We have quite a few blacksmith students that are also homeschool students. So much so that we have set up some specific forging classes to serve our homeschoolers. One 
of the really great things we have the privilege of doing is teaching the next generation the trade of blacksmithing. Specifically for those students that are homeschooled we get to serve as an metal shop of sorts.
The homeschool program we offer follows a national based curriculum with 3 different levels. In these programs students learn the fundamentals of forging with traditional blacksmithing. They also learn the skills of a modern blacksmith shop. So they learn things like traditional forge welding as well as modern MiG welding. We teach and use hand tools that were used before the discovery of electricity like post drills, but also modern equivalents like a drill press.
Blacksmithing has so many things to learn along side the craft we teach all of them along with the skills of manipulating metal. We dig into the history of blacksmithing of different time periods, and in different cultures around the world. The science and chemistry of creating iron, turning it into specific steel steel alloys for particular uses. As well as the chemical reactions that happen when heating and cooling different types of metals. How the metals int
eract with each other as well as how they can oxidize(intentionally and non intentionally), and how that can be prevented/preserved. The use of acids to etch, and create different finishes on the metal. We teach the math and geometry behind architectural steel, and aesthetic design. As well as the use of practical fractions when forging to measurements.
Blacksmithing is so rich for learning we also teach about the trade aspect of the craft. Things like how to run a small blacksmith business, supply and demand, costs, expenses and profits. Marketing, advertising, sales and customer service. There are so many great things that can be learned in a blacksmith shop. We work hard to cover as many of them as we can.
Our usual shop rate for classes is $35hr. For our homeschool programs we offer a reduced rate of $30hr and have specific classes available during the day during the week. We understand that each student and family has different schedules and needs, but generally we see the best results come from students that come twice a week for one hour each week. Our most popular days are Tuesday and Thursday. That seems to give the student time to work hard for the time they are in the shop, have time to rest, but also have something to look forward to. If your child has siblings or friends or other students in a co-op we do everything we can to keep everyone together. That said there are times where that isn’t possible, but we will do everything we can to be accomidating. We also work hard to keep our class sizes small, typically 4-5 students. Some exceptions can be made for large families or small groups from the same co-op.
If you think blacksmithing would be something your child may be interested in or students in your co-op may want to check out we’d like to encourage you to schedule a visit. We do individual tours of the shop, and field trips with live demonstrations. You can contact David@FireIronForge.com to schedule a tour or field trip.
Our current homeschool program days/times are Monday-Thursday from 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm
You can reserve time in one hour blocks with actual class time running approx. 50min. Most students attend once a week for two hours. Some come once every other week for 2hrs and others some once a week for 1hr. So we try to keep things as flexible as possible to best serve all of our families and students. Payments can be for each individual class, but we’ve found what usually works best for students and us is to decide how many hours per week the student will be in the shop and pay for it on a monthly basis.
Sign up for classes on our Take a Class page.