Introductory Courses
I am now offering in-person 1 and 2 day introductory knifemaking courses. You'll forge a knife and end the day/weekend with a finished knife, learn a ton, and have a blast!
Gift certificates for classes and pricing are in the Shop section.
All classes are at my shop in Livermore, California.Please email for scheduling.
Introductory Knifemaking course
The 1-day course involves forging a knife to shape, heat treating and grinding and then applying a handle. The course is geared towards finishing the knife but not all individuals may fully finish and any that don't finish can take the handle material home to finish on their own time.
The 2-day course is much more involved and you dive deeper into each aspect of knife making. You will take home a finished blade in this course.
All materials are provided. You will learn the basics of forging and moving steel. The concepts of heat treating and basic metallurgy. You'll have a great time, learn a ton and take home your project!
Note: You need no prior experience for this. Class maximum is four people.
Intermediate Courses
These courses are ad-hoc based on what you want to learn. Examples could be: hidden tang knives and guard fitting, advanced grinding techniques like daggers, spiral fluted handles, etc.
All classes are at my shop in Livermore, California. Please email for info and scheduling.
Damascus Courses
I am now offering in-person courses on several damascus patterns. You'll end the course not only learning the pattern but you'll also take home a spectacular damascus billet to use in your own project.
Classes are at my shop in Livermore, California and cost $1000 for a 2-day Course. Please email for scheduling.
Copper Layered Damascus
Probably my most popular technique is the copper layered damascus. We'll make some damascus that we'll use as the cladding and then combine it with copper and some other high carbon steel as the core into a copper damascus billet. The damascus pattern can be a variety of patterns that we'll discuss during your course.
You'll learn how to create this amazing and striking pattern and all the do's and don'ts about it. The course includes all the material to make a copper damascus billet that we'll make throughout the weekend that you'll take home.
Note: This class assumes you already know the basics of forging. This is not an introductory course in bladesmithing.
Feather Damascus
The feather pattern is a challenging one but one of my most favorite. There are dimensions during the forge welding and shaping that make this a challenging build to get right. It also requires a lot of care to ensure you don't rip the billet apart during the forging process.
You'll learn how to create this complex pattern and all the do's and don'ts about it. The course includes all the material to make a feather damascus billet that we'll make throughout the weekend that you'll take home. Typically this is enough steel to make 2 knives out of.
Note: This class assumes you already know the basics of forging. This is not an introductory course in bladesmithing.
Mosaic Damascus
Mosaics can be the most beautiful patterns out there. The combinations are endless, but for this course we'll concentrate on variations of the "explosion" pattern. This pattern requires precise forging of the billet to reduce the distortion to ensure a flowing pattern and you'll learn all this along with techniques like forge welding and layout.
You'll learn how to create this complex pattern and all the do's and don'ts about it. The course includes all the material to make a mosaic damascus billet that we'll make throughout the weekend that you'll take home.
Note: This class assumes you already know the basics of forging. This is not an introductory course in bladesmithing.
"I just spent 2 days learning how to make explosion Damascus and cannot recommend the experience highly enough! Denis gave direction and helped when needed, but had me do most of the work, and the end result was stunningly beautiful. I plan to return for another lesson, probably Cumai" - Bryson A