Courses – Ironlord Forge

The Blacksmithing course is usually run 1on1 or 2 so that I can customise each one to suit what you most want to learn to make. If there’s a group of friends wanting to give it a try the maximum class size is 4 people.

For a beginner we start at the very basics so no previous experience is needed. You’ll start with learning about different types of forges, tools & hammer technique to give you a solid foundation to start creating metal masterpieces.

Already have some blacksmithing experience but want to take things to the next level? I’m happy to work with you to fine tune a troublesome technique or take your skills to the next level.

Courses can be run over any time period that suits from 1 or 2 days (2 days most common), through to 3,4,5 or more days, just let me know & I can tailor things to suit you.

Lunch etc is provided so all you need to bring is your basic safety gear (safety glasses, ear muffs/plugs, leather gloves, boots/shoes, long jeans/workpants & cotton shirt/t-shirt).

Rate per day:- 1 person $325, 2 people $300 each, 3 or 4 $275 each

Love the idea of forging hot metal but not sure which course you’d like to try more? Then this is the course for you! Once again I limit this to a maximum of 2 people so you get the most out of the course.

We start out with learning the same basic skills as in the Blacksmithing Course, but then move onto making a Viking Style Knife with a wrap back handle. This is an all steel knife (so no fitting a timber handle) & you still get to learn all about the Forging, Grinding, Heat-Treating & Sharpening of a Blade. Its then back to the forge to make as many other forged items as time permits.

Lunch etc is provided so all you need to bring is your basic safety gear (safety glasses, ear muffs/plugs, leather gloves, boots/shoes, long jeans/workpants & cotton shirt/t-shirt).

2 day Course:- 1 person $700, 2 people $600 each

Maximum Two People

Ever wanted to learn the secrets of Pattern Welding Steel? Then this is the course for you! Starting with steel selection, we then go through all aspects of making your own billets. From layer counts all the way through to pattern development & etching to bring it to life, we can make designs as simple or complex as you like in the time frame available!

This course can also be combined with a Knifemaking, Blacksmithing or Axe Course.

Lunch etc is provided so all you need to bring is your basic safety gear (safety glasses, ear muffs/plugs, leather gloves, boots/shoes, long jeans/workpants & cotton shirt/t-shirt).

Course cost per day:- $350 per person per day, maximum 2 people

There’s something very rewarding in using a knife you’ve hand crafted yourself!

In the Knifemaking course you’ll learn the full process of forging, grinding, heat-treating, sanding, fitting a handle & sharpening a knife design of your choosing. For a beginner there’s a 6” blade length limit (due to time constraints) but it can be any style with a single edge (so no daggers).

Knifemaking courses run over a minimum of 2 days & are for 1 or 2 students only. More advanced courses are also available for those with some previous experience.

Lunch etc is provided so all you need to bring is your basic safety gear (safety glasses, ear muffs/plugs, leather gloves, boots/shoes, long jeans/workpants & cotton shirt/t-shirt).

2 day Course:- 1 person-$700, 2 people- $600pp

This is a fun 1 day course where you get to make a knife from an old set of Sheep Shears! Oozing old world character, these knives are a great all-rounder (I still carry 1 in my camping box) that are especially useful in the kitchen. There is only a small amount of forging involved (a fancy end on the back of the handle) but you still get to grind, sand, fit a handle, clean up & sharpen your own knife.

Lunch etc is provided so all you need to bring is your basic safety gear (safety glasses, ear muffs/plugs, leather boots/shoes, long jeans/workpants & cotton shirt/t-shirt).

Cost for the day:- 1 person $300, 2 people $250 each

Maximum Two People

There’s a sense of freedom in not having to rely on shops to get what you want. With this course you make your own tools to get your Blacksmithing journey underway!

Depending on your skill level (& strength of your arm) some of the Tools we can make are Chisels, Punches, Hammers, Tongs, Hardy Tools, Bending Forks, Scroll Jigs or anything else you need. The more days you do, the more we can make!

Lunch etc is provided so all you need to bring is your basic safety gear (safety glasses, ear muffs/plugs, leather gloves, boots/shoes, long jeans/workpants & cotton shirt/t-shirt).

Rate per day:- Rate per day:- 1 person $325, 2 people $300 each, 3 or 4 $275 each

You can take things to the next level with an Axemaking Course!

In this course we make a Hatchet or Tomahawk in the “Wrap-around” Style with a high carbon insert for the cutting edge.

Run with a maximum of 2 people, you get to forge, grind, heat-treat & sharpen an axe, then shape up & fit a handle to suit its intended use.

