Career Education Programs
Certificate of Competency in Craft Arts
The Arkansas Craft School offers a single career education program, a Certificate of Competency in Craft Arts. This certificate is awarded to students who have demonstrated mastery of the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities in their chosen area of emphasis, while completing 412 hours of combined instruction and studio practice.
Students select an area of concentration for their study. They may elect to study Artistic Blacksmithing. The area of concentration is noted on their Certificate of Competency in Craft Arts.
In addition to studying in their area of concentration, students also receive instruction in art history and basic business skills.
Artistic Blacksmithing
The Arkansas Craft School’s Artistic Blacksmithing program (Level 1) is a career training program for aspiring artisans who wish to gain the experience, techniques, and educational foundations to build a career as an Artistic Blacksmith. Three six- teen-week programs (412 clock hours) are conduct each year with classes meeting for 6.5 hours, Tuesday through Friday. The week- end session meeting for thirty-two weeks. With classes meeting for 6.5 hours on Saturdays and Sundays. The program is competency based and requires the student to demonstrate mastery of the knowledge, skills, and techniques taught. The program is de- signed to perpetuate the traditional art of forging handcrafted ironwork into the future. Students are accepted into the Certificate Program based on interest and skill. Previous experience with metals is suggested by not required.
Certification:
The Arkansas Craft School is licensed by the Arkansas State Board of Career Education to offer career education courses and the Artistic Blacksmithing program was developed following the national curriculum endorsed by the Artist Blacksmith’s Association of North America.
Location:
The Arkansas Craft School is located at 101 N. Peabody Avenue (corner of Peabody and Main Street), across from the Stone County Courthouse, in Mountain View, Arkansas. The Artistic Blacksmithing program is located at the school’s Wingate Annex at 511 N. Knox Avenue,
The studio currently has four student forging stations, each with its own gas forge, anvils, and worktables. The gas fueled forges allow students to learn and practice traditional techniques using modern forge technology.
All needed hand tools are stored in a dedicated tool room. Stu- dents are welcome to try out different hammers and tongs during their time in the shop. The course instructor may recommend tools for specific projects, but student smiths are always welcome to try their own techniques. Hammer sizes range 600 grams (1.3lbs.) to the standard 1.1 kg (2.5 lbs.) or even 4.5 kg (10 lbs.) sledgehammers for very heavy hand work. There are many sizes of hammers to choose from and each student smith is encouraged to find the one that works for them at their current strength and endurance level. To aid student smiths, there are power hammers, oxy-acetylene torches, MIG welders, drill presses, grinders, belt sanders, vertical and horizontal bandsaws, metal cutting shear, and other hand tools. The instructor trains student smiths on all power tools prior to use.
Appropriate Dress:
Only natural fiber clothing is allowed in the shop, absolutely no synthetic material. Closed toe shoes or boots are acceptable, sandals and athletic footwear are not. Do not wear shorts or any- thing you do not want to get dirty. The Wingate Annex is neither heated nor cooled, so dress for the weather. Eye and ear protection is required.
Syllabus and Course Schedule:
All courses are taught in a sequence, with the knowledge, skills and techniques taught in previous courses forming a necessary basis for the more advanced instruction that follows.
BSMTH 101
Introduction to blacksmithing safety and techniques. Students will learn safety and shop etiquette. Basic skills will be explored which will include fire management, hammer techniques, hand and power tool use. Projects will include a three-hook wall rack and a matching pair of candle sticks. Specific techniques include square and round points, twists, tenons, controlled texturing, and use of the torch. Students will produce at least 100 hooks of a specific design during the course and will be graded on time and accuracy. Competencies: Students will need to demonstrate prop- er shop safety and an ability to comfortably reproduce multiple hooks that match, tenons of consistent size, twists of consistent form, and strong attractive basic joinery.
BSMTH 102
Modern fabrication techniques will be added to the student smiths’ skills. Introduction to MIG welding, oxy-acetylene torch work, and plasma cutting will be the focus of this class. Competencies: Student smiths will need to be able to demonstrate an ability to accurately cut forms with modern tools, weld them together neatly and strongly, and finish them for strength and aesthetics.
