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HENSHAW BLADES CLASSES

Henshaw Blades maintains a fully-equipped workshop in a luxurious Muskoka setting on the water. We offer a variety of classes to help you along your knifemaking journey, from day courses for the beginner to long weekend retreats for the serious bladesmith. No matter your skill level, let us take you further into knifemaking.

KNIFEMAKING CLASSES

This class covers design, theory and practice, and at the end of it you will have completed a full tang Kiridashi or Blacksmith knife (students’ choice). The handle will be created from the same steel as the blade.

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STEELMAKING CLASSES

These classes are intended to teach the student to craft and create a beautiful, unique piece of steel intended to use in a knifemaking class. 

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HAMMER-MAKING CLASS

There is nothing more satisfying than creating a knife with a hammer you have made yourself. Back in the day blacksmiths were called the King of the Crafts because they made the tools upon which all the other Crafts use. This class will introduce new tooling unseen in the other classes. The 25-ton press with a punching die will be demonstrated and used.

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RETREATS

Stay in your own private, timber-framed guest cottage on the shores of Pen Lake in Huntsville for a complete knifemaking experience. After a long day of forging, you’ll be treated to a delicious and exquisite meal by your own private chef, followed by a relaxing evening in a 10-person hot tub or private indoor pool. Treat yourself to a long weekend of knowledge, bonding and bending metal to your will.

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ADDITIONAL SERVICES

Private instruction starts at $800 per person, per day. Pick the blade you want to make and you’ll have my full attention for as long as you need. No prerequisite required.


Workshop rental: $100/day. Any alumni of a Henshaw Blades course is warmly invited to come work in the shop on their own projects. I’ll be available for questions and moral support, but this is intended to facilitate your self-directed learning and project progression on the equipment that you’ve learned on.


Custom knifemaking by Craig: If I’m building a knife for you, I invite you to be a special part of the forging process. The heart of a workshop is the forge and the heart of the forge is the maker. I invite you, schedules permitting, to come to the shop and lay the first hammer blows into the steel, to lay your heart into the soul of the knife. Also, at the last stage of forging, I will stamp your initials along side mine, into the blade. If time permits, I invite you to come be a part of that as well.

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Available Courses: Services
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