Hot Metal Works reviews

Jonathan reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"I had a great time on Saturday learning some of the skills of the blacksmith in a very friendly and helpful place. Every time I look at the poker I made I am surprised it looks so good and that I made it. Thoroughly recommend this to anyone who wants to try something different."

Hot Metal Works responded:

" Thank you Jonathan, glad you had a rewarding day. Neil"

Steve Long reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"Craftcourse present for big birthday. Great location. Neil showed us what we would (unbelievably ! ) be making, intro to tools and techniques and H and S. Excellent hands off tuition. Left with forged items, friends very impressed. Atmosphere and smell of the forge lingers. Highly recommended"

Hot Metal Works responded:

" Thanks Steve, glad you enjoyed your day"

Megan reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"Highly recommend this - it was a really fun day! The metalwork itself was challenging enough to make it very satisfying, and Neil was encouraging and patient. It is quite physical, so be prepared for lots of hammering - very therapeutic! I learnt tonnes and would love to do more of this. The Museum of Water and Steam is great too - well worth a visit."

Hot Metal Works responded:

" Hi Megan, thanks for coming, I really appreciate you making the time. Hammering, who'd have thought.. :-) The Museum is great, a very well kept secret."

Ian Steer reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"Brilliant day and Neil was a great teacher. I would highly recommend it to anyone."

Hot Metal Works responded:

" Thank you Ian, thanks for coming, and I'm glad you had a good day."

Jon Parker reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"An enjoyable introduction to Blacksmithery. Many thanks to Neil. "

Hot Metal Works responded:

" Thanks Jon, it was a pleasure having you, glad you enjoyed the day. "

Caroline reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"What an amazing experience. I fulfilled a lifelong dream of creating something forged from metal. Neil is not only a great teacher but he has incredible patience. I could only aspire to his level of knowledge and skill but his encouragement allowed me to believe I could go home with two pieces of work that I would be proud of. I would certainly recommend this course ."

Cat reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"This is a fantastic experience for any (adult) age and gender (I'm a 60yo female), this is a rare craft and was glad to support it and try it out. Neil is a patient and great teacher and craftsman and I'm chuffed to have my unique hand made set."

Bob reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"Couldn't quite believe how much fun this was!! Really engaging teacher in Neil - it made for a really enjoyable and relaxing day. I came home with something that actually looked quite smart as well, which was a bit of a surprise! A really personal experience, both as a function of the class sizes (max 3) and the approach that Neil takes to sharing his knowledge. If you fancy doing something creative with your hands then this is a great day out."

Stevie Warren reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"Was surprised by my partner with this for a b’day gift & I have to say it’s one the best I’ve had. Having never done anything like this before I was a little nervous but Neil was an amazing teacher and quickly put any nerves to rest. I had such an amazing day & it was fascinating to learn about this amazing skill & craft. This is something that I would definitely recommend to any who asks me about it. Thanks for an amazing day Neil."

Tomas reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"It was a great experience, Neil was very friendly and helpful and guided us the day to create two excellent pieces that are going to go great with my fireplace."

Sophie reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"Fantastic experience. Completely mesmerising working with metal and great to come away with two useful items. Neil was a really helpful and patient instructor. Thoroughly recommend"

Daniel reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"For those of you looking for a quick summary: the day was amazing, start to finish. Neil welcomed us into his office space, we had a quick chat and then swiftly headed to the forge to begin working. He briefed us on what we would be making, the tools we would use, safety protocols and showed us by example the techniques we needed to mold the steel to the shapes we wanted. He then left us to our devices, watching over us and giving tips and tricks every now and then. Overall, I really enjoyed this experience - I would definitely recommend to anyone keen on trying blacksmithing!"

Steve reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"I’m not a practical person, but this course was great. Neil is such a patient teacher (he needed to be), but, I think, I’ve tasted enough to want to try this again, at home. Lovely relaxed day. Sooooo good"

Mark Simmonds reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"Neil was a great instructor and kept us engaged throughout the day. I look forward to more workshops in the future. As a chef, a knife making course would be wonderful."

