Reviews for Friargate Forge

Wow! Thoroughly enjoyed this course. The tutors were knowledgeable skilled and attentive to the needs and various levels of experience of their customers. Gary and Jos are obviously skilled artisans and their patience and skill base lend themselves to a very enjoying and fulfilling experience. What needs to be said, it’s super fun realising a dream. Hot metal, hammers noise and something tangible to take away. If you don’t take the opportunity to do something like this then you will regret it for ever. It’s an experience I will treasure.

Keep it up guys. Happy bunnies are miserable compared to doing this!

Had a great time at the forge - I’m a complete beginner and didn’t know exactly what I wanted to make at the start of the day (thought it would be either an axe or a crafting knife) but Gary and Jos helped massively in working out what could be done in the time and helped make it possible!! They’re super skilled and I only had to show them a couple of ideas that I googled in the morning and by the end of the day its there in your hand! Gary’s clearly really passionate about this work and making sure you have a great experience as well.

If you’re a novice it’s definitely a great place to take your first steps with working with metal - I learnt loads, from the processes to different metals you can work with to all the different things you can make. I’m definitely going to be going again!!

If you are brand new to this, here’s a couple of things I’d suggest: Do have a think about what you want to make in advance (maybe draw some sketches?) - I’m delighted with what I made, but if you’ve got a plan to work to it’s always that little bit easier right? Do wear boots if you’ve got them - I wore converse and whilst I didn’t have any issues, it is a workshop and so you wanna be wearing something workshop-y you know?

Overall I thought it was great! Can’t wait to get back and get making the next thing.

Had an absolutely brilliant time up at the forge a couple weeks ago making a Damascus steel axe. The axe came out beautifully and it’s really clear Joss and Gary are absolute professionals. I’d have paid the money just to watch them work but they were excellent and showing you how to get stuck in and do as much of the work as u can even as a beginner. Would definitely recommend this to anyone from one person interested in learning the skills or bigger groups looking for a fun few days. Will definitely be going back at some point in the future.

This course is definitely worth your time and money, for reasons you might not think...

Gary and his team were attentive, enthusiastic and positive throughout the pandemic. Our booking was kept and moved, never was it suggested we cancel. As soon as it was possible, we (group of 10) had been fit in. I felt I knew him well before even meeting him.

The course is absolutely brilliant value. The feeling of learning anything new is a lovely one. The feeling of learning something totally new whilst creating a beautiful, practical tool is the best. You are paying less than £20 an hour for direct coaching and tuition to achieve a goal with instant, tangible results.

Machines that at first seem alien, dangerous and intimidating will soon become familiar, dangerous and intimidating. You will take a piece of metal about the size of a snickers and turn it into a beautiful axe over two days. The result will be a unique representation of two days of hard work and learning.

Whilst you concentrate on how to step down, fuller, flatten, fire weld, power hammer, temper, grind and hang your axe, the most amazing thing happens - you think about NOTHING else. I forgot about covid, the state of the world, my dog, my son, my partner, my family, work, possessions, obligations etc. You focus 100% on a glowing, growing orange piece of metal that turns into a glistening axe for 2 days. In doing so, you focus on yourself. It is almost meditative. You make a sharp thing to play with when you get home but the process was, for me at least, really valuable and special.

Gary and his team are clearly very close, almost telepathic. They know what needs doing next, they have a sense of who needs help next. In a place that looks like a hot, dirty, intimidating torture chamber, there is an organised harmony that is a pleasure to see. Better still, is that you instantly feel a welcomed, valued and important member of this team.

The instruction is clear, very clear: "I'll stop drawing and hit stuff with a hammer; I'm better at that!" The combination of theory, demonstration, coaching, humour, seriousness and letting you loose is perfect. At no point did I feel like I would be allowed to ruin my axe yet I also felt I had a good amount of unsupervised autonomy. Odd though it is to say, even if I had ruined my axe, the weekend would still have been completely worthwhile to spend time with Gary and his team - they are that good!

The course was part of a stag weekend. I can highly recommend it. If you are fed up of liver damage and being banned from whichever country you visit, try this. Once the noise and the heat of the day abate, nobody really has time, energy or ego to want to get drunk and stupid. You'll want to eat, rehydrate and process what you've been doing. Despite being hot and tired, you probably won't even want to leave.

Whether for a stag, a treat, a mega corporate weekend or your mental health, this weekend will be some of the best money you ever spend. Do it.

I did this course for my stag do with 9 other mates. The team at Friargate forge were no less than excellent, we all made our own individual axes and alongside good banter and generally the friargate team being a group of really cool guys we all got some truly excellent 1:1 coaching on blacksmithing. We all feel like we've come away with a news skills, something to keep and experience we'll all cherish. A number of us are already looking at times we can return for more.

I cannot reccomenend Friargate forge, Gary and the team enough. Huge thanks Gary!!!

Spent 2 days creating a tomahawk axe with Gary and his team as part of a stag weekend. To say it was excellent is an understatement! Gary and his team were such a great bunch, they allowed us to just crack on with a great balance of minimal supervision whilst also ensuring that as a complete novice i didn’t end up with an awful axe.
They were so knowledgable and the skill they have is just unreal!
Other than the actual axe making and fantastic team, they kept us all entertained put on some great food and there was never a moment you felt that you couldn’t be doing something. Would highly recommend!

An unforgettable 3 days making a Damascus knife. Having made the Damascus billet on the first day, you then discuss what shape and type of knife you want. The two guys Gary and Joss give you clear instructions and show you what needs doing. You are left to get on with the processes by your self but they always appear at your shoulder if you appear to be struggling, to nudge you in the right direction. They are also patience personified at making little errors disappear. ( Thanks Joss, that grinding belt and I had a few arguments)
I left with a knife that exceeded my expectation and made my friends very jealous. The gentleman on the course with me also left with a stunning Bearded axe

Excellent 3 day course for my birthday, Gary and Joss really informative and helpful in all aspects of the forging process and the making of my knife and handle and the final assembly. There was a great atmosphere in the forge, lots of laughs, but all the health and safety requirements were explained before the course started and re-highlighted if they needed to be.
Nothing was too much trouble for the guys who were on hand to help if you needed it and the 3 days just flew by ending with 2 beautiful Damascus knives made by me and my partner

We will be back to make another knife/ axe and can thoroughly recommend Friargate Forge
if you want to try the forging experience.