[Updated: April 25, 2022]
At Brown County Forge, we have the following age limits:
- Beginners Class: Students must be at least 14 years old.
- Knife Class: Students must be at least 16 years old.
In addition, anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult (parent or guardian).
The parent or guardian is not required to take the class, but must remain on site during it.
Why Not Younger than 14?
I’ve given the age question a lot of thought over the years.
Sadly, I’ve had to turn down a few folks and their kids if they weren’t quite old enough.
Here are the main reasons I keep the minimum age at 14 (for Beginners) and 16 (for Knife Making):
- From experience, I can be reasonably sure that most 14 year-olds have enough arm strength to safely swing a 2.5-pound hammer for a couple hours.
- Hand-eye coordination is one of the most important skills involved in blacksmithing. While kids are still growing and especially during adolescence, they often have trouble controlling body movements. Adding fire and extreme heat to that equation can be very risky.
- Ability to follow instructions. It’s incredibly important in a blacksmith shop to be able to do exactly as the blacksmith says. If you can’t, the risk of injury skyrockets.
The ultimate goal of the minimum age requirement is to keep everyone safe.
There is no way to guarantee that someone younger than 14 can’t meet those requirements or that anyone over 14 can.
There are many adults who struggle with those same three concepts above and I’ve met some younger kids who can handle the responsibilities very well.
As a rule of thumb, 14 is the minimum for the Beginners Class.
Other Blacksmithing Opportunities with Lower Age Limits
If you have a youngster with a deep interest in blacksmithing, I can recommend a few resources for learning more:
- The Indiana Blacksmithing Association holds regular Saturday meet-ups that younger folks are welcome to attend. There are often opportunities to get behind an anvil and get to work.
- Conner Prairie has a wide variety of youth-centered activities at their facility in Fishers. Full, hands-on blacksmithing classes may be limited. Classes cost $200+.
- The DIY Blacksmithing Course is open to all ages and can be taken from the comfort of home.