If anyone is looking for hands-on blacksmithing courses, Kelly Kring teaches (beginning through advanced) blacksmithing continuing education courses at Dallas College (Brookhaven campus).
These are semester-long courses with weekly 4-hour sessions, capped at 8 students, so you get a fair bit of time-on-tools and direction. I’m finishing my second semester, and I’ve found it well worth my while. (A lot of the first couple of semesters involves making tools, so you also end up with your own set of tools as a bonus).
Registration for the spring semester is open, with the class listings below. (If you’re planning to start at anything but the beginner level you’ll want to contact Kelly first, since the curriculum is progressive from one semester to the next).
I have long felt that DMS and Brookhaven should partner in the areas of blacksmithing and ceramics. Both offer feeder opportunities for the other, and the physical proximity between locations is ideal.
For any DCCCD listing, go to the top of the page, click on “online tools” to pull down the menu, click on “employee directory” and search for the name in the search box. An email address, if they have one, will be presetented in a “mailto:” link.
Scott, sorry for resurrecting this thread, but I agree. I’m currently enrolled in the Brookhaven intro to blacksmithing course as is @Julie-Harris. We’ve only had one class, but Julie and I represented DMS well, explaining all of the great tools, members and organization there. We recommended DMS as a place to “practice” the skills learned in class.
One drawback and a serious one, is that we don’t really have a coal or propane forge at DMS that can be used routinely. Instead we have open forging days, usually Sundays,where you can come and practice if there is room that is. This is undestandable because of the smoke and fire concerns but it is a great limitation.
The courses are a great place to learn, but there is NO access to the forge after hours, so remedying the problem above would garner a lot of new members from the class.
Yes, I know we have the induction forge. Ever try to make a real forge welded object in it like Damascus steel?
Members can use the forge at DMS yourself on non-forge days. Once trained on the safe startup/shutdown on using the propane forge, it’s about a 5 minute operation to roll the forge and the mobile anvil out back. Eventually we will be approved for using the propane forge inside (hence the concrete block walls and the hood in the new blacksmithing area).
We also have the induction forge inside which is great for a single blacksmith’s use: no waste heat, no fumes, very fast heating times for your steel. Perhaps two smiths could share the induction forge, but since only one piece can be heated at a time, it makes coordination a little more important.
Figured I’d bump this thread in case anyone wanted to sign up for the Spring 2023 blacksmithing classes at Dallas College (Brookhaven campus). $240 for a 12-class semester of 4-hour classes is a solid bargain!
Kelly will give you a list on your first class date.
It will consist of 1 pair of offset v-bolt tongs, 1 ball pein hammer aond one cross pein hammer.
He will then give you a list of steel to buy and tell you where to buy it.
Meantime, Brookhaven has all the tools you need, especially on your first day.
They’ll have the tools you need for the first couple classes, so if you walk in with just a notebook the first day you’ll be fine, and he’ll explain what you need and what to look for. But if I remember right for the first semester I ended up purchasing:
sketchbook/notebook for notes and drawings
cross-peen hammer
ball-peen hammer
a set of tongs
a way to carry the tools
cheap leather apron
a cheap face shield (for use while grinding)
a share of steel (bought communally) for use in the classes over the next 3 semesters.
The intro to blacksmithing class at Brookhaven College starts this weekend, and is in danger of being cancelled for lack of students. It’s a great bargain for the price, and it’s an excellent way to learn, and make tools that you can go on to use for future projects.