New Knifemaking Class

B

Burt Foster

Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Messages
270
Just thought I'd give ya'll a heads up on a new class I'll be teaching this summer. I've done a bunch of ABS intro classes, and taught several guys here in my shop, one on one. So I've learned a lot about what works and what doesn't when it comes to teaching a guy to make a knife.

After the week I spent in Nicaragua last year, I came home with a totally new understanding about the way these things should be taught. I saw what was possible when we slow down, use hand-tools, and let the process sink in slowly. Since I had been talking with Dereck Glaser at the New England School of Metalwork about a class anyway, we hammered out (ugh!) the details and have a class scheduled for June.

The plan for the class is a 5-day, totally-finished-knife-when-you're-done class, using almost no power tools. I've seen how much more a student can learn, and how much fewer mistakes are made when we stay away from things like grinders. I'm teaching a couple guys in my shop right now, just 2 hours a week, and to see where they are after only about 6 hours of work would make anyone a believer that this is the way to go.

The knife below is the prototype / syllabus knife for the class. If you don't mind a little hard work, and can listen to about half of what we show you, this is what your knife ought to look like at the end of the class. Should be fun, huh? And if you're interested, you might want to hurry. Dereck caps his classes at six students per class...

For more info, click here for the New England School of Metalwork.

hunter097-small.jpg
 
That sounds like a really cool class. I like the idea of a less machine based class where you end up with a finished knife. I bet it becomes quite popular.
 
Hey Burt,

Where are you located in Southwest Virginia? Do you teach any classes in the area?

Bill
Also from Southwest Virginia
 
Very cool. Jim Batson used to teach such a class at the John C. Campbell school of folk art. It taught me a lot about knife collecting.
 
This is AWESOME!!!
I live about a 45 minute drive from Auburn Maine. I may just have to use a week of vacation for this event. This is an incredible oportunity!!!
 
I'd give my left nut to attend this course!
Anyone wanna buy a left nut? Probably need about 4K for it...
 
Hey Cool!

I will stop by and say hello.

Herb Kettell and I are teaching the Basic Bladesmithing Class in March and I have a Tanto class in October. NESM rules!

-Nick
 
Burt, sounds like a great opportunity, wish I lived closer. That's nice texture on the spine and ricasso, appears to more than scale. Could I ask if your using a special hammer or tool to make the texture more agressive.

Jerry Fisher
 
Nick, yeah I remember meeting you there. Very slick little integral if I remember right.

For anyone who has not seen the New England School of Metalwork facility, it really is first rate. The school is privately run, but still a non-profit school. They get no state funding, so they have to run the whole school on tuition.

Anyone who has been to a "common" blacksmith shop will appreciate this... Dereck who runs the school, this school is his baby. He made most of the tools himself over the years: forges, tongs, hammers and things like that. And he takes care of the place like it was a relative. After the week I spent there, on Friday afternoon, we wrap up the work and get ready to clean the place up for the class the coming week. I grab a broom and start to sweep up a part of the forge area, and Dereck tells me to stop. He says, "no brooms!" I think he's kidding so I just keep sweeping. He looks at me and says, "No brooms - brooms make dust. We vacuum." Yep,we vacuumed the whole blacksmith shop! That's what that place is like.

I came up with the idea for this class as an excuse to go back. The other cool thing is that he has a bunkhouse / apartment sort of thing built right over the classroom building. You can stay in the bunkhouse for a very meager price. Can't remember exactly, but it's a heck of a lot less than any hotel in the area.
 
nthe10ring said:
That's nice texture on the spine and ricasso, appears to more than scale. Could I ask if your using a special hammer or tool to make the texture more agressive.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's just a gnarled-up hammer. It just makes the texture look more like texture. The real thing is too smooth for my tastes.
 
Burt Foster said:
Nick, yeah I remember meeting you there. Very slick little integral if I remember right.

Dereck who runs the school, this school is his baby.
Click to expand...

You are correct. Great memory.

Dereck is the type of person that motivates you just by being around him. His knowledge and enthusiasm is infectious. He quickly became one of my biggest metalworking influences. He is personally responsible for putting Maine on the bladesmithing and blacksmithing map.

Steal a car, drive up to Maine and take Burt's class(or any NESM class).
 
A great idea. There's NO better way to get to know the
materials we work with, than to make knives with only hand
tools.
 
Having all kinds of cool machines is great for knife making and they definitely help when production speed is an issue. But I would recommend to anyone starting out in blade smithing to go about it the way Burt is suggesting. Taking the time to be intimate with the blade, seeing how it develops and understand why and where the angles go is so very important. Flying through those steps with machines cause a person to miss too much of what is really happening. If I ever get the chance to teach blade smithing to anyone I will do it with hand tools. I know the boys here in Nicaragua are better blade smiths for having learned this way (From both Jason and Burt). It was so much fun I wish I could go up and take the class again myself!

Awesome Burt!
Mike
 
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