So I have three all-time favorite smells:
1) Fresh cut grass it’s so rich and alive.
2) Believe by Britney it’s so floral an… um… I mean steak grilling on charcoal it’s so meaty and good.
3) Metal burning it’s so primal and rough.
Now that I’ve divulged more about my life to you than any other group of strangers I’ve ever had a chance to mentally scar; check out New England School of Metalwork in Auburn, Maine. Started in 2000 they are a non-profit educational school that covers every aspect of metalwork.
With four categories of classes offered, your metal dreams are within reach. Categories include: blacksmithing, casting, welding and bladesmithing. So, whether, you want to learn how to make sweet sculptures in one of the blacksmithing courses or unleash your inner yakuza in the Japanese sword making classes, they’ve got you covered. Personally, I’m definitely considering one of the bladesmithing courses but here I have a dilemma.
Do I take the Japanese sword making class and add to the sweet nunchuck (singular because I’m lazy) I made or just take the basic bladesmithing course and make my own version of the William Wallace sword? Other courses they offer include: Bronze Casting, Forged Animal Heads (just think about the possibilities), and an array of welding courses covering MIG, TIG, Stick and much more. Even cooler, they are building a mobile welding trailer to meet you and your compatriots for training. You can check out some of their inventive equipment here, as well as a gallery of their fine metalwork art (which is also a great place to find unique gifts).
In case you are worried that Bubba and Junior set this course up in their mom’s basement, fear not. Each instructor has been working for years in their field. They are professors of fine arts, master level smiths and many have been or are presidents of metalworking organizations. In fact, their bladesmiting department was unanimously given accreditation by the America Bladesmithing Society to teach their course. Making them only the third school to receive that honor; that ain’t too shabby! And that’s what you get for your pretty penny, and yes, you do have to pay tuition to the school (although they do have a scholarship). If you decide that Maine is too far away; check out their For Sale Page where you can buy supplies and equipment at reasonable prices. They’ve even got 55 Pound bags of coal for sale!
So, before you try to make that pull-behind trailer only to pass it off as an impressionistic lawn sculpture, maybe you should check out New England School of Metalwork.
Really wonderfull article