ONE TO ONE BLACKSMITH LESSONS IN THE SOUTH DOWNS
ALL YEAR ROUND
Chalk Pit Forge is set within the beautiful south downs countryside at Amberley Museum, in Amberley, West Sussex. Here we run courses for adults of any age, which are under the guidance of Alex Smith. Alex has been a blacksmith since 1998 and has learnt all the methods and techniques involved in this fascinating craft. Whether you are thinking about becoming a blacksmith or it is a craft you have always wanted to try, Chalk Pit Forge is the ideal place to learn as it offers a one to one hands on experience hard to find anywhere else. Anything you make can be took home with you and, unless you are using alot of materials, it is included in the course price.
Picture of the forge, the anvil and the tongs, all of these will be used on the day of the lesson.
The Museum has over 30 acres to look around, so if you have the time, there is plenty to see. Chalk Pit Forge has easy access on the southern railway line from London Victoria to Amberley. If your driving you can use the A24 or the A29 from London and Surrey and the A27 from the east [Brighton, Hastings] and the west [Southampton, Portsmouth, Chichester]. The post code is BN18 9LT, if you need further directions.
Lessons are run all year round, even if the museum is closed, and includes weekends and weekdays. Please organise your lesson with Alex Smith, e-mail alex@chalkpitforge.co.uk or phone 07793679788.
Vouchers
Voucher's for special occasions are available if you are booking a course for someone else. Please e-mail the type of course, your name and address and the name you would like on the voucher. I can then send the voucher to your address so you can present it as a gift. Booking can be made by the recipient with Chalk Pit Forge within a year of purchasing his or her's voucher.
Payment
If you would like to purchase a voucher please send a cheque, made payable to Alex Smith, to Chalk Pit Forge, Amberley Museum, Amberley, Nr Arundel, West Sussex, BN18 9LT.
If you would like to book a longer course then please send a cheque of 30% deposit to the above address. Thank you.
Here are some of the things I can teach you.
Make a rams head poker/half day course:
Learn to forge, twist, fire weld, bend and split mild steel! course length = Average time 4 1/2 hours £100
Day courses:
Make any thing you like! This could include a rams head poker, shovels, brushs, log tongs, toasting forks, boot scrapers, hanging basket brackets, plant pot holders, candle stick holders, hinges, cupboard handles, a wall sconce, sculpture, tools, door knockers, curtain rails, brackets etc. Course length = 8 hours £150
Please note: If you would like to use alot of materials then you may be charged extra. Also if you need a specific material then I will need to know before hand.
Times and Dates
Dates can be booked with us once the person has recieved a voucher [if it is a gift], or you can contact us and arrange a day for yourself. Because it is one to one tuition the date can be organised to suit yourself, but please get in touch well in advance if you would like a particular date [sometimes 3 months can be fully booked]. Weekdays and weekends and bank holidays are all open for booking.
Design and make anything you like!
Design a course for yourself! You may want a weeks course learning to make small gates as a side line, tools for your workshop, a brazier or a sculpture for your garden. Whatever you want to make, get in touch and we can organise a time in the forge.
Course length and cost depends on the item you would like to make and the ammount of materials you want to use. This can all be discussed before the course.
Past courses include a 1 day course making flowers and leaves, a 2 day course making a swallow sculpture for a garden, a 3 day course making tools and one side of a bench, a 4 day course making tools, which included a hammer, a pair of tongs, 3 punches, 2 drifts, a cold chisel, a dot punch, a hot chisel and riveting snaps and a five day course designed for a bespoke bicycle maker who wanted guidence on the fundamental techniques involved in working hot metal and to learn how to make a selection of small products to sell at stalls in London.
All courses are on a one to one tuition basis so you will have good guidance and knowledge all the way through your course.
Long course prices
A two day course = £290, A three day course = £425, A four day course = £550, A five day course = £650 and a Twenty day course = £2200.
This is one side of the bench that has been made and designed for easy reproduction. The tools made included 5 bending jigs for the bench, punches, a chisel and a pair of tongs.
