I booked the Bladesmithing Basics course 5 months ago and it was worth the wait! Chad (the instructor) was very thorough, patient, and helpful. Sometimes, I have taken some hands-on courses and instructors try to step-in and take over on your project: this was not the case at Black Hog Knives. Chad was there to provide guidance and oversee technique and safety but he made it clear that this was your knife and your design. If your knife didn't look like his: that was okay. This is a beginner's class. The only times that he really stepped in was when (1) you asked for it or (2) when special equipment was necessary (such as the hydraulic press, the annealer, the drill press, etc. He also did the final sharpening for safety reasons.) I brought gloves, safety glasses, ear plugs, and a mask for safety as well as plenty of water and a bottle.of Powerade, but Black Hog Knives provides all of that (maybe not the ear plugs but I was the only one who seemed to feel the need to wear them anyway. I saw some in the shop but since I had my own, I didn't have to ask for them.) I wasn't sure how loud it would be with the hammers and anvils, but the most noise came from the grinders. I was glad that I brought them, but again; no one else seemed to be bothered by the noise, so it is a matter of preference. * The first part of the day, we are working with the hammer and anvil. The bar stock (steel bar) goes into the forge, and while it is heating, Chad taught us the proper way to hold the tongs, the proper way to strike the steel, and basic shop safety/ettiquite. We had 2 people per anvil which work nicely because as one person's steel was heating up, the other could work on his or her steal at the anvil. After we forged the blade and and got to start on the handle, we had a 1 hour break while blades were placed into a kiln to cool. * after the break - when our blades were cooled- we set off to a separate room and began shaping our knives with the belt sanders. ( I would recommend wearing a mask for at least the first five minutes of this. As the scale from the forge is coming off the metal, it can get a little dusty. The room is equipped with vacuum system to suck up a lot of the dust but it's still a sanding room.) The instructor was always nearby so if you had questions or concerns, he was there to help. He suggested that we keep testing the comfort of the handle to make sure there were no sharp burrs and to make sure that the grip was comfortable when the knife was held. When we were happy with our blade profiles, Chad took them to the drill press to drill holes in them for adding handles later. When everyone was done, we prepared our blades for the quench. After quenching our blades, we had a two-hour break while the blades were tempering. * after the break, we wrapped the blade handles in paracord (Black Hog Knives had different colors to choose) and when everyone was done, Chad took them into the grinding room to give them the final sharpened edge. It was mesmerizing to watch. * I'm already excited to go back and do the same course again. I would love to do the two day course but after I posted pictures of my experience at Black Hog Knives, I've got a bunch of friends who were a little green with envy that they did not sign up back in April when I did. This was so much fun, I cannot recommend it enough. (And when you are standing around waiting for others to finish, just look around at his shop. He's got some magnificent pieces in progress. He had three Damascus blades that were absolutely gorgeous that he was working on. It will be interesting to see how they turn out. I'm going to keep an eye on his Instagram and Facebook so I can see their progress.) read more