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The Forge LedgerWorking iron, and the iron already standing

Section 04 · Learning

Learning: books, classes and associations

Which books are worth the shelf space, how the affiliate structure of the trade associations works, and how to find a class within reach.

Illustrative image: a shelf of well used craft books beside a notebook open at a page of hand drawn tool sketches.
Illustrative image. No photograph on this site documents a real place, building, object or person.

Forging is taught hand to hand, and it always has been. The books matter anyway, because they tell you what to look for when somebody finally shows you. This section covers the small number of titles that keep being recommended for good reasons, how the network of regional groups is organised across North America, and what to expect from a first class.

In this section

  1. Illustrative image: worn hardback craft books stacked on a bench beside a pair of dividers and a folded apron.

    The reading list: books worth the shelf space

    Four or five titles do most of the work. The rest of the shelf is optional, and some of it is decorative.

  2. Illustrative image: half a dozen people standing in a semicircle around a portable forge in a barn, watching a demonstration.

    Finding a class, or a group near you

    The fastest route into this craft is a regional group meeting that costs nothing and lets you stand close.

Every page in this section is written against the reference page on shop tips and tools, and two neighbouring sections extend it: Craft and Tools.