This class will focus on the form and function of a contemporary hunting and skinning blade. Students will learn the basics of forging, grinding, and the practice/metallurgy of heat treating high carbon steel. They can expect to have a fully finished and hard-use knife completed by the end of the course. Students will need safety glasses, dust mask or respirator, leather work gloves, (welding gauntlets not needed) and should wear jeans, a non-flammable cotton shirt and/or jacket, and closed-toed boots or leather shoes. Our forge is an outdoor building that is only semi-enclosed; please dress accordingly. For full-day workshops, please bring a lunch to be on the safe side, as there may or may not be time to get food during a lunch break.