Jennifer's teaching take on a 4.5 day class on beginner blacksmithing. Photo heavy

[jlpservicesinc]

I asked 9 people, 6 of whom never forged in there lives to get and execute a drop tong weld in 4 days. 

Here's a bunch of photos of students work and a few of my demo pieces and some tools up to day 4. 

These gals and guys ranged in age from 16 to 65 and have been crushing it. 

4 days to get a drop tong welded multi directional basket twist handled fireplace poker.  Not possible you say........

Day 1 nails (pyramid, rose head, and T heads, day 2 nib finial S Hooks, day 3, 4 bar icicle (free hanging basket twist) and welded side rake. 

Day4,  multi twist Blacksmith basket twist fireplace poker (drop tong). 

4 of the students completed the drop tong welding process as of day 4.  

1 had no previous Blacksmith experience at all.

I've been having such an amazing time. 

About 90f in the shop day 1, day 2 pretty close with high humidity.  

 

[jlpservicesinc]

Gave a lesson on nail header maker to the assistant on arrival day. Forgot the nail headers at home. 

We made 6 nail headers from coil spring in 2hrs. .

[Frosty]

Looks like you had quite the time Jennifer. Congratulations all round!

Frosty The Lucky.

[jlpservicesinc]

Thanks. 1 more half day to go. It's been terrific.  

There's been maybe 50 lessons beside the main course load, from carbonizing mild steel, welding stuff when convential thought says you shouldn't,  forging to maximize efficiency. List goes on and on. 

It's really been fun. 

Going to be stellar when the school is finished.  

[Latticino]

Excellent job.  Even with a couple of years in I'm sure I would have learned something valuable.

[anvil]

Very Cool!

[Shainarue]

This looks like an excellent course! I love that you started with nails and I've always loved that you consider forge welding to be a beginner skill. 

This is gonna make me seem dim, but I didn't realize there were different kinds of nails, lol

I've found your videos on nails and saving them to watch over my lunch break. 

[Daswulf]

Looks like they had a great teacher. Well done! 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

That one picture with all the students at the anvils, really shows the scope of the school you have built. Fantastic job and I'm n awe for all the work you have put into it Jennifer. Wish Debi & I were closer we would take classes till the cows came home.

Randy

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sails.

[Frosty]

I can clearly see 9 forge stacks from the position the picture was taken, is there another hiding in the far left I just don't see? How many forging stations does your school have in all?

You know, there were many times I had to wonder what you were thinking taking so long building everything Just So but your school SHINES BRIGHT!

Its an honor knowing you Jennifer, I hope to shake your hand someday.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Latticino]

Ummm, folks, I'm pretty sure these are photos from the beginner class that Jen recently taught at Peter's Valley.  The shop certainly has been updated since I was last there.  I think she meant in her post that she couldn't wait to teach a similar class in her own school.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

OOPS... Debi is always telling me that I "jump to conclusions", I bet when Jennifer gets her school completed It will be just as nice.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sails.

[1forgeur]

Truly Impressive !!

[LarryFahnoe]

On 7/31/2023 at 10:36 PM, jlpservicesinc said:

4 days to get a drop tong welded multi directional basket twist handled fireplace poker.  Not possible you say........

Wow Jennifer, what a wonderful class, I can bet that you're quite pleased with all that was accomplished! Doubtless the experience just whets your appetite for offering classes at your own school. Don't know if/when I'll get to your neck o' the woods, but if I do I'll hope to take a class from you.

I am really taken with the basket twist in the little video, someone has a great eye and hand.

--Larry

[Candidquality]

Man that does look like fun.  I can only  imagine how proud they will all be to have accomplished so much, in such a short timespan.  I would not be surprised if every new participant catches the bug and continues to forge. 

So many have a rough start or bad teaching from videos to begin with, so get frustrated and stop.  Nothing compares to having a great teacher help you learn the ropes.  even for experienced smiths, it is a great learning tool, and nice to get a new perspective, or a better technique.  

