Damascus steel forging with Forged in Fire Champion Ha’Né Kempf - 4/25/26 & 4/26/26

The forging of Damascus steel is a blending of Fire, Alchemy, Artistry, Science, Sweat and Magic. This type of metalworking dates back 2,500 years to Persia and India. Damascus has been renowned for millennia for its strength, beauty, flexibility and cutting ability. In this class you will learn the basics of this ancient art. What you will be doing essentially, is fusing many pieces of different steel together on a molecular level using preposterously hot fire and precisely applied force to create a single solid piece of extraordinarily strong and beautiful patterned steel.  

Students will be able to choose from four basic patterns for their first bar: 

-Watermelon rind pattern

-Twist pattern

-Ladder pattern

-Raindrop pattern

You will get an overview and theory for all four, but will only have time to actually physically create one.

You will be using Ha’Né’s pet dragon forge, Trogdor for this. Trogdor breathes 2,500F flames (nearly hot enough to melt steel).

You will experience the joy and power of using a 25 ton cylinder hydraulic forging press (‘Ol Crushy) to handle the heavier aspects of forging your Damascus bar. 

While forging Damascus is an advanced technique, no prior experience is required. You are in expert hands. All levels of physical ability and experience are welcome. 

This class is roughly 8-10 hours. Exact times vary student to student. It can be one long day or split into two sessions.
 

By the end of this class you will have a solid, gorgeous bar of Damascus large enough to turn into multiple knives, pendants, or whatever else takes your fancy.

All tools, materials, and safety equipment are provided and included in the cost. You’ll be working in our professionally equipped forge, with expert personalized guidance. By the time you complete this class, you will understand the fundamentals of forge welding and should be able to repeat and expand on what you learned in the future with confidence. 

*Please note* This class only covers the creation of the actual billet of steel. To forge something utilizing it (A blade of some variety is the most popular usage) that needs to be done in a separate knife making class with Ha'Ne. 

Essential flow of the class:

-Introduction, safety, tool use tutorials, pattern development overview

-Cleaning, stacking, and MIG welding your initial billet (steel bar) made of multiple pieces

-Initial forge weld, followed by drawing out your bar uniformly to length

-Cut, clean and restack your billet

-Second forge weld

-Patterning your billet 

-Forming and perfecting your patterned billet to prepare it for use in future projects

-Grinding a clean surface and acid etching to reveal the beautiful steel you've created!

Topics Covered:

Introduction to the forge:

-General Safety 

-Hammer. tongs, and other relevant hand tool usage

-Ergonomics 

-How to use a forge, 2x72 grinder, metal chopsaw, MIG welder and a hydraulic forging press safely and effectively

Theory: 

-What is steel? What is Damascus steel? What are its properties? 

-Brief history of Damascus steel and different variations thereof

-Ferrous metallurgy basics

-An overview of how and why different patterns develop in the steel and how to intentionally manipulate and form them.

-What circumstances create a perfect weld and how to achieve them

-What causes weld flaws and how to correct them

Hands on techniques and demonstrations:

-Usage of tools mentioned in the intro section

-How to tell when your billet is ready to forge weld and ways of avoiding issues with your welds

-Heat management

-How to set a forge weld correctly

-How to draw out a bar with even dimensions using stop blocks and without

-How to operate a forging press for maximum efficacy

-How to clean, cut, stack, and re-stack your billet to increase layer count

-How to manipulate your layered billet to create patterns

-How to clean and acid etch your steel to reveal the patterning you've wrought!

-How to tame and befriend a fire breathing dragon 

About your guide to this magical artform:

Ha'Ne (aka Ethan) Kempf has been a bladesmith and blacksmith professionally since 2016 and has been teaching these arts since 2018. They have created 2,000+ blades of all varieties and steel types in that time. Everything from battle axes and swords to chef's knives and bespoke weapons for kung fu masters and special forces soldiers. Their work is renowned for its toughness, beauty, and soulful aesthetics. Ha'Ne is a Forged in Fire Champion (Season 5 episode 7 the Polish Karabela) and their work lives with collectors and blade enthusiasts in 20+ countries. Ha'Ne is a multidisciplinary artist, a world wandering wizard, a Navy veteran and a lifelong student of historical weaponry, martial arts, philosophy, bushcraft and a myriad of other passions.

Their work can be found at  www.kempfforge.com  , on instagram @Kempfforge or on facebook as Kempf forge