This two-day full tang blade class is one of the most rewarding team building workshops in the Bay Area for people who already have some forging under their belt. Over a weekend your group forges, heat treats and assembles a small, functional knife with a full tang blade.
The workshop runs two consecutive days, 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, and is priced at $475 per guest for private groups of 2 to 4 guests. A blacksmithing starter class is required as a prerequisite, so this is the next step for groups who have taken an intro class and want a bigger challenge.
What's Included
- Two full days of guided instruction and forging time in a working blacksmith shop
- Safety practices and protective equipment,
This two-day full tang blade class is one of the most rewarding team building workshops in the Bay Area for people who already have some forging under their belt. Over a weekend your group forges, heat treats and assembles a small, functional knife with a full tang blade.
The workshop runs two consecutive days, 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, and is priced at $475 per guest for private groups of 2 to 4 guests. A blacksmithing starter class is required as a prerequisite, so this is the next step for groups who have taken an intro class and want a bigger challenge.
What's Included
- Two full days of guided instruction and forging time in a working blacksmith shop
- Safety practices and protective equipment, including aprons, goggles and ear protection
- 1084 steel for the blade, plus brass or copper pins and hardwood scales of your choice
- Instruction in tapering, beveling, sanding, heat treating and sharpening
- A small functional knife, heat treated with a wooden handle, to take home
What You Will Make
Working with 1084 steel, each guest goes through the entire process of making a knife: forging the blade, heat treating it and assembling it with brass or copper pins and hardwood scales. The shop calls it its hardest blade, a metallurgy pun, because the finished knife has a sharpened, hardened full tang blade.
Crafting a high-quality knife takes practice, but the class is built so you gain valuable skills and finish a functional piece that reflects your effort and learning. It is a rewarding, comprehensive class that sets guests up for success with a serious new hobby.
Why It Works for Groups
A weekend at the forge gives a small group real time together, which is why it suits staff retreat team building activities for teams that already caught the forging bug. You may share an anvil in this class, so partners trade turns, compare techniques and help each other through heat treating. With 2 to 4 guests per private class, it is one of the most focused team building activities for small groups.
Reviewers describe an informative, patient instructor who explains the science behind forging a blade, demonstrates tempering techniques and shows how to work shapes with different shop tools. It also makes a memorable milestone or birthday gift for a knife lover.
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 Weekend Runs
- Review safe practices, then forge the blade profile with tapering and beveling
- Learn the science behind heat treating and tempering a blade
- Heat treat, sand and sharpen the blade
- Fit brass or copper pins and hardwood scales to finish the handle
- Take home a full tang knife you made from start to finish
Good to Know
- A blacksmithing starter class is required as a prerequisite
- Guests 16 and up are welcome
- Blacksmithing is hot, labor intensive 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 and plan meals ahead; there are no nearby food options
- Plenty of street parking near the studio
Plan Your Blade Weekend
Share your preferred weekend and group size to check availability. At $475 per guest for two full days with steel, handle materials and protective gear included, this is one of the most hands on team building activities and interactive team building activities for adults a small, experienced group can book.
