HEAL WITH STEEL
Healing Flames Forge Inc
Instructs participants in blacksmithing, farrier work, metalworking, and related skills with the goal of providing a sense of accomplishment, mental and physical wellbeing, preservation of an ancient art, and teaching skills that could be used to start one’s own business.
Our primary customers, in order of priority are:
1. Wounded Warriors
2. Veterans
3. Active-duty service members
4. First responders & frontline workers
5. Adult family members and battle buddies of Categories 1-4 (may be bumped up in priority to accompany their family or battle buddy).
Healing Flames Forge provides hands-on instruction in blacksmithing and metalworking. Here is our intended program:
Two mentors (Rob Duane + one guest) mentor up to eight participants in 3- or 7-hour sessions in the smithy on Saturday and Sunday.
A morning session (3 hours) includes administrative requirements (participant sign-in, hold-harmless agreements,etc.), introductions, smithy orientation, instructions on tools and their use, safety briefing, and fabrication of two simple projects that teach participants how to use the tools in the smithy. Projects for the morning session are a simple wall hook, and a barbecue fork or steak flipper. The 3-hour morning session is intended to be a standalone period that provides an introduction to
blacksmithing. Morning participants may leave at the conclusion of the 3-hour session or take a lunch break and return for another 4-hour afternoon session in the smithy.
The afternoon session is 4 hours and advances skills learned during the morning session through one or two more projects, depending on the smiths’ pace. Projects during this session include making bottle openers from round stock, flat stock, or railroad spikes, a fireplace poker, leaf keychain fob, or other similar projects.
For participants who complete the entire 7-hour weekend day program, “open forge” sessions will be available throughout the week for participants to practice and refine their skills.
