Thank you for visiting Wilkur Forge on-line.
The countdown to the course calendar has begun...
Wilkur Forge is looking forward to inviting you to attend our courses.
What tools do I bring with me?
Wilkur Forge has all the tools needed for the courses we run. If you have your own hand tools and they are in good repair, we encourage you to bring them with you and use them during courses. As you progress through our courses, your tool collection will grow.
What safety gear do I need?
You need to provide your own safety glasses and hearing protection. Long cotton pants and a long-sleeved cotton shirt are required apparel for attending our courses. Hemp or wool clothes are also suitable. Leather safety boots must be worn. Wilkur Forge will provide a leather apron for use during the course or you may bring your own.
Please note - synthetic or baggy clothes, shorts, singlets and non-safety footwear are NOT acceptable apparel to attend our courses in due to safety considerations.
Are all materials provided?
Wilkur Forge provides all the materials and equipment necessary for your course. Notes are included for your course and please bring your own notebook to make as many extra notes as you like.
I'm buying some forging equipment but don't know much about it, can Wilkur Forge help?
Yes, Wilkur Forge can help you with inspections of forging equipment. Fees apply for on-site equipment inspections. For access to our 'How to Inspect That' guides, please contact Wilkur Forge for further information regarding this subject.
How do I book into a course and pay?
Wilkur Forge provides a course calendar from which you may pick a suitable date for the course you want to do. Once you are accepted for the course, Wilkur Forge will email you a tax invoice, including payment details, along with pre-course documentation.
Please refer to our Book and Pay page
I have to cancel attending a course, what happens now?
The first thing to know is that Wilkur Forge doesn't keep all your money if things don't work out and you can't attend the course you've booked into!
If you have to cancel please give us as much notice as you can. We can then offer your place to another person. At your option we can re-schedule you into a later course when it is possible.
If you cancel and re-schedule Wilkur Forge retains your course fee as though you have booked in initially.
If you cancel without re-scheduling less than seven days from the start of the course, 85% of your course fee is refunded.
If you cancel without re-scheduling more than seven days from the start of the course your entire course fee is refunded.
Cancellations by Wilkur Forge sees your entire course fee refunded, but we do not refund or provide compensation for any travel, accommodation or other costs.
Participants who have to cancel are welcome to book into a course later.
I'm really time-poor but want to do some courses with Wilkur Forge, may I attend consecutive courses?
Yes, you're welcome to do this, but please read about our Intensive courses first. They could be just what you are looking for.
I'm in the area, may I visit Wilkur Forge just for a look?
Generally speaking, no, as the forge is usually busy running courses.
Where can I buy coke for my forge?
Wilkur Forge can supply you with blacksmithing coke for your forge in your own suitable container of any volume. Packed coke is available in different-sized drums, or we can load loose coke into your ute, trailer or truck.
Click for more information on
I had to miss a day of a course, how can I catch up?
If you have to miss a day in the middle of a course it is better to re-schedule. Wilkur Forge will prioritise you and will either run one-on-one sessions for you or book you into a later course.
Does Wilkur Forge cater for serving and returned service personnel?
We certainly do. As a part of recognising their service Wilkur Forge can arrange to provide all of its courses where only serving or returned personnel attend. Should you wish to arrange for a group to attend a course we will do our utmost to help. We are also able to provide one-on-one courses for returned service personnel in specific circumstances. Please contact us for further details.
Are meals provided?
Morning tea and lunch are included in all courses. Wilkur Forge provides tea, coffee, sugar, milk and water. A selection of locally-sourced fruits, vegetables, nuts, meats and breads are made available and you are encouraged to make your own morning tea and lunch from these. You are welcome to bring your own food and drink if you prefer.
NOTE - Course participants with specific dietary requirements are advised to provide their own food and drink which cater for their needs.
I'd like to learn knife making but there aren't any knife making courses on offer at Wilkur Forge yet, what's going on?
Wilkur Forge runs blacksmithing and tool making courses at present. Forging and stock removal knife-making courses are under development. Join our mailing list to be kept informed.
May I book Wilkur Forge for a group or a team-building activity?
Certainly. Please contact us to discuss group bookings. For team-building, we can cater for up to fourteen participants sharing forges and anvils.
Here are some highlights and milestones in the building of Wilkur Forge.
Follow along and learn some of the story that has helped to bring
Wilkur Forge from
imagination to reality.
As a little kid I was 'helping' dismantle an old dairy on our recently purchased property.
"Poles held together with cocky's twitches in number 8 wire and force of habit," was was one way to describe the dairy.