BSMTH 103
Basic skills in the two introductory classes will be built on with the addition of basic bending and beveling techniques and layout. Introduction to bending forks and dogs as well as fullers and swages will be the focus of this class. Projects will include a wall mounted pot rack. Competencies: Student smiths will need to demonstrate an ability to bend consistently and accurately to a scale drawing.
BSMTH 104
Tool making techniques will be taught to the students with an introduction to power hammering. Students will learn about the differences in carbon and alloy steels appropriate for tools in the forge. Student smiths will learn the safety protocols and benefits to power hammers. The manipulation of hardness in steel will be a focus of this class. Projects will include top tools and tongs. Competencies: students will demonstrate an ability to consistently produce power hammered forms and tools of consistent and appropriate hardness.
BSMTH 105
Intermediate skills will be introduced to the student in the form of scroll-foliate design. The student will produce a full-scale lay- out and accurately formed scrolls with organic leaf motif. New skill introduction will be basic forge welding. Projects will include a “sketch in iron” reminiscent of a study in architectural ornamental form. Competencies: Student smiths will need to demonstrate an ability to make consistent leaf and scroll forms, and seamless forge welds.
BSMTH 106
Forge welding. Tenon joints and scroll forming skills will be built upon with the introduction of trefoil design. The students will produce a tri-symmetrical, full-scale layout and will add jump forge welding to their skills repertoire. Projects will include a tabletop trivet with two jump welds, three lap welds, and six tenons in a specific geometric form. Competencies: Student smiths will need to demonstrate an ability to produce consistent and symmetrical geometric forms to a given layout, consistent forge welds, and consistent tenons.
BSMTH 107
Sheet metal repousse will be added to the students’ skills as well as beginning chasing techniques. Students will be introduced to the traditional as well as modern sheet metal cutting methods. Projects will include multi-piece roses with chased leaves and forge welded stems. Competencies: Student smiths will need to be able to demonstrate an ability to produce consistent floral forms with leaves with clean chased veining.
ACS 101/BSMTH 108
While continuing to practice and improve their basic abilities, student smiths will receive a basic introduction to Art History. Competencies: Students will demonstrate a basic introductory level
knowledge of Art by making an oral presentation on a period, artist, or masterwork of their choice.
BSMTH 109 & 110
Students will now put all their accumulated skill into producing a fireplace set project. A common forge welded form will be taught, and students will reproduce this form during the instructional workshop and subsequent studios to make a five-piece (poker, brush, tong, and stand) fire set. Emphasis will be put on consistent form and appropriate scale. Competencies: Students will produce a marketable fireplace set.
ACS 102/BSMTH 111
Common forms of blacksmithing business will be the focus of this class. Introduction to business management, pricing, accounting, taxes, zoning ordinances, building codes, and other common is- sues will be discussed. In addition, scale drawing and sketching will be covered. Competencies: Student smiths will need to be able to demonstrate an ability to draw a form on paper to scale, transfer that to full scale on a layout table, and forge and fabricate the form accurately.
BSMTH 112
This course uses practical application of design creation and presentation through the projection of three-dimensional figures onto a two-dimensional plane surface. Students will utilize ortho- graphic techniques to yield solutions such as the true length of a line, end/point view of a line, true shape of a plane, and edge view of a plane. Competencies: Student smiths will be able to project points and lines in the principal views using orthographic projection; develop necessary auxiliary views using orthographic
projection; and develop necessary orthographic views using rules of parallelism and perpendicularity to yield proper measurements.
BSMTH 113, 114, and 115
Skill Certification Final Project. As the students’ final projects, the students will conceive, draw, transfer to full scale, and produce a project of their own conception. Emphasis will be put on using as many forms and techniques as possible that were learned over the previous instructional workshops. The work will need to be produced in a neat, aesthetically consistent and pleasing manner. Competencies: The student smiths will present an original work of art for critique and formal evaluation for certification as an artistic blacksmith.
BSMTH 116
Skill Certification and Check-out. The students’ body of work will be evaluated, skill certifications, where earned, will be awarded, and the students will out process from the Arkansas Craft School.