Two of my current hobbies right now are blacksmithing and woodworking, and some time ago I picked up a really nice slab of purpleheart (6.5's2"x8", with the intention of making a number of weapons out of it, starting with a bo staff. Well, I haven't gotten around to that (yet), since I always seem to have something else on my plate. However, I did just recently sign up for a 1 week class where I will be making a katana, including forging and heat-treating the blace (using clay to create a traditional hamon line), casting a tsuka out of bronze, constructing a traditional handle, covered in rayskin with the silk cord wrappings, and making a saya for it. I'm super excited! I'l definitely post pictures of the process and the end results after the class.

I've always been interested in blacksmithing, since I started playing D&D back in grade school. However, I never thought it was something you could actually do in this day and age. I then discovered the show "Forged in Fire" on the History Channel, and what do you know? There are actually people who do this stuff in the here and now! And I discovered that there are a number of people in my area who have been on the show (and some of them have won). So far I have a lot of incomplete projects, including a knife I made from the (old) timing chains from my truck. I've taken a few fundamentals classes, and a lot of various knifemaking classes, and now I'm at the point where I can do most of the basics with a bit of guidance here and there. It's something I find very therapeutic and great stress relief!

That sounds really cool! Do you have to supply the materials for the katana class? Or are they provided? I'm really interested in seeing how that goes for you!

That sounds really cool! Do you have to supply the materials for the katana class? Or are they provided? I'm really interested in seeing how that goes for you!

That's the beauty of this place. The price of the class includes all of the materials. They provide the W-2 steel, the clay, the wood, the rayskin, the bronze, the silk cords... everything. They do some add-ons for some of their classes, but again, they rpovide all of the materials and equipment.

Only weapons I've ever made was a few crude Nunchaku's, Bo's, and Tonfa's. Not the skills like Noah has to forge weapons the require metals, like the Sai or Kama.

That sounds really cool! Do you have to supply the materials for the katana class? Or are they provided? I'm really interested in seeing how that goes for you!

That's the beauty of this place. The price of the class includes all of the materials. They provide the W-2 steel, the clay, the wood, the rayskin, the bronze, the silk cords... everything. They do some add-ons for some of their classes, but again, they rpovide all of the materials and equipment.

That is really cool. How long is the class? Does it take place over the course of a couple of weeks? What is the cost, if you don't mind me asking?

That sounds really cool! Do you have to supply the materials for the katana class? Or are they provided? I'm really interested in seeing how that goes for you!

That's the beauty of this place. The price of the class includes all of the materials. They provide the W-2 steel, the clay, the wood, the rayskin, the bronze, the silk cords... everything. They do some add-ons for some of their classes, but again, they rpovide all of the materials and equipment.

That is really cool. How long is the class? Does it take place over the course of a couple of weeks? What is the cost, if you don't mind me asking?

It is a 5 day class (35 hours total) that runs Monday through Friday. Cost for the class is $850.

That sounds really cool! Do you have to supply the materials for the katana class? Or are they provided? I'm really interested in seeing how that goes for you!

That's the beauty of this place. The price of the class includes all of the materials. They provide the W-2 steel, the clay, the wood, the rayskin, the bronze, the silk cords... everything. They do some add-ons for some of their classes, but again, they rpovide all of the materials and equipment.

That is really cool. How long is the class? Does it take place over the course of a couple of weeks? What is the cost, if you don't mind me asking?

It is a 5 day class (35 hours total) that runs Monday through Friday. Cost for the class is $850.

Wow, pretty pricy, but worth it, for sure.