Chris The Smith reviews

21 Oct 20'

Clare Sutton reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for Two

"Chris is an excellent teacher - really informative, helpful and patient. My husband and I had a really memorable day in October learning about blacksmithing. It was certainly a day to remember. Chris leads you through the various stages and techniques of blacksmithing and you take the results of your labour (a keyring each) home with you. Everything felt very safe and Covid-secure, with visors, hand gel, painted lines on the floor, etc."

6 Oct 20'

James Walley reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"What an amazing day! Just home from my course with Chris, and I have to leave a review. Chris was a great instructor, very informative and very knowledgeable. The day started with a very thorough briefing on all aspects of health and safety, including the currently necessary Covid requirements which were dealt with easily and didn’t particularly impact the day. We were guided through a step by step process to make a leaf key ring from a square stock bar. Lots of skills to practice and plenty of time, and support, from Chris - time flew by and a few hours later we were applying a finish to protect our precious hand made pieces. I could not recommend Chris and his course enough, and I can’t wait to go back for another go!"

3 Oct 20'

Paul Cotton reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"I did the course with Chris today (03-10-20) and cannot rate this highly enough. The day started by covering off safety both in terms of Covid measures and basic safety working in the forge which was all very clearly explained. Then Chris went on to explain how the forge works and about all of the tools giving a great base knowledge of how to get the best out of it all. From there making each item is broken down in to easy manageable steps with models at hand for you to reference and know what you are working towards. The whole day went by so quickly because it was so much fun to complete the work which truly felt like I achieved this myself. Chris' balance of being hands off enough to let you complete the work yourself which giving the right amount of tuition and guidance is absolutely perfect. Anyone with even a slight interest in smithing would get huge benefit from this course again and am definitely considering more project work with Chris in the future as a result of today"

13 Sep 20'

Ian Arter reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"My friend and I attended the blacksmithing course with Chris, and it we had an excellent day. Chris is a first class teacher who has a wide knowledge of blacksmithing and engineering. We are both mechanical engineers, and not the youngest people around! Chris imparts his expertise in a way which is clear and informative. He is extremely patient and took care to ensure that we understood his instructions. His demonstrations of each process that the student is about to carry out, are first class. One of the many strengths of the course is that you get hands on practice, along with many tips on how to work the metal at the correct temperature, using the best tools for each operation. We had such a great time that we are going to book a further course in the new year. We cannot recommend the course highly enough. Many thanks Chris."

9 Sep 20'

Tom & David Paxton reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"The blacksmithing day during Covid was fantastic. All necessary safely precautions were in place but they never impeded our enjoyment. Chris is a brilliant communicator; very patient and very personable. We felt welcome right from the start, everything was explained and nothing felt rushed. Can't recommend him highly enough!"

1 Mar 20'

Helen and Paul reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"Wow, what a superb day we had with Chris - he is an excellent teacher - patient, flexible and fun. He tailored the day to our needs and skill and we both had a marvellous time, and now have the most amazing memories (and keyrings) that we will treasure. The day is physically demanding (neither of us are in physically active jobs normally) but Chris moderated the pace to suit us and as such it would suit a huge range of people (as long as you are interested in all aspects of the blacksmith experience). The safety briefing and his pre-course information were excellent. Chris was prepared to chat and when we started asking questions he impressed us with his extensive knowledge and his excellent portfolio of artistic pieces (commissions and sales were available but he didn't promote that.) A forge is not a luxurious place (nor should it be!) and as such be prepared to get stuck in and work hard. We recommend this course without hesitation - worth every penny!"

22 Feb 20'

Steven James reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"This was my first experience of forging and I had a great day. Chris gives a detailed explanation of each stage, shows how it’s done and is continually on hand to guide you when it’s your turn. Brilliant."

13 Feb 20'

Andrew D Broadbent reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"Could not recommend this course enough. Chris puts you at ease straight away and his teaching style is excellent. You learn different techniques by going through different stages of making a leaf key ring. Chris makes one at the same time showing you how to do it and explaining the process, then you work on your own piece. After we had lunch I then made a letter opener using the techniques I had learned in the morning. Chris just explained what was required and away I went. I came home with a Letter opener and a leaf key ring in my pocket, and I am so pleased that I produced these two items out of solid bar."

27 Jan 20'

Richard Hawker reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"My son and I had a fantastic day with Chris in his workshop. This was our first blacksmith experience and we would absolutely recommend this to others. Chris guided us through the creation of our work pieces which involved a number of blacksmith techniques. Chris explained and demonstrated the steps clearly, our creations were our own work, at no point was Chris overbearing and was patient throughout. Chris has a real passion for his profession and really enjoyed sharing this with us. A wonderful day and will look to book again."

18 Jan 20'

Alison McQuail reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"Brilliant day. My daughter wants to be a farrier so we booked this as a first experience of the forge. Chris is such an excellent teacher as well as a great craftsman - the day was a real pleasure. We went at our own pace and learned so much. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend this course to anyone!"

22 Dec 19'

Anna Smith reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"My husband and I did the one-day blacksmithing course in November. Chris is welcoming, friendly and hugely knowledgeable and we had a fantastic day. He gives only as much help as a person needs, so we really got a feel for the techniques and heating the metal. It felt like we really created the pieces by ourselves - Chris didn't take them off us or do any of the work for us, so our creations were truly ours. He's also very passionate about the art and about making it accessible to amateurs. Honestly can't recommend him highly enough and will definitely be returning in the future for another session with him."

