Blacksmithing for Beginners: Soup Ladle

Instructor: Elizabeth Belz

Day & Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Tuition: $100.00

Location: This workshop takes place on the John C. Campbell Folk School Campus. Please arrive at the Clay Spencer Blacksmith Forge on the day of the workshop to check in. It is number 9 on the  Campus Map

Ages: Adult (18 and Up)

All levels are welcome. No experience required.

Students Please Bring:

• Wear all cotton clothing
• Closed-toed shoes
• Eye protection and hearing protection (limited quantity available for use in the shop)
• Long hair must be tied back
• Note taking materials.
• (Optional) A snack and/or water bottle. Filtered water is available in the classroom.

Spend a day in the Folk School forge with local instructor Elizabeth Belz. In this day-long workshop students will learn the basics of forging, including blacksmithing safety, general fire maintenance, and hand tool skills while creating a stainless steel and copper ladle for your kitchen! This priceless heirloom will serve you for years to come.

Included in class fee is Stainless steel, 1 – 3-inch Spun copper bowl, copper rivets, copper pickle, abrasives, and coal. Additional copper ladle bowls can be purchased from the instructor for $12 to $14 each.

There will be a 1- hour lunch break. Bring a sack lunch or explore local dining options.

An additional fee for materials provided by your instructor for this workshop is estimated at $36.00 THIS FEE IS PAYABLE TO THE INSTRUCTOR at the time of the workshop. Material fees may change depending on the number of participants and price of materials at the workshop. *Payment by cash or check is required for materials fees. 

* Workshops are subject to low enrollment cancellation if the minimum number of 4 students is not reached. If you have any questions, you’re welcome to call Olive’s Porch for up-to-date enrollment information.

About Instructor: Elizabeth is a blacksmith, educator, and the owner of Black Widow Forge. She was the blacksmithing apprentice at the Metal Museum in Memphis, TN for two years where she trained under master smith Jim Masterson. She was a craft education intern at North House Folk School, a resident artist with the Science Museum of MN, and has spent time at craft and folk schools across the country. Elizabeth has shown her work, competed, and taught blacksmithing throughout the United States and internationally, and has most recently finished up an artist residency at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Elizabeth sits on the board of the Artist Blacksmiths association of North America which is dedicated to preserving and advancing blacksmithing as a profession and hobby.