Hammer and Hound Forge

Contact name: Alex

415
Total bookings

Rating

(134)

about 2 years
with CraftCourses

Maker's bio

Hammer and Hound Forge is a traditional blacksmith's workshop in Blyth, Northumberland, Uk owned by award winning blacksmith Alex Sowden, who you might have seen before on Sky Arts' "The Prince's Master Crafters", or BBC1's "Make It At Market". We offer a variety of experiences in metalwork for all skill levels, including tuition in welding and fabrication, forging damascus steel, jewellery techniques and much more! We produce kits of hand forged woodworking supplies, as well as tools for other crafts, though our stock is often forged on commission. We also take on larger work, such as forging gates and railings, overthrows, staircases and all variety of ironwork. If you have any questions for us, please get in touch!

Courses, kits & gifts

platinum award

BLYTH

Axe / Hammer Forging Day

1 day

Next date: 13th Dec 2025

1 place left

(30)

£175.00

platinum award

BLYTH

Beginners Blacksmithing Day

1 day

Next date: 17th Jan 2026

2 places left

£149.00

platinum award

BLYTH

Beginners Knife Forging Day

1 day

Next date: 15th Mar 2026

4 places left

(37)

£155.00

platinum award

BLYTH

Damascus Steel Knife forging

2 days

Next date: 28th Feb 2026

4 places left

(15)

£349.00

platinum award

BLYTH

Forging your own tongs!

1 day

Next date: 14th Dec 2025

2 places left

£175.00

Recent reviews

All maker's reviews

1 Dec 25'

Ian reviewed: Damascus Steel Knife forging

"Had a great time with Alex, who is an excellent craftsman and a talented educator. 2 days later we took home excellent Damascus knife each which will last a lifetime."

28 Nov 25'

Jackie & Phil Dyson reviewed: Archive, DO NOT LIST

"Outstanding! We had a fantastic day learning how to forge with Alex, who was fun, informative and helpful throughout the day. He always started with a step by step demonstration and was on hand to help us at every stage. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to have a go at working with metal. "

24 Nov 25'

Alan Astbury reviewed: Beginners Knife Forging Day

"This was a public course with 5 attendees, only two had met previously and no-one had any experience. Alex established a rapport with everyone really quickly and after the safety briefing got us 'forging' straight away. It was full on day, you could choose the type of knife you wanted to create- even carving the handle from a block of wood. There was no wasted time or messing about; Alex kept the pace moving and helped everyone along so that no-one got left behind. Plenty of equipment and space to do your work safely. At the end everyone was pretty happy with their creations. This is an excellent and thoroughly enjoyable experience that I would highly recommend. My only regret is that I didn't think it through enough beforehand in respect of the type of knife I wanted to make. So I'll be going back and do another course."

24 Nov 25'

George reviewed: Beginners Knife Forging Day

"An amazing experience to learn so much from Alex. The day was informative and incredibly enjoyable. I would thoroughly recommend this course to everyone. Thank you, Alex!!"