Public Masterclass - Blacksmithing (Session 2)

Public Events

Please note: As we are testing a few different booking systems this month, please read the below booking information carefully before you proceed. Due to the popularity of the masterclasses, we can only allow one masterclass booking per person across the whole programme.

About this masterclass:

In this blacksmithing masterclass, you will be introduced to the core techniques used by blacksmiths to manipulate hot steel into decorative and useful forms. Under the skillfull guidance of blacksmiths Richard Pace and Lizzie Hughes, you will heat metal to about 1000 degrees in a coke forge to heat metal, then use hammers and anvils to make a simple object like a fire poker that incorporates many of the fundamental techniques used in the trade. You will go away with a small object you have made yourself and a good understanding of how to use different tools to shape hot metal.

Blacksmithing is known as the 'King of Trades', as all other trades came to the blacksmith for tools and equipment, whereas smiths were self-sufficient. Come and learn about what contemporary blacksmiths do; play with fire, hit things with hammers, and fettle some metal!

Lizzie Hughes and Richard Pace are the team behind The Urban Crafts Foundation a blacksmiths forge based in Essex. At UCF they are passionate about keeping heritage metalworking techniques alive and want to achieve this by making them relevant and understood by the public, consumers, and people working in the creative industries. To do this, they believe in passing on their specialist knowledge to people who will use it to develop innovative work that will reach and inspire a wide audience.

This masterclass is suitable for ages 18+, aside from that, no experience or skill necessary, all welcome!

Important information about our ticket ballot for this event:

We are trialling a ballot system for ticket booking for our blacksmithing masterclasses in October 2022, in case it proves to be a fair and easy method for people to obtain tickets to our public events in the future.
Entering the ballot means that you've entered into a draw for the opportunity to book a ticket to a masterclass. From Monday 26th September onwards, successful entrants will be sent a booking link, which must be completed within 24 hours to secure a ticket.
Unfortunately, the ballot may be oversubscribed, so entering it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be offered tickets.
The ballot is open for a limited time: from 5:00am on Friday 23nd September until 23:59pm on Sunday 25th September.
Once tickets are fully booked, we will notify everyone and offer the opportunity to join the waiting list.

Do you have specific access requirements?

We would like to make sure that everyone can join our events and use our website as easily as possible. Please message us if you need any particular support or assistance while attending our space or using our platforms, so we can ensure those. We are also always interested in feedback to help us improve access to our activities. Contact Sara on events@instituteofmaking.org.uk.

Images courtesy of Lizzie Hughes.