Certified by the American Bladesmith Society
Introduction to Bladesmithing
with
Timothy Potier - ABS Master Bladesmith
Class runs: Sept. 30 - Oct. 11
Tuition: $1,300.00
Material fee: $150.00
Monday through Friday, 8am—5pm each day, no class on weekend
Skill level: Beginner and up
This two week course is designed for anyone interested in making high quality hand forged blades and includes lecture and hands on work, all taught by ABS Master Smiths. Metal selection, blade function and different blade design will be discussed. Hand forging to shape, normalizing, heat treating, grinding and tempering will all be taught. These semi-finished blades will be tested for their cutting ability, edge holding, hardness and flexibility. Handles and guards are not apart of this course but be discussed and students should be prepared to venture into a handles and guards course next.
Students should be able to make a blade which will pass the equivalent of a Journeyman Smith Performance Test. Successful completion of this course will reduce the required three (3) year waiting period as an ABS Apprentice member by one (1) year and will be eligible to submit their knives for ABS Journeyman Smith judging in two (2) years.
Timothy Potier from Oberlin Louisiana is a Master Bladesmith and the most accomplished ABS Certified Educator in the ranks of the few Master Bladesmiths approved to teach the specialized ABS Curriculum. Tim will expose you to a wide variety of blade styles and sizes as well as cover a vast amount of knowledge and skill through organized daily classroom discussions.
For further information about the ABS testing and training procedures please
visit the American Bladesmith's website.