 

Congrats. 

 

[Frosty]

I believe you're right Latticino. <sigh> I'm blaming Randy for misleading me though! 

Frosty The Lucky.

[jlpservicesinc]

On 8/1/2023 at 8:34 AM, Latticino said:

Excellent job.  Even with a couple of years in I'm sure I would have learned something valuable.

I was showing everyone the way I work....   The way I work I dramatically different because everything is very much seamless..  Sometimes I don't even look at the anvil or metal while forging...     The assistant was very eager to learn so as soon as I showed something he had not seen if there was an open forge he'd try it ASAP. 

The shop is well setup for modern smithing methods..  Anna has done a spectacular job of getting the shop in prime shape with new gas forges, 9 coal forges,  New double burner gas forges at each work center (2 students per gas forge). 

I gave lectures, show and tell on any subject that came into view..  The coal forge care and maintenance was terrible..    I finally got a little tire of people running their forges hollow to weld in so stopped the class and brought them over to see what happens in a coal forge and where the oxidizing, neutral and carbonizing aspects of a fire were and the reasons why we keep coal banked and constantly creating coke..   

They all loved that..   1/4"sq CR all brought up to welding temps in an oxidizing, then neutral, then carbonizing parts of the fire..   They were surprised how much it sparked in the oxidizing zone..     Then the bar would not throw sparks until removed from the fire in the neutral zone, and in the carbonizing zone it took longer to get to a welding heat but the sparks were crazy lively.. 

They were also very surprised how thoroughly the bar picked up carbon once in the carbonizing zone  and these 200lbs guys could not bend that 1/4"sq piece  after it was hardened in water.   

I snapped sections off to show them grain growth and why it's not good practice..     I then notched the bar I had done this to, about 1" long,  forge welded back in this section and from one welding heat.. Letting it cool to a dark red color forging it brought it back to orange color by hammer work and forged out a nice longer taper. 

I then snapped this newly forged taper every 1/4"  and showed them how forging refines the grain structure.       The part that was forged from that dark red when hammered brought it back to about orange..  

It was ductile enough to bend it cold in the vise using the hammer into a rat tail shape.   I then snapped off the pieces and showed them the difference. 

I think you would have loved it..  

To do all this was about 10min at the forge..   The discussion afterwards was about 20 min. 

On 8/1/2023 at 12:04 PM, Shainarue said:

This looks like an excellent course! I love that you started with nails and I've always loved that you consider forge welding to be a beginner skill. 

This is gonna make me seem dim, but I didn't realize there were different kinds of nails, lol

I've found your videos on nails and saving them to watch over my lunch break. 

Shaina, they made thousands of types.      More types of nails then they make today in fact.    Of course, a screw is a screw except for the bit used to drive it..  That is maybe the largest difference..   Back then a slot screwdriver and square wrench

6 hours ago, LarryFahnoe said:

Wow Jennifer, what a wonderful class, I can bet that you're quite pleased with all that was accomplished! Doubtless the experience just whets your appetite for offering classes at your own school. Don't know if/when I'll get to your neck o' the woods, but if I do I'll hope to take a class from you.

I am really taken with the basket twist in the little video, someone has a great eye and hand.

--Larry

Larry,  Not just excited with the results..   These students nailed it..  LOL..   

Now comes the kicker..   The shop supervisor went away and only the assistant was there who was having a blast..  Great feedback at the end of the day on the class and how it was evolving..   

I asked a group of students how they felt things were going and if they had any questions or comments..    The first guy who had 0 experience thought it was great.. He said he loves it and wouldn't change anything..   He had never been to a class so it was easy to adopt my methods of fire management (having some) and all the lovely other tidbits. 

2 of the guys said it was a little confusing because the other classes they had taken it was a show and tell.. Go do 1 or 2 things and then be shown the next step.. 

They both said, We don't really know where it's going because our notes are not really organized enough to keep the steps straight.. 

