Mankind has always been frightened of the night -- the darkness holds a place in our psyches that does not fade even in our modern times.
Fear of the unknown, of the unexpected, of the pitch dark and the horror that might lurk there. Fortunately, mankind has long had a tool to fight this existential dread and creeping anxiety of our own mortality: Beer.
But how to open the beer? Well, you should probably forge a bottle-opener, sometimes known as a church-key. A skeleton church key!
In our modern world, we take the ability to open bottles for granted with easy access to bottle openers anywhere we go. But our ancestors were not so lucky – back in the mists of time, only the most skilled craftsmen held the secret of making bottle-openers, and those methods were carefully guarded and passed down from
master to apprentice through the generations. The precious bottle-openers of antiquity were often inscribed with mystic runes or decorated with fearsome beast-heads to, I dunno, scare the evil spirits out of their Grape Nehi Soda bottles or something.
In this class we will teach you the ancient art of bottle-opener forging! Over the course of the afternoon you will learn to use Nova Lab’s blacksmithing equipment (forges, anvils, hammers, & tongs) to create and decorate a classic “church key” style bottle opener with a skull.
There are no pre-requisites for this class (other than age)! Completing this class will also count as the safety sign-off for Nova Lab’s blacksmithing equipment and will allow you to attend blacksmithing Open Office Hours.
WARNING: The regularly-offered Blacksmithing 101 safety sign-off is a much more gentle introduction to the art of blacksmithing. This class is an hour longer and will equire a lot more vigorous hammering!
SIGN OFF: Blacksmithing Safety.
Instructor Bio: Pat is many things to many people: Blacksmithing Steward, Nova Labs Board Member, Nova Labs Vice President, husband, father, and amateur lawn care technician. Pat has been blacksmithing for eight years and regularly teaches classes for blacksmithing beginners
PREREQUISITES: Age 16 and over. Any person aged 16 or 17 must have a parent remain on the premises in case of emergency.
SAFETY:Must wear cotton or wool clothing – no synthetic materials.
- Shoes must be made from leather or canvas; plastic-topped sneakers will not be allowed
- Eye protection (goggles) are provided, but you may bring your own for the best fit.
- Failure to wear appropriate clothing may result in being turned away from the class without a refund.