Neil Morgan reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"My sons gave me a craftcourses voucher for my birthday which I finally redeemed recently. The blacksmith day was excellent. Neil is a good instructor, the day is well structured and in the end you have your work to take away. There were three of us which worked well around the forge with an anvil each. The forge is steeped in history and the craft is almost timeless. Recommended!"

Anthony reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"The course was fantastic, Neil was a great and patient teacher. We made a poker and a hook each, which we are proud of. Would definitely do again!"

Mark Douglas reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"It was a fantastic day, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Neil was an excellent teacher and we got stuck straight in. By lunchtime, I had made an ornate coat hook from a plain piece of round steel, and by the end of the day, a fire poker from 10mm square steel. We progressed further than I expected in just one day. I will be going back for more advanced courses later in the year. There were only 3 of us in the class (the maximum Neil allows) and that allowed for a very personal experience."

Vera reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"All day hands on, fantastic day. Neil has chosen two objects to make that perfectly cover the basic techniques of blacksmithing, like how and where to target the heat, where to hammer, what extra tools to use, how to undo a wrong bend, etc etc. Great fun! I can highly recommend this course, and you can be assured you'll go home with some amazing self-crafted metalwork."

Joe reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"I had an amazing time on the course with Neil. He is a great teacher and helped us craft two amazing pieces, both useful and nice to look at. Would definitely recommend to anyone! Neil really did a great job of sorting and fixing mistakes I had made to finish the course with two amazing pieces I will treasure for ever. Don’t delay! Book it now!"

Steve reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"This was an excellent day. Neil welcomed us and introduced us to the art of blacksmithing and was an excellent guide and teacher. I had been looking forward to the day for some time but enjoyed it even more than I thought I would and was surprised at how much we learned and what we were able to make on the day. I cannot recommend this day highly enough, it was a great introduction to the art."

Dan reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"This was an excellent course and a fantastic day. We really enjoyed learning some blacksmith techniques from Niel - who was welcoming, helpful and a great teacher. We were amazed at what we were able to achieve throughout the day and came away with a hook and fire poker. We would recommend this highly and would even like to do it again ourselves!"

Dennis Kenny reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"An excellent day as a "Blacksmith", which had always been an ambition of mine to try, but I never had the courage until my wife gave me a birthday present of this days experience. Neil is a great teacher with an ability to get the most out of people. He is patient, encouraging, skillful and very supportive. Cannot recommend the day highly enough."

mathew Gurunlian reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"I had a really great day blacksmithing with Neil. He was a great instructor and informative about techniques used as well as the blacksmithing process. Anyone looking to try blacksmithing should definitely look into doing this course."

Alan Phillips reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"Neil is a patient and very capable instructor and the day was very enjoyable. There was a lot of one to one time because Neil takes a max of 2 trainees on the day. If I had access to a forge near my home I would certainly want to do this more often - it's extremely rewarding."

Dasha reviewed: Blacksmith experience day in Brentford, London

"Had a really wonderful day of blacksmithing - it's been a dream of mine for years to try it out and I finally did (and all my friends were really jealous)! Neil is a wonderful teacher and very patient, and knows exactly when to step in/give close guidance and when to take a step back so you really feel like you're learning (look! I did this bit all by myself!). We made 2 beautiful pieces (a coat hook and a poker) and I'm so proud of them - I can see the imperfections, sure, but at the end of they day they're something that I created with my own two hands, which is something that I really value. Only thing I would say is that it's VERY warm work and I picked a midsummer day to go... bring clothes you don't mind sweating in! (That is obviously the nature of standing near a forge all day though, so I probably should've figured!) Thanks for the wonderful experience Neil - I'd do it again in a heartbeat (and bring all my friends)."