In the first few minutes of class, I mention every 5 min I'm here for them to learn and to have fun.. I'm there to answer any questions and problem-solve anything they might run into..  Both of these guys had previous class experience, yet had no fire management skills.   (what happened in the first few classes? I don't know)

They were relying on each other to try and piece together what they had seen..  A very weak-legged way to learn especially when the instructor is there every 5 to 10 minutes..  Yes, I circulate around and around watching everyone, explaining little things, and trying to teach them why their forge fire needs to be loved and cared for. (day 2 they all ready knew how to setup a forge welding fire and to feed it..   

Most beginners have a problem because they want to see the metal so they open the fire..  They believe a larger open fire will give the heat they need.. All it really promotes is bad fire management, lots of scale and oxidized flux. 

It's not that these guys are doing it..  The part that I don't understand is why was it not corrected from the very start..   Harder to unlearn then to learn..  Yes. I know all about time and busy and blah, blah..  

Anyhow.. I told the guys the same thing..    " I am hear for you to learn..  I am hear to help and to have as much fun as you can"..   Ask me anything at any point I am hear to help..   (it was 95F and 95% humidity brutal and the guys were hot and tired) they just did their first forge welds on the icicle..   

I then said..  You guys can't see where I driving you..  But, when we get there you will be totally amazing and you will see why I brought you this way..   Yeah, yeah, grumble grumble..    One guy got up and went back in.. The other guy said he's had classes and no one.. NO one has done them this way and he prefers the others teachers way of doing it..   I said.. I understand but that he is doing well and that stick with it a little longer he will fully understand..  LOL.. 

They next day we came in and one of the guys said he was hot and tired and trusted where I was bringing him.. 

That afternoon was the icicle prep and welds and twists..   

After talking with both these guys and getting the feedback and letting them know I was there for them with any questions it became like a great bunch of people hanging out..   No longer did they feel isolated..  They started reaching out.. 

By the end of day 3 both of those guys told me independently that they appreciated why I took that direction and now they fully understood with huge smiles on their faces..   That made it all worth it.. 


Because of my experiences, everything is seamless..  There is no order of difficulty..   It's just working metal at the anvil, forge and vise. 

As a teacher it's tough because a group of 5 students is easy to figure out what each person needs..   With a group of 9 students with a few classes to students that are there, just because to students who are thirsty or curious..  

Figuring out how to present information to each person becomes a challenge. 

This was a long response but is the reason why I love to teach.  there are so many things I do that people have never seen them before.. Anyhow that's neither here not there.. 

52 minutes ago, Candidquality said:

Man that does look like fun.  I can only  imagine how proud they will all be to have accomplished so much, in such a short timespan.  I would not be surprised if every new participant catches the bug and continues to forge. 

So many have a rough start or bad teaching from videos to begin with, so get frustrated and stop.  Nothing compares to having a great teacher help you learn the ropes.  even for experienced smiths, it is a great learning tool, and nice to get a new perspective, or a better technique.  

 

Congrats. 

 

Proud..    Every person in there worked their hearts out..  They all talked about what a great class it was and were very thankful..  2 of the people said they weren't sure about smithing so took the class on a whim.. 

One of the 2 people absolutely fell in love with it and she was crushing the work and asking so many questions. I love that engagement. 

Now, comes the part that I have to apologize for:

The assistant was very supportive the whole time..  I ask for feedback several times a day to see if I covered the bases and such..  He was psyched and learning as much as the students.  He does bloomery iron..  So has a bunch of experience and been at if for about 5 years IIRC. 

Anyhow,  Here it goes..   

Somehow between when I was asked, I got things twisted as to what the subject of the course was.. 

I thought it was a " Beginners and beyond" course...    Turns out it was an "introductory"     Yes, you got it   " introductory course"..    

This basically means you learn about the basics (chalk board or projector with flyers and hand outs) then you might punch 3 or 5 holes hot and cold,  do a little metal slot, hot cut with a chisel, maybe hardie if they are lucky. maybe have a bit of a joke in between with some snacks. etc, etc. 

