All-Day Workshop

Date: Saturday, June 20th

Time: 10am-5pm

Description: Useful in the home or for outdoors, the fireplace poker is a traditional tool of the hearth and home. In this class you will learn some of the foundational skills of being a blacksmith such as drawing, twisting, upsetting, forge welding, and forging tapers. If you ever wanted to try forging this is a great workshop to get your feet wet and have some fun. This course will involve hot metal, fire, and swinging a hammer over several hours so it will be somewhat physically demanding so some stamina is required. You’ll leave this class with a finished fire poker of your very own!

Tuition: $120+ $30 materials fee

Materials: All materials will be provided.

Students should wear natural fibers such as cotton and denim. Uncuffed pants and closed-toe shoes are required (no shorts or sandals permitted). Long hair should be restrained. Safety glasses and hearing protection are provided; however, participants may bring their own if preferred. We recommend bringing a water bottle to stay hydrated. This workshop is in an open air studio, bring a coat to keep warm before the forges get fired up!

Location: Contemporary Craft – Timmons Studios, Blacksmithing Studio (5688 Butler St., Pittsburgh, PA 15201)

Cancellations and Refunds: Workshop cancellations are decided three business days before the start date. If workshops must be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment, the entire class fee will be refunded through Eventbrite, or you may leave your workshop fee in your Contemporary Craft account for future workshops.

Refund Policy: Student refund requests must be made at least three business days before a class begins. There will be a $25 cancellation fee. We are unable to refund materials cost for this workshop. No refunds will be given without three-business days notice. Processing of refunds takes approximately three weeks.

About the Artist

Robert Burns has been forging and working as a blacksmith since 2008. Robert started his business Wilderness Ironworks in 2010 and has done the work full time for 12 years. Robert has been published in Blade magazine, Field and Stream, Knife magazine, and Sur le Tableu. Robert has also had work in the Metals Museum in Memphis Tennessee. His main focus is on connecting historic techniques with contemporary knowledge and design.