Blacksmithing experience half day. ( forged bowl )

Half-Day Forged Bowl Blacksmithing Experience

Forge your own steel bowl in a historic working blacksmith’s forge.

Spend a morning at the forge at the London Museum of Water & Steam and experience the physical process of traditional hot-metal working.

During this hands-on half-day experience, you will start with a flat steel disc and transform it into your own forged bowl using heat, hammer and a traditional swage block.

You’ll learn how to light and manage the forge, recognise when the steel has reached forging temperature, control a hammer effectively and gradually form the hot metal into a three-dimensional bowl.

Once the forging is complete, you’ll move on to the finishing process. A key part of the course is grinding, refining and mirror-polishing the rim of the bowl, creating a bright reflective edge that contrasts with the darker forged steel surface. This polished band gives the finished piece a much more refined, sculptural appearance.

The emphasis is on actually making something. This is not simply a blacksmithing demonstration — you will work at the forge yourself and leave at the end of the session with the steel bowl you have made.

No previous blacksmithing or metalworking experience is required. The experience is limited to a maximum of two participants, allowing plenty of individual tuition and hands-on time at the forge throughout the session.

The workshop takes place in Neil Lemaire’s working forge and bronze-casting studio at the London Museum of Water & Steam in Brentford, West London — an atmospheric historic setting in which traditional metalworking is still practised today.

Duration: approximately 4 hours, 9:30am–1:30pm
Price: £160 per person
Experience level: Beginners welcome
Group size: Maximum 2 people
You take home: Your own hand-forged steel bowl with a mirror-polished rim

Blacksmithing is a physical activity involving repeated hammering and working close to a hot forge. Suitable clothing and footwear are required; full joining instructions will be provided before the course.