Ideally having some sort of project fun with something to bring home but not be spent and have a great time to boot.. 

I had miss read my introduction as the title or intro for my story on who and what I do.. 

Under that was the experience level " beginner and beyond"..           That means to the PV group that this is a "beginner or someone who has previous experience" 

I completely thought that was the level of experience they needed to be to engage in the course I was offering..  

The shop coordinator returned from going away on the morning of day 4 to see me demonstration and guiding the students the way I had from day one.. (the group was to unfocused the first day, and day 2 they were still to unfocused so decided to change directions in what I thought was an intermediate format class based on my description).....   

Beginner and Beyond..   LOL.. 

The instructor shows back up just as I'm bringing in the  " multi twist blacksmith basket drop tong welded basket"  to which she expect to find me doing a little fun project with a lot of ABC chalk board and a few minutes of forging time in between.. 

The morning demo on the basket was 3hrs long..     LOL   

I was thinking the whole time how great the Shop coordinator would be so happy with the progress.. 

That was not the case.. 

yes I had everyone hot cutting on the hardie, upsetting, Lap welding with both American flat scarfs and European style scarfs, managing their fires properly, etc. etc. 

The assistant was stoked..    

The Shop person..  Little less so..  

From a teacher aspect It was a stunning time.. From the students stand point the feed back was sensational..   Being told by everyone what a great time they had even the people who really were just there because.. 

My point is..      I completely missed the mark and it wasn't till this morning I  went to look at the course outline that I realized what happened.. 

I feel like crap since it was the Coordinator who invited me down after seeing me work at the ABANA conference few years ago and decided to take a chance. 

Everything happens for a reason and whether it be the student relationships or with peers or looking deeper inside or to others for answers it unfolded as it should of.. 

I have no regrets on teaching the students the way I did and I would do it all the same again knowing maybe 3 or the students would have gotten left behind at the "Introductory" level.     

But I'm also hopeful there is enough position feedback from the students that I might be invited back..  Though I completely missed the mark on what I was supposed to expose.

I broke a lot of rules by overreaching in the class structure..   Basically taking a group of 9 students and turning them into forging and forge welding machines. 

[jlpservicesinc]

Sorry got locked out on edit. 

Now, comes the part that I have to apologize for:

The assistant was very supportive the whole time..  I ask for feedback several times a day to see if I covered the bases and such..  He was psyched and learning as much as the students.  He does bloomery iron..  So has a bunch of experience and has been at if for about 5 years IIRC. 

Anyhow,  Here it goes..   

Somehow when I was asked, I got things twisted as to what the subject of the course was.. 

I thought it was a " Beginners and Beyond" course...    Turns out it was an "introductory"     Yes, you got it   " introductory course"..    

This basically means you learn about the basics (chalkboard or projector with flyers and handouts) then a short demo, then you might punch 3 or 5 holes hot and cold,  do a little metal slot, hot cut with a chisel, maybe hardie if they are lucky. maybe have a bit of a joke in between with some snacks. etc, etc. 

Ideally having some sort of a fun project with something to bring home but not be completely spent and have a great time to boot.. 

I had miss read my introduction as the title or intro for my story on who and what I do.. 

Under that was the experience level " beginner and beyond"..           That means to the PV group that this is a "beginner or someone who has previous experience" 

I completely thought that was the level of experience they needed to be to engage in the course I was offering..   What I mean is I would take them from a "beginner and move them beyond".. 

The shop coordinator returned from going away on the morning of day 4 to see me demonstrate and guiding the students in a totally new direction after the divergence of forging nails (pyramid and rose head in the morning) and (T head nails in the afternoon) way I had from day one.. (the group was too unfocused the first day after lunch, and day 2 they were still too unfocused so decided to change directions in what I thought was an intermediate format class based on my description).....   

Beginner and Beyond..   LOL.. 

