All Levels (Beginners welcome)
Joe Szilaski

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MB0512   Feb 25-26, 2012 (10am - 5pm) Saturday/Sunday (The Good Forge)

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From kitchen cutlery to a hunting knife, create a custom knife of your own design from start to finish. This 2-day course is designed to accommodate both beginners with no previous forging experience and skilled metalsmiths who wish to study under Joe Szilaski, a nationally-recognized, award-winning knifemaker. Topics to be covered include blade function and design, selection of steel, forging and safety. Students will learn the techniques of forging a blade to shape at low temperature and gain hands-on experience using a gas forge. Techniques of differential heat treatment and its importance will also be discussed. This class is dedicated to the forging and heat treating of a blade and includes discussion on how to properly handle your knife. A studio/materials fee of $40 for creating one knife is due at time of registration. Materials for each additional knife made can be purchased through the instructor. Students under age 18, please call for details.

• Joseph Szilaski
  
  Joe's experience in metal work begins as a teenager in Europe. He is now a full-time knifemaker living in upstate New York. Joe is a voting member of the Knife Makers Guild and an American BladeSmith Society "Master Smith". His work has won several awards over the past years and has been featured in "Blade Magazine". He serves as BLADE Magazine field editor and co-authors their monthly "Question & Answer" column with ABS master smith Wayne Goddard.