Classes
Throughout the year, Friends Of The Fort offers captivating classes that delve into “the old ways,” providing invaluable training in unexpected yet essential skills. Over time, these classes have gained immense popularity and sell out swiftly. To secure your spot, simply click the appropriate button below, which will redirect you to our Eventbrite page for easy registration. We apologize in advance if the class you desire is already sold out.
Blacksmithing
Unleash your inner craftsman with an immersive introductory blacksmith class at The Old Fort. Master traditional techniques and learn the rich history of metalworking. Operate a hand-cranked forge, shaping steel over an anvil to make your own unique creation and become part of the vibrant Las Vegas heritage.
In the introductory classes, we’ll be working in mild steel and cover the basics of blacksmithing. After reviewing forge safety and discussing the tools and techniques that we use, we will learn how to set and maintain a solid fuel fire and begin our journey into the flames and hot metal. Each student will share a forge area with a friend and will alternate work times so that each can create their own piece of forged work. The processes that we will be working with include: drawing out a taper, twisting, punching, scrolling, and shouldering, as well as some file work and finishing techniques.
To see what we’ll be making in each class, scroll down below for a list.
Continue your blacksmithing journey with our advanced classes at The Old Fort. The aim of this class is to raise the precision level and focus of the beginner and intermediate blacksmith. Each class will have a slightly different focus as the main skill that we will explore. You will create a more advanced and complicated item to take home.
In these advanced classes, we will build on the basics and focus on the importance of fire and heat control. Using high-carbon (tool) steel, we’ll use simple tapers, filing and grinding to make a cold-use center punch and a hot-use punch. We’ll cover forge safety and talk about colors, temperatures, and types of steel. In the Tongs class, we’ll focus on hammer technique, efficiency, and precision, building a set of simple tongs from scratch.
Previous Forge Experience is Required to Take an Advanced Class.
To see what we’ll be making in each class, scroll down below for a list.
What We’re Making
To help you with choosing a class date, these are the things that we will be making in the classes:
| 11/02/24: Beginner Wall Hook | 01/25/25: Advanced Punches and Drifts |
| 11/09/24: Beginner Bottle Opener | 02/08/25: Beginner Bottle Opener |
| 12/07/24: Wall Hook | 02/22/25: Advanced Tongs |
| 12/21/24: Beginner Bottle Opener | 03/08/25: Beginner/Advanced Artistic Expressions |
| 01/11/25: Beginner Blacksmith Knife/Letter Opener | 03/22/25: Advanced Leaf Pendant |
New Specialty Classes
We have two new specialty classes that you can take this season:
Leaf Pendant: Focusing around a traditional English leaf-building pattern, this class offers students an in-depth look into tapers, shoulders, cutting, and mass-manipulation. Students will be working with mild steel to learn hammer control through a short series of exercises building the skills to make a quality leaf pendant/key chain.
Artistic Expressions: “Form vs. Function” – geared toward any skill level, this class focuses on turning a drawing into a forged piece. Projects will be up for discussion. We will take time to draw our final piece on paper and map our movements in the steel backwards to find a starting stock. Then we will cut, mark and forge our pieces. As a back-up idea/project, we will look at S-hooks and scrolls; working at drawing them and forging to the drawings.
If you have questions about the Blacksmith classes, contact the instructor Ramon at forged.and.fab.metalworks@gmail.com or call him at 702-816-7767. You must have completed an introductory class with us to be able to participate in an advanced class.
Tinsmithing
If the hot fires and heavy hammers of Blacksmithing is not your thing, perhaps you’d like to try Tinsmithing. This heritage craft of forming thin metals was a popular trade as it did not require a forge or as many tools as Blacksmithing. Products can be created using careful planning, hammers, tin snips, punches, nippers, shears, a soldering iron and a light weight anvil.
In the Introductory Tinsmithing classes, students will be using the tools and techniques of 19th century Tinsmiths and learn how to layout a project using a pattern, cut tinplate, and assemble tinplate pieces into a candle sconce they can take home.
In the Advanced Tinsmithing classes, we will step up the precision of the tinsmith, and the student will take home a more advanced and complicated item. You must have taken the introductory class or have tinsmithing experience to register.
After reviewing safety and discussing the tools and techniques, students will learn how to work with hand tools as they begin their journey into the lost art of Tinsmithing. The process students will be working with include punching, forming, and soldering as well as finishing techniques. The instructor will provide the materials, tools, and safety gloves to be used during the class.
There are a limited number of small classes available, so if you’re interested, you should register now.