The instructor shows back up just as I'm bringing in the  " multi twist blacksmith basket drop tong welded basket"  to which she expects to find me doing a little fun project with a lot of ABC chalkboard and a few minutes of forging time in between.. 

The morning demo on the basket was 3hrs long..     LOL   

I was thinking the whole time how great the Shop coordinator would be so happy with the progress of the students..   Her feedback was explain more things on the board 1 or 2 items tops then forge..   I said. it's too late for that now..  That ship sailed..  Had to go this direction to unify the group.  This was after the 3hrs demo on basket drop tong. 

yes I had everyone hot cutting on the hardie, upsetting, Lap welding with both American flat scarfs and European style scarfs, managing their fires properly, etc. etc. 

The assistant was stoked..    

The Shop person..  Little less so..  

From a teacher aspect It was a stunning time.. From the students' stand point, the feed back was sensational..   Being told by everyone what a great time they had even the people who really were just there because.. 

My point is..      I completely missed the mark and it wasn't till this morning I  went to look at the course outline that I realized what happened.. 

I feel like crap since it was the Coordinator who invited me down after seeing my work at the ABANA conference a few years ago and decided to take a chance.  I would love to go back and teach something else or even an intro course again especially after being there and understanding now what is what.. 

Everything happens for a reason and whether it be the student relationships or with peers or looking deeper inside or to others for answers it unfolded as it should of.. 

I have no regrets about teaching the students the way I did and I would do it all the same again knowing maybe 3 or the students would have gotten left behind at the "Introductory" level.     

But I'm also hopeful there is enough position feedback from the students that I might be invited back..  Though I completely missed the mark on what I was supposed to expose.

I broke a lot of rules by overreaching in the class structure..   Basically taking a group of 9 students who signed up for an "intro course" and moving them into another spot. 

But I also feel terrible about it and will never forget about the infringement and betrail though not on purpose.. 

I accept full responsibility for all of it.  Live and learn. 

I deeply apologize to the people who lead and assist at Peters Valley Blacksmiths shop and the students..   Much love.. 

[LarryFahnoe]

While I can understand that you may feel bad for going off in a direction different than the school was promoting, I strongly suspect that you left an incredible mark on each of your students and the shop coordinator. If, I as a beginner at something, happened to find myself in a "master class" with a teacher who "got it" and could show it, I'd have been in hog heaven! Sure there is a time and place for a standardized curriculum, but when you've developed your own style and have the ability to teach it, I say more power to ye! The fact that you're willing and able to monitor the students' uptake and adjust accordingly means you have a special gift for teaching. Time for me to start planning to take one of your classes!!

--Larry

[Frosty]

Sounded like a great introduction to blacksmithing to me Jennifer. If the director takes issue you might mention you would've gladly adjusted your classes had SHE been present to say something. 

I rarely teach more than a couple people at one time and always get the magical mythical forge weld under their belts within the first hour. Of course I don't have to deal with fire management, running propane but that's just one factor. To teach you have to watch and listen. 

I don't think it'll be long before your school is a NAME in the art.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

[George N. M.]

Jennifer:  I wish I had had an instructor like you when I started out.  Even now, 45 years later, I am sure that I would greatly benefit from your instruction.  

That said, I think you should have no bad feelings about what and how you taught the class.  It seems to me that you had a better handle on the capabilities of the students than the school had.  Yes, you took the students much further than is normal for a beginners' class but that just shows the skill of the instructor and the capabilities of the students.  If anything, it should be a lesson to the school that a 4 day beginners' class can progress in skill and knowledge much further than they previously thought.

However, no all instructors can do this.  Teaching is a skill separate from the blacksmithing craft.  Not every blacksmith has the ability to teach to someone else what he or she knows.  To be able to do both is a gift.  As Martha used to say, the problem with the Socratic Method of instruction (where the student learns by answering the instructor's questions.  It is commonly used in law schools) is that not all instructors are Socrates and not all students are Aristotle.

So, I bet that if the 9 students did an instructor evaluation on the course you would get very high marks.  

