May 3-9
May 3, 2026
Fun morning with Matt and Megan! They're always looking for fun things to do in Kalamazoo. This was their first time in the forge. They did a great job forging Railroad Spike Knives!
May 3, 2026
Family knifemaking! Katie brought her husband and parents in to the forge for the first time. They all made really beautiful Railroad Spike Knives!
May 3, 2026
Travess made a fantastic Railroad Spike Knife this evening!
May 6, 2026
Kevin made a really special knife this morning, made from steel from the Mackinac Bridge! He brought a couple of pieces in, so after safely cleaning the metal, we cut one chunk up and he forge welded the smaller pieces. He made a great knife from the billet, and added curly maple handle scales.
May 6, 2026
Evan is back on summer break from college! He had a chunk of damascus left over from his tanto from last time, so made a damascus ring! We think it's around 100-150 layers. He did a great job, and it's a beautiful ring!
May 7, 2026
This was such a fun class!! It was my first time teaching a leather class, and the Level 1 homeschool students did great! To save time, and so they could jump right in to the fun parts of stamping and dyeing, we used the kits from Tandy Leather. Then they learned the very important, but maybe not so fun, part of sewing, using the saddle stitch.
Lots of fun for them, and for me....and will probably become a new class! And make sure to check out Tandy for the classes they offer in their stores!
May 7, 2026
Great class with Jethnam and his son today! They came from the Chicago area to forge their first knives! Very fun afternoon with them!
May 7, 2026
Very fun family in the forge! They did a great job with their first knives! Next time--Machetes!
May 9, 2026
Spencer was back in the forge this morning with his sister. They brought their mother in to make Railroad Spike Magic Wands for Mother's Day! So many creative artistic choices!
May 9, 2026
Nate and Katie were in the forge today to make a Billet Knife. A fun tag team effort. And a really beautiful cleaver!