Lunch etc is provided so all you need to bring is your basic safety gear (safety glasses, ear muffs/plugs, leather gloves, boots/shoes, long jeans/workpants & cotton shirt/t-shirt).

2 day Course:- 1 person-$700, 2 people- $600pp

Review for Courses

5/5

Knife Making Course

I took Wayne's two day knife making course and below is the result. It was great to mold the metal by hand and create something beautiful. If you're interested in blacksmithing or knifemaking I highly recommend taking a weekend and learning all about it.

Review for Courses

5/5

Knife Making Course

Review for Courses

5/5

Knife Making Courses

I did Wayne's knife making course and profoundly enjoyed it, his knowledge, attention to detail but more importantly wonderful teaching technique made the experience AMAZING. I can't recommend it highly enough. The knife I made is a true masterpiece and the knowledge I gained was invaluable. In fact as I said to Wayne "If there was a Zombie apocalypse , i would rescue my family first, then make Bee Line for Wayne " He's knowledge was that impressive.

Review for Courses

5/5

Blacksmithing Course

I have just completed a two-day blacksmithing course with Wayne Saunders, and on reflection, it was a great experience. As well as being a top bloke to know and work with, Wayne is that rare combination of a true craftsman who is also a competent teacher. He mostly uses a ‘demonstrate direct monitor’ style of instruction that involves you first watching what has to be done before trying it out yourself. All the time you are working Wayne keeps you focused on developing the best stance, hammer strokes, sequences and so on. This really helped me to unlearn some bad habits developed elsewhere. His professional knowledge is just profound and the jobs we decided on allowed me to practice a range of skills. In two days I learned more than in a couple of years of reading books and hammering iron in my workshop at home and seeing how he has his shop laid out and how all the items there operate as a system was really valuable as well. This course was a great investment and I can sincerely recommend it to anyone that wants to really learn about blacksmithing. Paul Burnham

Review for Courses

5/5

Blacksmithing Course

My partner and I took a one day course on blacksmithing basics. It was a great experience, and my partner who was reluctant really became involved and has now given me permission to start my own backyard forge. Can never thank Wayne enough for showing us the skills to get started and giving great pointers. Will encourage all our friends and family to complete a course it was lots of fun. Wayne is an excellent and patient teacher who took time to show us the skills it was really appreciated. We will be back for more courses in the future.

Review for Courses

5/5

Blacksmithing Course

I recently took Wayne's two day course as a novice blacksmith and I was more than pleased with the results. Wayne has a great step by step methods for teaching you the basic skills and has a lot of knowledge to empathy to his students. I achieved far more than I expected from the weekend completing half a dozen projects including my first set of smithing tongs. Wayne's patience for my novice ability was also greatly appreciated and was a please to work with. Thanks again Wayne for the opportunity and for all the good stories! I look forward to consolidating my skills and perhaps returning for your knife making course.

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5/5

Blacksmithing Course

Over the course of two days, Wayne managed to guide me through the process of creating a much needed set of 1.2m brackets to hold together a rather large double shower recess. Not only did I learn a huge amount and develop the skills to manufacture these brackets but the decorative embossing and scroll work that was included in the design have turned them into something artistic and a real addition to a circa 1880;s cottage. Is a real pleasure that such a time honoured skill like blacksmithing can live on and be experienced in this day and age. Just working the forge and watching how a lump of metal can be transformed by a craftsman was worth the trip from 100km Sydney Thanks mate

Review for Courses

5/5

Blacksmithing Course

Having done the 2 day blacksmithing course, I can say that apart from Wayne being a top bloke he is a highly skilled blacksmith and adept teacher. Wayne prides himself on tailoring the course and experience to your skill level and interests, weather it be on tools, decorative smithing, or sharp edges. Wayne has had a lot of experience in many facets of blacksmithing and is able to flow from one topic to the other. A great time to be had for anyone with a genuine interest in blacksmithing.