IMO, you have little to apolgize for or regret.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[JHCC]

For what it's worth, it looks like you covered very much the same material that was in *my* beginner's class with Fred Crist back in 1983. I'm sure your teaching style was different (you are both very individual characters), but we also did a whole lot more than super basic projects. There was also no chalkboard; Fred was very hands-on. 

(Thinking back, I know we did fire management, drive hooks, lap welds, drop-the-tongs basket welds, spoons, and forks, but I'm pretty sure there was some other stuff as well. There was also a field trip to the old Yellin workshop, where Fred was the master blacksmith.)

[Frosty]

George's post reminded me of something I forgot to say earlier.  First. STOP apologizing Jennifer! You did exactly what you were supposed to and more. Next year charge more in keeping with the quality and content of your instruction!

Second is something you have to keep in mind when talking to directors and staff at museums. Most are file clerks at heart and usually have little real knowledge of what they're curating, directing etc. It doesn't make them bad or negligent people, nobody can be an expert in everything. 

I've discovered museum curators tend to be grateful when someone knowledgeable shows up and offers advice, corrections, IDs things, etc. When I was traveling around the state as a driller we always visited a museum if there was one. Virtually every one had a "blacksmith's shop" set up by someone who knew zippo about the craft. In variably they'd have a top tool held upside down in a mannequin's hand in the display. That mistake was almost universal. 

The first time I said something the person on duty asked if I could hang around while he made a phone call and I got lunch for my efforts. The really frustrating thing dealing with museum curators is the one about 6 miles from me, that fellow doesn't want to change a thing but constantly hits us up to furnish coal, iron AND tools to do live demos at the museum. Of course we'd leave our tools there on display! Every June The Valley Art's Alliance hosts "Art On Fire" which includes an iron pour and typically 3-4 blacksmiths. 

It's fun demoing but frustrating, the display is as wrong as the first time I looked and virtually none of the smiths in our club even go in to see the exhibits. 

For the most part though they're happy to have someone who knows what's what help with the displays, I find myself writing lots of name tags.

Frosty The Lucky.

[George N. M.]

Frosty, it's not just the small museums that get things wrong.  Years ago I was at the Chicago Historical Society museum ( now History Chicago) and they had a display of early Chicago artifacts.  One of them was the transit that had been used to lay out the original plat of the city.  It was non-telescopic and was a large about 8"-10" magnetic compass with sighting bars on either side which would mount on a tripod and with which you could turn angles.  The display case had an inclined bottom and someone had assembled the transit with the sighting bars below the compass so that the compass would sit level.  Obviously, you could not use the instrument in that configuration because you'd of had to sight through the tripod head.  I searched around and told a curator of the problem and gave him my bona fides as an old surveyor and geologist.  I don't know if it ever got changed since it would have involved a relatively major modification of the display case.  The last time I was there (about 9 years ago) the whole museum had changed in major ways and I didn't see that object on display.

As you say, curators cannot be experts on every bit of technology they hold but I have seen a few clunkers over the years.

G.

[Frosty]

Too true George, I've only looked for a curator to talk to about displays in which I have some expertise in small town museums. The Anchorage museum seemed to be intended as a teaching aid last time I was there with little of historic interest. 

I watched part of a youtube of Adam Savage at the Smithsonian institute identifying mystery blacksmith tools. The curator was all excited and the two of them blathered about all the unknown magic blacksmiths could do with what were varieties of pretty basic tools. Top tools? hammers nobody could identify. Bottom tools? Obviously dies you had to spend years to develop the skill necessary to swing the top half of the die and get top and bottom to line up. 

It was painful to watch. Happily for them, the Smithsonian didn't allow comments.

The curator obviously wasn't interested in presenting good information, she spent the whole time swooning over the mystery. Oh NO, don't ask a BLACKSMITH to identify his/er trade tools! 

I couldn't stand to watch but about 20 minutes of the first of 2 maybe 3 mystery blacksmith tools videos. 

Frosty The Lucky.