Virginia Institute of Blacksmithing

"I’ve taken two weekend forging classes at VIB and they were both great experiences. I did the hunter/ utility knife course in the Spring and brought my 14 year old son back to do the throwing knives and tomahawks course this past weekend. It is incredibly fun starting your own coal-fired forge, heating a piece of steel to 2,000 degrees and then smashing it with a hammer!!! Hard work but rewarding to see what you can make with your own hands. The course will also give you a real appreciation of the craftsmanship it takes to forge knives - mine didn’t look so great."

"Wow! Definitely get yourself a class here as soon as you can. This is an amazing blacksmithing school, and what an awesome skill to learn and start practicing. Dale is not only a fantastic instructor, he makes class so fun! My son and I had a great time together making throwing knives and tomahawks this past weekend! AND - then you even get to throw them at the targets afterwards! Thanks, Dale! We will be back."

"I've taken two forging classes with Dale and a welding class with Bill. These guys know their stuff, and make it easy for absolute beginners to pick up the basic skills necessary to successfully complete the projects. Each time I've left with a great sense of satisfaction and eager to take on more projects. Absolutely worth it if you have any interest at all."

"I recently went through the Blacksmith's knife/Chopper class, and I had a great time. The teacher, Dale, was very knowledgeable; providing both practical and theoretical metal working knowledge. The pace of the class was fast, but we were given ample time to catch-up when we needed it. We were able to do everything ourselves, all the way from a bar of steel, to a forged blank, to a ground and sharpened knife. I highly recommend these classes for a weekend on your own, or with a friend or two."

"Sparks will fly! We took Welding 101 [and others, see edit below] at VIB and had a fabulous experience. We [have returned] for both welding & blacksmith classes. Not only do you learn to weld, but also how to use various equipment in the shop, including the plasma cutter, bandsaws, grinders/sanders, power shear, and more. Harold is a great teacher, super welcoming, and he runs a fun, casual-but-get-your-hands-dirty class that will keep you engaged. You'll be welding within the first hour! Everything you need is provided but I was glad I brought my own leather gloves that provided me with more dexterity than generic welding gloves. EDIT: Since my initial review, I also attended Welding 102 and Blacksmithing/Grilling Tools classes. Dale is an incredibly talented blacksmith and it is an incredible pleasure to watch his demonstrations and learn from him. Within a couple hours, 12 mostly new-to-blacksmithing people learned shop safety, how to light & maintain fire, and then hammered out our first grilling tool! Lessons from the first tool are used to create the second tool, and so on, eventually exposing you to several new techniques. Not sure how Dale did it, but everyone received the personal attention they needed. I look forward to taking a couple more classes and, eventually, using the shop on open Fridays to do some of my own work."