Coming Soon!  Differential Hardening with Clay Tempering Lab (Two Days)

Course Description:

This is a two-day private hands-on lab. The focus will be on actually doing the work but also on understanding the processes involved.
The student(s) will forge a selected knife blade from one of two precut blanks. The choices available are a Japanese-style kitchen knife or a hunting knife. The course covers two days. The student will leave with a single blade.
We will prepare two blades up through heat treating; one of each type (hunting knife and kitchen knife) so that in the event of failure of the student blade there will be a blade available for the student to finish the course.


Course Objectives:
The purpose is to create a knife blade and then differentially harden the blade using the clay coating method developed in ancient Japan. The student(s) will receive an understanding of the processes involved, the reasons for this method and the actual experience of making the blade.

This blade making process includes is a high-stress form of heat treating steel so there is no guarantee that the student blade will survive the process. In the event of a failure a premade replacement blade will be made available for the student(s) to finish the course. Student(s) will leave with a finished blade.

Course Prerequisites:
Student(s) will need to provide leather work gloves and wear closed toe shoes. Long pants of a cotton or cotton blend material (jeans are optimal) and a cotton or cotton blend shirt are required.
Safety glasses are strongly recommended.
Accommodations and meals are the responsibility of the student(s).

Estimated Cost:
At this time we are expecting the price to be $1200-1600. 
We are hoping to begin scheduling classes before fall 2023.