BL_S01: Blacksmithing Safety Sign-off (Bottle Opener)

Blacksmithing Safety Sign-Off: Forging a Bottle Opener

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.
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 safety sign-off ("S" hook) this class is an hour longer and will equire a lot more vigorous hammering!

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: None

AGE: 16 and over. Any person aged 16 or 17 must have a parent remain on the premises in case of emergency.