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Intermediate Blacksmithing: Forging Tools for Wood Carving

March 5, 2023 @ 11:00 am 5:00 pm

WP Blacksmithing

About Intermediate Blacksmithing

Join veteran Firefly Gathering instructor Tod Kershaw to craft a fully functional woodcarving gouge for crafting spoons or bowls using tines from an old tractor or horse drawn hayrake! All blacksmithing will be done on coal forges and wooden handles will be shaped from hickory split from local trees.

Participants will:

  • Learn basics of identifying appropriate steel for cutting tools
  • Learn basics of forging on a coal forge
  • Shape a functional gouge from a hayrake tine
  • Heat treat the gouge
  • Carve a wooden handle for the gouge and assemble the tool

This class is about learning to use all scavenged materials – including the coal – to make a very useful tool. In addition to making gouges, we will also talk about fashioning other tools.

This class is intermediate level; it will be very helpful if you have some experience blacksmithing and wood carving. Beginners are welcome but with the understanding that they may not be able to complete a gouge.

Intermediate Blacksmithing Details

This class will be held in a covered outdoor blacksmithing studio pavilion on Sunday, March 5, 2023 from 11am – 5pm in Barnardsville, NC.

This class is intermediate level; it will be very helpful if you have some experience blacksmithing and wood carving. Beginners are welcome but with the understanding that they may not be able to complete a gouge. Minimum age is 15. Under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

About the Instructor Tod Kershaw

Tod Kershaw (he/him) has been a Firefly Gathering instructor since its beginnings, in addition to teaching at Forest Floor Wilderness Programs and various earthskills gatherings throughout the southeast.  An engineer turned dumpster-diving fringe dweller, Tod left the mainstream, but kept his cleverness.

Equitable Pricing Model $150 – $60

In order to make our workshops more accessible, we offer two price options for each class, with an additional Equity Discount for qualifying individuals. Please consider these options and select your price at checkout.

  • Sponsor Price $150: For those who have enough to share, thank you for being a Sponsor. This is an opportunity to contribute towards the cost of the class for someone else.
  • Standard Price $105: The Standard reflects one person’s share of what it costs to produce the class and cover basic expenses.
  • Equity Discount $60: We offer an additional Equity Discount for those from the following communities who support reparations and/or an equitable redistribution of wealth and would not have access to this workshop without this discount:

Thank you for helping transform the world into a culture of abundance, resilience, and opportunity for all.

Which Price Option is Right for You?*

*Please check your pricing options before you register for your first Perennial Workshop. The pricing options are the same for all events, so you only need to do it once!

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Lily Harlin

Bookkeeper

Lily is an artist, creator, and dreamer. Since a very young age, she has been immersed in the natural world and draws heavy inspiration from the wild. Though her medium changes frequently, Lily’s art and expression always incorporate an element of the organic and unpredictable. She got her associate in fine arts in 2023, and now volunteers at her school as a ceramic studio monitor. She hopes to open a studio of her own one day to have a place to teach and inspire others. In addition to doing commission work, Lily has been creating many graphics for The Firefly Gathering since 2019. Lily grew up in the Earthskills community from the time she was eight years old, so having the opportunity to grow and give back in so many ways has been incredibly fulfilling. No matter where she ends up, this group of people and ideas will always hold a special place in her heart.