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Artistic Blacksmithing: Level 1
Twelve months.A new trade.
A 12 month certificate program that teaches the fundamentals of artistic blacksmithing, one weekend a month, with lab time to make each skill stick. Approved for the GI Bill.
How it works
One core weekend a month
Each month is a core course weekend, BSMITH 101 through 112, followed by at least twelve hours of lab time on site in the month after. Most Fridays from 10am to 6pm are open for lab time, as is the Monday morning after each core weekend. Extra Friday hours cost nothing, so practice as much as you like.
Prerequisites: an on site informational interview, and a previous beginning blacksmithing class with any reputable instructor, working in a coal forge. Paying the first month's tuition secures your place. We send an enrollment agreement to complete and return, or bring on the first morning of class.
This institution is approved to offer GI Bill® educational benefits by the Virginia State Approving Agency. GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at benefits.va.gov/gibill.
- 12
- Monthly core courses, BSMITH 101 to 112
- $550
- Per course, paid before each one begins ($6,600 in total)
- 12
- Hours of lab time required after each course
Made for you if you like
- Working with your hands
- Getting hot and sweaty
- Solving problems
- Working independently
- Putting ideas into practice
- Using math and science
2026 to 2027 cohort
The year,month by month
Core weekends start at 8:00 am in Waynesboro. Courses are taken in order, and each must be passed to continue.
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BSMITH 101
Sign upSeptember 5 to 6
Safety and fundamentals
Introduction to blacksmithing safety and techniques, shop etiquette, fire management, hammer technique, and hand and power tool use. Projects include a three hook wall rack and a matching pair of candlesticks. Students produce at least 100 hooks of a specific design, graded on time and accuracy.
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BSMITH 102
Sign upOctober 3 to 4
Forge building, welding and fabrication
Modern fabrication joins the toolkit: MIG welding, oxy-acetylene torch work and plasma cutting. Projects include a blacksmith's coal forge.
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BSMITH 103
Sign upNovember 7 to 8
Bending, beveling and layout
Bending forks and dogs, fullers and swages, working accurately to a scale drawing. Projects include a wall mounted pot rack.
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BSMITH 104
Sign upDecember 5 to 6
Tool making and the power hammer
Carbon and alloy steels for tools, power hammer safety, and controlling hardness through hardening and tempering. Projects include top tools and tongs.
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BSMITH 105
Sign upJanuary 2 to 3
Scroll and foliate design
Full scale layout, accurately formed scrolls with an organic leaf motif, and an introduction to forge welding. Projects include a "sketch in iron" in the spirit of architectural ornament.
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BSMITH 106
Sign upFebruary 6 to 7
Trefoil design and scarf welds
A tri-symmetrical full scale layout and scarf forge welding. Projects include a tabletop trivet with two scarf welds, three lap welds and six tenons in a set geometric form.
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BSMITH 107
Sign upMarch 6 to 7
Repousse and chasing
Sheet metal repousse, beginning chasing, and traditional and modern sheet cutting. Projects include multi-piece roses with chased leaves and forge welded stems.
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BSMITH 108
Sign upApril 3 to 4
Fireplace set
All the accumulated skills go into a five piece fire set: poker, shovel, brush, tong and stand, built around a common forge welded form, with emphasis on consistency and scale.
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BSMITH 109
Sign upMay 1 to 2
Fireplace set
All the accumulated skills go into a five piece fire set: poker, shovel, brush, tong and stand, built around a common forge welded form, with emphasis on consistency and scale.
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BSMITH 110
Sign up opens laterJune 5 to 6
The business of blacksmithing
Business management, pricing, accounting, taxes, zoning ordinances and building codes, plus scale drawing and sketching.
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BSMITH 111
Sign up opens laterJuly 3 to 4
Your own project
Conceive, draw, transfer to full scale and produce a project of your own, using as many of the year's forms and techniques as possible.
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BSMITH 112
Sign up opens laterAugust 7 to 8
Completion and review
Finish the individual projects, with basic and intermediate skills testing one on one with the instructor. The final lab is a group critique of the finished work.
From the course work
What a yearof practice makes
Trefoil trivet
Scarf and lap welds, tenons, and a tri-symmetrical layout.
Repousse rose
Multi-piece petals, chased leaves and a forge welded stem.
Fireplace set
Poker, shovel, brush, tong and stand from one forge welded form.
Certificate FAQ
Straightanswers
I have no experience at all. Is the certificate for me?
If you have never done any blacksmithing, take a weekend class first to see if you truly want to do this. The art form is exciting, but it is hard work. A skills class such as Grilling Tools, Leaves and Twists, Fall Leaves, Floral Forms, Damascus or the Campfire Cookset is a good start. Wherever you take your first class, come to the shop to meet Dale and see the facility before you commit your time and money.
What is a Level 1 certificate, and is it recognized?
Level 1 teaches the fundamentals so a graduate can join an established shop and work productively in it. Students have started their own businesses after the program and taken commissions, but job placement cannot be guaranteed: progress depends on the work you put in. The certificate is new to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, so many artisans do not know it yet. What they will recognize are the techniques in your portfolio, so build one throughout the year. VIB is a teaching shop: a production shop needs to generate income, and we focus on cultivating new smiths.
What if I work on Fridays?
Other lab days have been arranged for students in the past when needed. Class weekends themselves are not flexible: if you cannot make class time, you would need to leave the program.
Do you take the GI Bill?
Yes. VIB is approved to accept the GI Bill for this program for eligible veterans.
What does it cost?
Each course is $550. There are 12 courses, for a total of $6,600. Each payment is due before that course begins, so you only pay for the courses you expect to complete. Courses are taken in order and must be passed to continue.
Start witha weekend
New to the forge? Take a weekend skills class first, then come meet Dale and see the shop before you commit to the year.