Review for Courses

5/5

Knife Making AND Blacksmithing Course

Myself and Younger Brother wanted to do BlackSmithing and Knife Making, I had had experience 15 yrs ago and my Brother None..... We did a few things but I had forgotten some fundamental rules and we sourced out Wayne..... Well we found Wayne to be very helpfull and decided to combine a 2 day Blacksmiths course with a 2 day Knife Making course to cement what we were being taught and shown into our Heads, which we found to be the BEST for us..... We made several tools for other purposes, and both walked away with knives we are both very proud of....... We both would recommend Wayne's courses Both of them are Brilliant and we now consider Wayne to be a. Mate, Stick with Wayne and you will end up with some thing you WANT to show your mate and Family.. Top stuff Wayne and he is a good Bloke as well

Review for Courses

5/5

Knifemaking Course

I just got back from a 2 day knife making course with Wayne and had an awesome time! Wayne is very experienced blacksmith and knife maker with plenty of curiosity, creativity and patience for all of my questions! He let me design a knife at first, and I actually chose to do a meat cleaver style that he hadn't done before! From the selection of steel, to forging, shaping, grinding, heating, more grinding, heat treating,quenching, tempering and custom handle making; he showed me how to do it all on his own knife first and then allowing me to get hands on and do it myself on my custom knife. The course was actually a birthday present for me, so as I was given the gift of knowledge, I returned a gift of a custom knife! 🙂 This practical focus was extremely valuable and I'm not sure many other courses offer the same amount of hands on experience. This high focus on practical experience rather than theory which was great, but I had to do my best to remember everything since I couldn't write anything down. Perhaps a print out summarising the steps would have been a good take away? The one on one teaching style was very effective! At times there was a little bit of idling, which I think was due to a lack of a structure or schedule. Im not sure you can really make one for such a creative process, but I think if there was more concurrent activities going, making 2 knives in 2 days would have been definitely achievable, and I would have been over the moon to go home with two knives! Overall, I don't think you'll find a better course than this. I thoroughly enjoyed myself the whole time and I feel like I am well equipped with enough knowledge to get myself started into the world of blacksmithing and knife making thanks to Wayne!

Review for Courses

5/5

Blacksmithing AND Knifemaking Course

I did the 2 day blacksmith’s course while my sons made knifes. They were delighted they turned an old plough disc into professional looking knifes and learning a heap of skills along the way, from hand forging the blade to sanding and coating the handle. I found the blacksmith’s course very rewarding, I now have the confidence to pick up almost any old piece of steel and know I can make something with it.

Review for Courses

5/5

Review for Courses

5/5

Knife making course

We did the 2 day knife making course for a bit of fun and it was very rewarding and interesting. Wayne is a very good teacher, breaking the lesson up into little pieces keeping it engaging and surprisingly quick and easy. Thanks again Wayne! We’ll be back again soon

Review for Courses

5/5

Blacksmithing and Knifemaking

I chose to do this training with Wayne after doing a fair bit of research and speaking to a few blacksmiths at IronFest. Wayne was very highly regarded by his fellow blacksmiths and i have to say, he really lived up to his reputation! I decided to do a 4 day combination of blacksmith fundamentals and knife making and am extremely happy with the level of professionalism and skill Wayne brings.At the end of the course i took home a some hand forged tools and a very beautiful kitchen knife. I would happily recommend Wayne's courses to anyone interested in the blacksmithing and knife making arts.

Review for Courses

5/5

Knife making course

Had a blast making my knife and couldn't be happier with how it turned out. Wayne was awesome in helping me refine my technique both with hammer and grinder. I couldn't recommend this course highly enough to anyone wanting to learn how to make a knife of even just the fundamentals of blacksmithing. I'll definitely be back.

Review for Courses

5/5

Knife Making course is awesome

My husband and I just did the 2 day knife making course in July 2020. We did plenty of things we've never done before like blacksmithing and blade sharpening and in the end we had knives so much better than we thought possible. I absolutely recommend Wayne's course as he knows so much about working metal into beautiful things. Do yourself a life favour and do this course, you will impress your friends soooo much with what you've made. You don't need prior experience but you have to be willing to get your hands dirty and give it all a go. Thanks very much Wayne.

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5/5

Blacksmithing Course

The 2 day Blacksmithing Course exceeded expectations beyond belief. At the end of the two days Wayne had covered alot of theory and taught us many useful practical skills to make some very useful tools and decorative pieces. We can't wait to do a knife making course under Wayne's guidance because we know the end product will be exceptional. Thanks Wayne, the weekend was very entertaining and enjoyable.

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5/5

Very happy, worn out beginners 😁

Thank you Wayne for you patience and guidance over an awesome two days. My hubby and I have wanted to make knives for the longest time. The results speak for themselves with two beautiful knives that we made ourselves.

BLACKSMITHING COURSE

BLACKSMITHING/KNIFEMAKING COMBO COURSE

DAMASCUS COURSES

KNIFEMAKING COURSES

SHEEP SHEAR KNIFE COURSE

TOOLMAKING COURSE

AXEMAKING COURSES

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