Tatter Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 I have a 12 year old son that is interested in forging and knife making my question is how old should he be before he can start doing it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branding Iron Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 I started taking my youngest to events at 6 and he had a great time hammering out some knife like pointy things. As long as they have the ability to listen and follow directions... safety gear and safe handling are critical. Take a class or two together it’s a great bonding and learning experience. Start off with some basic fundamentals in forging to avoid frustrations of not making a great knife right off the bat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 I've had 11 year olds do better in a blacksmithing class than 19year olds. What I look for is that they listen and follow directions and are safe around other people and around themselves with hot metal. Now how much hammer time have they seen? Built a lot of forts and clubhouses with hammer and nails? Generally they don't have a lot of muscle mass and stamina at that age so picking projects that can be done with lighter tooling and stock is a good idea---there is a LOT of things you can make from 1/4" sq stock! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 traditionally, apprenticeships to a smith would start at around 7 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 I think it would also depend upon his maturity level. Only you can determine that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 As Thomas says, emotional maturity is probably most important. Can he follow directions and stay reasonably focused on a task? If so, he is probably acceptably safe to himself and others. If he is a goof ball and always fooling around he may need some more time to grow up a bit. Also, 12 is an age where some boys start having that early adolescent growth spurt where their coordination goes screwy. If he is like that (I was) he may need to be more careful and it may take longer to develop the proper hand and eye coordination. Also, you can tell him that learning to blacksmith is like learning to play a video game, 80-90% of it is getting the proper arrangement of your muscles and your brain so that either the game controller or the hammer is doing what your mind wants it to do. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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