Cascadia Center For Arts & Crafts

Sunday September 12, 2021 – 10am – 4pm – $220.00 Max 6 Students.

Forging Blacksmith Tools from Scrap Steel

*This class is for folks who have either taken a hands-on beginner blacksmith class or have a decent amount of experience and proficiency with forging hot steel. *  

We will start the day by forging a punch and chisel from automotive coil spring, which will involve basic forging and traditional heat-treating techniques.  We will then use these tools to assist in making a pair of flat-jaw tongs from scrap rebar, that are designed for grasping round, square, and flat ¼” bar. 

In this class you will primarily learn how to punch, chisel, and shoulder hot steel.  You will also be developing a better understanding of the characteristics of steel, the qualities of a good blacksmith tool, and increase your ability to forge more precisely. If you finish early, you will have the opportunity to try your new tools on a small project of your choosing.

Note about what to wear – Avoid wearing synthetic fabrics – they tend to be flammable.  Make sure your pants fit over the tops of your boots so nothing hot can fall in them.  Safety glasses and ear plugs are available or bring your own.  Bringing your own leather gloves can be a good idea.  Bring a water bottle to stay hydrated.

This class is taught by Joe Vachon who has made a living as a blacksmith and bladesmith for 14 years and is a Forged in Fire Champion (Season 6, Episode 27) 

Two Sessions: Saturday August 14, 2021 – 10am – 4pm or Saturday September 11,2021.

$220.00 Max 6 Students.

Learn some blacksmithing fundamentals from Joe Vachon, the Season 6, Episode 27, Forged In Fire Champion, in this 1 day, hands on coarse. Safety, body mechanics, tools, and the working properties of hot steel will be addressed, as well as various techniques, such as: tapering, scrolling, twisting, bending, drilling, punching, hot cutting, flat peening, upsetting and shouldering.  Students will start out practicing the basics with the forging of a few decorative hooks for the first half of the class.  After lunch, folks are welcome to create something of their choosing with their new found skill-set, such as (but not limited to) a fire poker, meat turner, bottle opener, letter opener, necklace pendent, or an experimental piece. One hour lunch break.

Note about what to wear – Wear cotton pants and shirt (synthetics are flammable!).  Make sure your pants fit over the tops of your boots so nothing hot can fall in.  Safety glasses and ear plugs are available, or bring your own.  Bringing your own leather gloves can be a good idea.  Bring a water bottle to stay hydrated. 

Tuesday July 20, 2021 – 10am – 4pm $295.00 Max 6 Students.

This is an intermediate class. Soft Glass Marbles.
Prerequisite: Beginning Beads or approval by the instructor.
Move off the mandrel and learn how to make marbles with soft glass. We will be pulling stringers, making ‘twisties’, putting flowers inside glass marbles, and making old school cats-eye style marbles while having fun melting and shaping glass in marbles! This class uses the same techniques used in borosilicate but with the added benefit of better color selection and less heat needed to create these beautiful round masterpieces.

Supplies (supplied by Student): Favorite glass tools, marble mold/s. Materials provided by Cascadia Arts Center.: Complete Flameworking studio, annealing kilns, glass for class only.

Bring a lunch to eat at the studio, or restaurants located in the village. Full refrigerator and kitchen, bathroom at Raven Studio.
If you cannot be present the next day for marble pick up … arrangements can be made to mail them to you.

Bronwen Heilman is a full-time studio artist, flame-work glass instructor and the Director of the flameworking studio at Sonoran Glass School in Tucson, Arizona. Her work has been exhibited and received awards in numerous juried exhibitions. She is a recipient of the International Glass Bead Society Presidents Award, first place in soft marble competition, and others. Her work is published in 1000 Glass Beads, 500 Beaded Objects, Contemporary Lampworking, Glass Bead Masters, Bronwen Heilman: Vitreous Painting Techniques for Glass Beadmaking among others. Her most recent exhibition was “Lifeforms: The 2nd Rudolf and Leopold Blaschka Glass Biological Model Exhibition” in Corning, New York.