Learn traditional skills and explore what you're capable of, working at the anvil with hammer in hand.

We offer blacksmithing and bladesmithing training that covers everything from basic metalwork and decorative ironwork to forging bushcraft tools and axes.Led by a professional blacksmith and therapy-trained coach, we teach these heritage crafts from a fully-equipped forge near Exeter, Devon and at schools, colleges and other settings with our free-roaming anvil.Our goal is to pass on a traditional craft, give people confidence in their creative abilities and support better mental health through the simple art of swinging a hammer.

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Day courses and longer programmes

We offer 1:2:1 and small group training in blacksmithing and tool-making skills.We are members of the Society of Inclusive Blacksmithing, and actively encourage everyone who is interested, regardless of identity or background.As therapy-trained coaches we do everything with a focus on individual well-being and self-development as well as creativity and passion for the craft.Blacksmithing skills: Morning, full day or more
Come for a taster morning, a day of basic skills training or a longer programme of learning. Always leaving with new skills and decorative pieces.Hammer & Tongs: 2 days
A two-day workshop in which you will hand-forge the basic tools of the blacksmith - a 2.5lb hammer and a set of tongs.Axe making: 1-2 days
Punch, drift and form an axe head before heat-treating it to take away and mount on a pre-bought handle. Or come back for a second day to carve your own hand-hewn handle to mount it on.Knife making: 1-3 days
Hand-forge, grind, and heat treat a blacksmith's one-piece knife in a day, make a wooden handled kitchen or bushcraft knife over two days and optionally add a third day for a leather sheath.

Booking your training
Think about what you want, check the dates below and call or email for a chat. We don't do online bookings or one-size-fits-all training - every conversation helps us make it work for you.Summer 2026
June: 11 / 14 / 15 / 18 / 19
July: 9 / 10 / 16 / 17 / 19 / 26
September: 6 / 7 / 9 / 11 /13 / 14 / 16 / 18 / 20 / 21Book by calling 07973 544740 or email [email protected]

Costs

Morning session - £180 pp
One day for 1 person - £350 pp
One day for 2-3 people - £250 ppWe can accommodate up to three people and encourage siblings, parents and friends to come together. Costs include materials, group tuition, personal protective equipment and full insurance.

Bespoke training

If you have a specific need or idea in mind, we can shape the training to meet that, within certain limitations.Just give us a ring or drop us an email to have a chat about what you're thinking.We can put together a plan that's designed for you.

With a decade of working with young people both in the forge and in forest school, we use a bespoke curriculum of blacksmithing projects to give young people a sense of achievement and progress, as well as the respect and encouragement they deserve.We find that children who have had significant behavioural challenges or ADHD diagnoses often excel in craft, under the right conditions.Our head blacksmith is Safeguarding Level 2 trained, and has a Level 3 qualification in counselling and therapy, as well as having worked in coaching adults and forest school for over 10 years.Call Max on 07973 544740 or email [email protected] to discuss how we can help.

Working with children & young people

We work with a huge range of children and young people, often who are dealing with challenges at school and/or home.Many children find the academic, social and environmental demands of school too much. As a result they struggle, and sometimes so do the people around them.Even beyond school, modern life can lead young people into complex challenges that are very hard to navigate or escape from.We work with schools, colleges, alternative education providers and youth projects to give young people a space to experience a different part of themselves.We find that the creative and very active nature of metal work creates intense focus and engagement, even in children who are seen as distracted or difficult to manage.

"The pupils love it, they are learning so much and often eagerly show us when they return. Thank you so much."- Deputy Head, school for children with social, emotional and mental health challenges.

Our mobile forge

Most schools choose to bring their children to us, with supervision, so they can spend time in our forge.However, we also take our forge to colleges, youth projects and other settings. We have a full, mobile setup with all the PPE, relevant risk assessments and insurance.On site for a day means we can work with up to six children on a 1-2-1 basis, each making at least one piece.

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.We all have a need to make real things
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 consuming other people's content, we want to give people the confidence to make real things with their hands.

Doing hard things, together, is good for us
Modern life can lead us to be more sedentary, isolated and unchallenged.We know that moving your body is important for basic physical health, while repetitive mechanical movement has been shown to help manage your mental health.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.

Knowing how to express your ideas in form is builds confidence and develops problem solving skills that benefits people in many other parts of their lives.We all need to know our cultural heritage
It’s been shown that a connection to cultural heritage gives a sense of identity and belonging, and can even lower 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 culture that we’ve been privileged to be handed by our teachers and the many teachers that came before them, which is expressed in lots of other unique ways across the world, too.

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.