12 Oct 19'

Hannah and Marc reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"Completely exceeded our expectations. Chris' tuition was perfectly tailored to each of our individual experience, detailed instruction but equally hands off which allowed us to find our own technique. We made an amazing companion set for our log burner, have come away feeling super proud of ourselves and are now harbouring aspirations to become blacksmiths! It felt brilliant to make something together that will be used in our home for years to come. A perfect day, a perfect birthday present, great value, great teacher! Thank you Chris! We will be back!"

11 Jul 19'

Brian Gerrard reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"Had a day's course with Chris, very enjoyable and instructional from Chris giving guidance and encouragement on how and why things are done. I would recommend this course to anybody who wishes to “ have a go” with a hammer on an anvil."

9 May 19'

Debbie reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"Booked this for my son, he had a fantastic time, he didn't want to leave! Will definitely be back. Highly recommend this course."

5 Apr 19'

Julie Johnson reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"I can highly recommend this course. Chris is a fantastic teacher and made the day a fun and rewarding experience. As a complete beginner I was a bit nervous about how I’d manage - especially having almost zero upper body strength. Chris guided us through each stage of the process keeping it simple but varied and interesting. At the end of the day I felt quite proud of what I’d achieved - which is a reflection of the excellent teaching. Thank you, Chris!"

5 Apr 19'

Faith reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"I booked this course because Chris has so many excellent reviews, and after my friend and I attended today, we can really see why. Chris is an excellent teacher and very patient and encouraging, knowing when to advise and when to stand back. Highly recommended."

31 Mar 19'

Barbaros reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"What a great day! My son and I went on the one day course with Chris and it really was a brilliant day. Chris was very welcoming from the start and patiently showed us what we needed to do. I would highly recommend this to anyone we had such a good time and are hoping to do it again."

27 Mar 19'

Rory reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"This was the best Christmas Present I’ve had in years. Chris is a brilliant patient helpful tutor Get booking his course and enjoy the day!"

23 Mar 19'

Christopher Wortley reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"What a great day! My one-day course was a birthday present – and I had such a good time. Chris is a great teacher, splitting the jobs into bite-sized tasks and letting you get the hang of each before moving on. And he’s also good at judging when to step in and help (I swear those hammers get heavier as the day goes on). As well as the hands-on work, I also enjoyed learning about the fire and the tools and history of the craft. I came away with two pieces:- a key ring and a letter opener – and I’m really pleased with them both. I would happily recommend his course to anyone who fancies trying their hand at blacksmithing."

17 Mar 19'

Wei-Zhong reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"Chris runs a fantastic blacksmithing course. His experience and knowledge of the craft is immense and he is able to pass on appreciation of it in an extremely friendly and engaging manner. He is really easy to talk to and we had a lot of fun discussing plenty of other topics throughout the day as we were forging our keyrings. The pacing was excellent, and we always felt welcome to ask any questions we had. Would recommend this to anyone!"

16 Mar 19'

Tim Warren reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"Me and my Dad had a full day course! It was a very interesting and fulfilling day! Chris was very knowledgeable and his teaching methods were great. Taking you through everything step by step! I loved it! Will definitely be booking in again!"

16 Mar 19'

Tim Warren reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

13 Mar 19'

Steve Hall reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"Booked a day for my son and I for his 17th birthday. I had used a forge many years ago in metalwork classes at school (is that even still something that happens?) but I really did have no expectations going in as to what we were in for. I guess I expected we'd be making horseshoes or a plough or something similar. When first shown what we'd be doing, my initial reaction was "is that it?", but then as we went through the process step-by-step I was really amazed at how beautifully simple and yet how demanding the process was of turning a small lump of steel into an actual piece of art. What I had not appreciated is that Chris is an artist, not just a blacksmith, and his portfolio of work is really very impressive. Put a whole new light on the world of smithing in my mind. As for Chris himself, he really was a most splendid teacher. Calm and patient with us beginners and really friendly and easy-going which made the whole day a thorough joy. He also has a most excellent taste in music and it was easy to forget we were their to learn, rather than while the day away chatting with a friend - which is how he came across. Overall, we really did have a great day and I do recommend Chris' course to anyone who fancies trying their hand at Blacksmithing. He makes it look easy, but it really isn't - it's harder and more tiring that you'd expect and utterly worth it."

13 Mar 19'

Wei-Xi Tan reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"Chris is an excellent teacher, being both thorough and patient, and incredibly friendly to boot. Had a great time and absolutely would recommend to anyone considering it."

2 Mar 19'

D Turner reviewed: Blacksmithing for Beginners - Full Day Forging for One

"Booked as a solo attendee, expected to be part of a larger class but was impressed to find I'd be getting 1-to-1 tuition for the entire day. From a starting point of zero experience, Chris' blend of experience, patience and clear teaching technique helped my to create the ubiquitous key ring and an elegant 'Game of Thrones' styled letter opener. You don't need to be a bear-sized medeival smith either - effort is akin to hammering nails into a wooden board rather than weilding something Thor would struggle to loft. Exellent day with a nice and knowlegable guy - the fact he's booked up so far into 2019 pays testiment to his skills and passion."