I went on one of Owen's Bladesmithing courses at the weekend and was thoroughly impressed.
Being a newbie and a numptie I was a little apprehensive about what my blade might turn out like, but under the steady guidance of a man who obviously has a real passion for his blades and a comprehensive knowledge of bladesmithing heritage while contributing to creating the modern British tradition of knifemaking, I managed a couple of half reasonable results.
Anyone who is considering having a go at forging their own blade could do an awful lot worse than taking one of these courses. Owen has a staggering variety of kit for every conceivable technique - each expertly demonstrated in a straight forward and simple to grasp way. He is keen to credit people he has learned techniques from as he passes the knowledge on while keeping a totally open mind to learning from others.
He even makes proper coffee and has good taste in biscuits
Here's my first two blades - I've promised myself they won't be the last. There's still plenty of work that needs to go into them, but I'm pleased with the result and hope these will be good users for years to come.
Being a newbie and a numptie I was a little apprehensive about what my blade might turn out like, but under the steady guidance of a man who obviously has a real passion for his blades and a comprehensive knowledge of bladesmithing heritage while contributing to creating the modern British tradition of knifemaking, I managed a couple of half reasonable results.
Anyone who is considering having a go at forging their own blade could do an awful lot worse than taking one of these courses. Owen has a staggering variety of kit for every conceivable technique - each expertly demonstrated in a straight forward and simple to grasp way. He is keen to credit people he has learned techniques from as he passes the knowledge on while keeping a totally open mind to learning from others.
He even makes proper coffee and has good taste in biscuits
Here's my first two blades - I've promised myself they won't be the last. There's still plenty of work that needs to go into them, but I'm pleased with the result and hope these will be good users for years to come.
