jan 16'

Keith reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

"Absolutely brilliant day. Colin took us through loads of different techniques on the different furnaces. Technically quite challenging at times but also really easy to get stuck in when you get the hang of it. Although I underestimated how hard it is to lift a hammer after 15 minutes of striking Took home three really neat prices of work and eager to go back to do something some other things. Really recommend it, Colin had a good laugh with us and we had a great day!! Thanks so much!!"

31 Dec 15'

Fabian reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

"Spent an excellent day with Colin. Working with the metal was a great experience. With Colin's instruction I was able to forge several items that are useful and look really nice."

31 Oct 15'

john leyden reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

"I spent the day with colin and bob,two great blacksmiths with a wealth of expeireance.i came away with a lot more idea of technique and will be back to do more"

15 Oct 15'

David Holmes reviewed: Blacksmithing one-to-one North West UK

"Absaloutly fantastic course, an all round great day that provides a practical real world introduction to blacksmithing principles and techniques. The instructor Colin is a great guy who has a wealth of blacksmithing experience to share with you. The setup is bob on all the tools and materials you'll need. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and would recommend it to others 5 stars !"