BL_P01: Forging a Sea Shell

In this project class, students will hand-forge a spiral seashell on the end of a square bar, cut it off, and drill a hole to hang it on a
leather cord. The piece can be either finished with blackened beeswax,
or left as-forged to be finished later. Several blacksmithing techniques
 will be shown in more depth than in the safety signoff, including
twisting on a taper, scrolling, and working with soft-faced hammers.

INSTRUCTOR: Robert M.

INSTRUCTOR BIO:  Robert has been a Nova Labs member since 2021 and a blacksmith since 2022. He is a mentor for Nova Labs' high school robotics team, Newton Squared, and is active in all the loud and/or smelly shops. In the forge, his main interest is small-scale artistic blacksmithing - hooks, keychains, and jewelry.

PREREQUISITES:   Blacksmith safety signoff (BL101) is required, and it's strongly recommended that you have attended a few of the blacksmith practice sessions and that you are comfortable with the basic blacksmithing tools. Additionally, the Metal 101 signoff is required to perform the cutting and drilling steps; if you do not have it, the instructor will cut and drill your piece for you.

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.