In the dismantling process, an incalculable number of nails, a straight peen hammer head and the hub from an old plough appeared in
As a little kid I was 'helping' dismantle an old dairy on our recently purchased property.
"Poles held together with cocky's twitches in number 8 wire and force of habit," was was one way to describe the dairy.
In the dismantling process, an incalculable number of nails, a straight peen hammer head and the hub from an old plough appeared in the junk.
Using the hammer head to flatten nails against the hub - my first anvil - I noticed the heat generated in the nails.
That observation started the hot metal working ball rolling for me. I was not quite five years old.
Fast forwarding through school, engineering workshop practice furthered my interest in hot metal working. Steam engine-making aside, hot riveting garden rake tynes into a piece of flat bar sealed the deal on hot metal working. By now I was fifteen.
Soon after, I was gifted a set of bellows, bought an anvil that had survived a timber mill f
Fast forwarding through school, engineering workshop practice furthered my interest in hot metal working. Steam engine-making aside, hot riveting garden rake tynes into a piece of flat bar sealed the deal on hot metal working. By now I was fifteen.
Soon after, I was gifted a set of bellows, bought an anvil that had survived a timber mill fire - as the mill's blacksmith could carry it at 126kg (278lb) so it wasn't burnt, but the 227kg (500lb) anvil wasn't so lucky -and discovered 1,000l oil tanks can be used to make forges.
From there a small smithy appeared in the back of the shed which replaced the old dairy of bush poles, cocky's twitches and corrugated tin we'd pulled down more than a decade before.
Starting work in an unrelated field, some side ventures and life saw the typical twists and turns, but among these 'other things' was the desire to get into hot metal working at any opportunity.
After an extended period doing these 'other things' I decided if I was going to follow the hot metal working path I had best complete some trade training, which I viewed as a backing up of my past experience and sundry courses completed with a state blacksmithing association.
Ultimo TAFENSW was offering blacksmithing at a trade qualificati
After an extended period doing these 'other things' I decided if I was going to follow the hot metal working path I had best complete some trade training, which I viewed as a backing up of my past experience and sundry courses completed with a state blacksmithing association.
Ultimo TAFENSW was offering blacksmithing at a trade qualification level, being one of the last places in Australia to provide such formal training. My Certificate III Engineering - Fabrication Trade - Blacksmithing, was undertaken at Ultimo.
Thanks to one of the 'other things' I'd done being workplace training it seemed a natural progression to combine blacksmithing, tool and knife making with training. The seed for Wilkur Forge had been sown.
Using skills from a previous profession, combined with a lot of research - done by visiting all manner of blacksmiths' shops, from the smallest to the biggest - Wilkur Forge began to take shape.
A final design was settled upon and time was called on the initial development phase of Wilkur Forge. Time for to it happen for real!
Site prepar
Using skills from a previous profession, combined with a lot of research - done by visiting all manner of blacksmiths' shops, from the smallest to the biggest - Wilkur Forge began to take shape.
A final design was settled upon and time was called on the initial development phase of Wilkur Forge. Time for to it happen for real!
Site preparation began - removal of the old shed, followed by new concrete, steel, wiring and manufacture of custom equipment. Course content was developed, opinions from trusted friends on all aspects of the plans was sought and considered.
After this long gestation Wilkur Forge is looking forward to offering our courses to novices, those with a casual interest and those experienced in hot metal working, the opportunity to join others of like mind to learn, gain experience, knowledge and skills.
Course dates will be published here soon. Join our email list to be among the first to know when Wilkur Forge.
The announcement of recipients of the prestigious Churchill Fellowships was made on 28 Sept. 2020. Visit www.churchilltrust.com.au for details about these.
Jim Deering, Forgemaster at Wilkur Forge, became the delighted recipient of the Park Family Churchill Fellowship for 2020. The Fellowship project is titled, “To learn the syllabi and me
The announcement of recipients of the prestigious Churchill Fellowships was made on 28 Sept. 2020. Visit www.churchilltrust.com.au for details about these.
Jim Deering, Forgemaster at Wilkur Forge, became the delighted recipient of the Park Family Churchill Fellowship for 2020. The Fellowship project is titled, “To learn the syllabi and methods of blacksmith training organisations and individuals”.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the Fellowship enabled me to visit blacksmithing training facilities in England, Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Czechia, Austria and Italy during 2023.
The knowledge obtained with the Fellowship will be disseminated through courses conducted at Wilkur Forge, including masterclasses overseen by master blacksmiths contacted as part of the Fellowship.
This major achievement for Wilkur Forge will provide a significant advantage to our participants as courses are developed and delivered.
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