CLASSES
Healing Flames Forge Inc
Healing Flames Forge is NOT a blacksmith school and it is NOT a knife-making school. Healing Flames Forge provides a specific group of people in high-stress occupations a place to relieve stress. We use basic blacksmithing techniques to provide a therapeutic environment. If our program motivates participants to continue on in the craft, or get into knife-making, those are just extra benefits of the program and the environment we provide.
Our primary customers, in order of priority are:
1. Veterans
2. Active-duty service members (including Guard & Reserve)
3. First responders (law enforcement, firefighter, EMT)
4. Frontline workers (doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals)
5. One family member or battle buddy may accompany t he primary registrant. They must be included in the registration form and they will have the same priority as the primary.
Healing Flames Forge provides a therapeutic environment for people in high-stress occupations. We use basic blacksmithing techniques and other metalworking skills. Here is our basic 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. The program is self-paced; there are no timelines to finish projects, and participants are welcome to come back for additional sessions.
The morning session (0800-1130) includes administrative requirements (participant sign-in, release agreement, etc.), introductions, smithy orientation, instructions on tools and their use, safety briefing, and fabrication of simple projects that teach participants how to use the tools in the smithy. The 3-hour morning session can be a standalone period that provides an introduction to our program. 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 (1230-1700 [5:00 pm]) advances skills learned during the morning session through additional projects.
For participants who complete all projects in the basic weekend program, “open forge” sessions will be available by request during the week for participants to practice and refine their skills. Email directly to coordinate open forge sessions. If you want to schedule a forge session on a weekday, please click here to contact Rob Duane directly.
Forge Session Projects
Forge session participants will work through a series of basic ornamental blacksmithing projects, each one building into the next. All projects are forged from mild steel. This session is self-paced and there is no expectation for anyone to get through all the projects in a single session, although some may. Projects, in order, include:
- Drive-in wall hook, made from small square stock
- S-hooks (2), made from small round stock
- Steak flipper
- BBQ fork
- Bottle opener
- Feather
- Leaves
- Incorporate leaves into 1-5
- Hummingbird or split cross
- Additional projects are available
