Fire up the forge and craft your own sword-shaped box cutter in one of the more memorable corporate team building activities in the Bay Area. Starting from raw steel stock, each guest forges a sleek, functional tool with two finished edges, a beveled spine, a twisted handle and a drifted pommel.
The workshop runs four hours and is priced at $165 per guest for private groups of 3 to 6 guests. It is beginner friendly and a good blade class for anyone unsure about the longer railroad spike knife runtime: sharp, small and less physically demanding than forging a huge spike.
What's Included
- Four hours of guided forging time in a working blacksmith shop
- Extensive safety training before the first heat
- Protective equipment,
Fire up the forge and craft your own sword-shaped box cutter in one of the more memorable corporate team building activities in the Bay Area. Starting from raw steel stock, each guest forges a sleek, functional tool with two finished edges, a beveled spine, a twisted handle and a drifted pommel.
The workshop runs four hours and is priced at $165 per guest for private groups of 3 to 6 guests. It is beginner friendly and a good blade class for anyone unsure about the longer railroad spike knife runtime: sharp, small and less physically demanding than forging a huge spike.
What's Included
- Four hours of guided forging time in a working blacksmith shop
- Extensive safety training before the first heat
- Protective equipment, including aprons, goggles and ear protection
- A tour of the smithy and demonstrations of every step
- Steel stock, tools and forge time for the project
- A sword-inspired box cutter you forged yourself to take home
What You Will Make
Each guest turns steel stock into a sword-shaped cutting blade using hammers and fire. The handle's twisted design adds a personal touch and a sure grip, while the sharpened edges make the cutter as useful as it is striking on a workbench or desk.
Along the way you learn key blacksmithing techniques: safety, tools, hammer control, tongs control, tapering, bending, beveling, punching, drifting, twisting and grinding. You leave with a solid foundation to keep forging and a tool that proves you know your way around hammer and fire.
Why It Works for Groups
Among team building workshops, this one balances challenge and approachability. Reviewers describe an instructor who demonstrates each step before guests try it, gives each person the right level of attention and keeps a strong focus on safety, so first-timers feel capable quickly. With 3 to 6 guests per private class, it is one of the most engaging indoor team building activities for small groups.
The workshop suits a team outing, a Christmas party, a birthday or a date. As holiday team building activities go, every guest leaves with something sharp, useful and entirely their own, and plenty of stories about the hammering it took to get there.
About the Smithy
The host is a women-owned blacksmith shop run by an artist blacksmith who began forging more than fifteen years ago while earning a fine art degree, then spent a dozen years teaching blacksmithing while building an ornamental metalwork business. Today the shop has employees, some big pieces of equipment and a steady calendar of project based classes and team builds. Outside of teaching, the shop forges functional art for homes, from grand forged bronze railings to screw-on cabinet hardware, working in bronze, steel, brass and aluminum. The crew has also demonstrated forging at Maker Faire.
The smithy sits inside a shared studio complex of independent art businesses near the Richmond shoreline, a short walk from the Bay Trail. It is an active working shop, so expect fire, noise, welders, grinders, woodworkers, shop dogs and shop cats. The shop aims to feel like a safe place for all people and describes itself as a strong LGBTQ+ ally.
How the Session Runs
- Arrive for a tour of the smithy and safety training
- Get fitted with protective equipment and watch a demonstration
- Taper, bevel and bend the steel into a sword profile
- Punch and drift the pommel, then twist the handle for grip
- Grind and sharpen the edges and take your box cutter home
Good to Know
- Beginner friendly, with no forging experience required
- Guests 16 and up are welcome
- Blacksmithing is hot work, so guests should be in good physical condition
- Wear all-natural fibers such as cotton jeans, t-shirts, wool or leather, plus closed-toed shoes; synthetic fabrics melt when heated
- Bring a water bottle; there are no nearby food options
- Plenty of street parking near the studio
Plan Your Forging Workshop
Share your preferred date and group size to check availability. At $165 per guest with materials and protective gear included, this is one of the most fun team building activities for adults and an easy pick for hands on team building activities that end with a blade every guest made.
