Craft helps you learn who you really are.

We offer one-to-one blacksmithing and bladesmithing sessions for people who want to explore what they are capable of and work through their challenges.Led by a therapy-trained, professional blacksmith, we teach these heritage crafts from a fully-equipped forge near Exeter, Devon and at schools, colleges and events with our free-roaming anvil.Our goal is to continue to pass on traditional skills, give people confidence in their creative abilities and support better mental health through the simple art of swinging a hammer.

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Book a session

Drop in for an hour-long session, book a morning of training or spend a day working on a project - whatever works for you.Please note: Sunday sessions are available if you can’t make a Monday to Friday session, just ask.There is a 10% discount if you live in Devon or Cornwall.Drop-in session (one hour)
Make it a one-off or a series and we’ll get straight down to making simple pieces and teach you some basic techniques.
Times: 9.30am-12.30pm, Mon-Fri
Cost: £70Skills morning
Work on a small project piece that combines a number of fundamental tools and skills to build your confidence.
Times: 9.30am-1pm, Mon-Fri
Cost: £200Training day
We’ll lead you through a step-by-step process to complete a more complex piece or produce a collection of decorative objects.
Times: 9.30am-4pm, Mon-Fri
Cost: £350

Projects completed in past sessions

Book a session by emailing [email protected]
or calling 07973544740

Longer sessions and programmes

If you’d like to do more in-depth training or you’re coming from further away, we can book you in for a longer visit or arrange a series of drop-in sessions.

Coming to your setting

We can bring our free-roaming forge to your setting. If you work in a school, college or with a group where craft will support wellbeing, get in touch.

About the project

This project has been started out of the recognition that craft plays a key role in looking after the wellbeing and mental health of individuals and wider society.Making things is a basic human need
Digital technology and social media has given us endless creative potential but will never fulfill the basic human need to turn creative ideas into real objects.Numerous studies have shown how creative self-expression builds cognitive, emotional, physical and social wellbeing. In a world where people are spending increasing amounts of time online and encouraged to consume, we want to offer an alternative way to think about what you’re capable of.

Working together on tough things is good for you
Another impact of modern life is that it is easy to become sedentary, isolated and unchallenged.We know that moving your body is important for basic physical health, while repetitive mechanical movement has been shown to address depression.Challenging yourself to do tough stuff builds resilience by trying something new, sometimes getting it wrong, and overcoming the hurdles along the way. Being engaged in challenges with other people who might be different to you, is a great way to develop our confidence and sense of safety in working with others.Our long-term goal is to share the craft of blacksmithing in a way that helps people grow and develop both in their artistic skills but in their wider lives and relationships.

We believe that knowing how to express your ideas in form is brilliant for everyone - building confidence and creative thinking that can benefit people in many other parts of their lives.Cultural heritage drives wellbeing
It’s been shown that a connection to cultural heritage gives a sense of identity and belonging, and lowers incidences of depression and anxiety. In the modern Western world, we have largely lost connection with our shared history and this has an impact on us all.Our commitment is to share the skills and underpinning culture that we’ve been privileged to be handed by our teachers and the many teachers that came before them.

About the smith

Max St John is a journeyman blacksmith - this means that he has been training with a number of different teachers, including undertaking a number of informal apprenticeships, since starting out in 2020.Initially training as a bladesmith, he fell in love with the wider craft and found that it had an enormous impact on his mental health and wellbeing - something he has always been tuned to through his own experiences of stress, anxiety and depression.He has been making and selling tools and decorative pieces, displaying his work at art galleries and teaching the craft to others for nearly five years.Building on his 20 year career as a coach, he took a Level 3 counselling and therapy training course and is now studying for his advanced professional diploma.He is also been a Forest School teacher since 2017, working with young people in schools, with and without additional needs.