Hello All,

I am posting to offer you forum members an extremely rare opportunity. I am going to be hosting a month-long immersion workshop at my place in New Hampshire during this coming October, covering some of the fundamentals of Japanese metalworking. The teacher is Ford Hallam, who will be flying in from South Africa to provide his instruction. Mr. Hallam is the world’s foremost maker of Japanese sword fittings, and he has spent the last 30 years developing the curriculum for this workshop. He is the only maker in the world to offer anything like it. At this time, the class is already almost full, and space is extremely limited. Mr. Hallam's website is www.fordhallam.com

(I was introduced to the work of Mr. Hallam by Master Smith John White at last year’s show in San Antonio. John directed me to a YouTube video of Hallam reproducing a lost 17th century tsuba. It’s mesmerizing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGMj7o6AwnM)

(In addition to Mr. Hallam, one of the other students is bringing along a friend. This friend is a twenty-fifth generation master Japanese swordsmith, and he’ll be forging and demoing along with Mr. Hallam during the full month.)

We all know that any knife maker can produce a 4” drop point hunter. But if you get five bladesmiths to make one each, you’ll end up with five truly distinct knives; each maker will be influenced by his own ideas of aesthetics and function, and he’ll produce a 4” drop point hunter that is uniquely his own. On the collector end of things, there is someone out there for each knife who will it up and think “this is what a drop point hunter should be.”

As makers, we all need to consider what sets us apart from our peers. The ABS has, to some extent, standardized the basic quality/performance characteristics in a custom blade, but it also encourages and rewards diversity and creativity of design. A collector can pick up two hunters, both made by master smiths, and be confident that he’s looking at knives that will perform, but he’s going to choose for himself the one that he plain-old likes better.

I myself have always been quite taken with the forms and craftsmanship of samurai blades and their fittings. They have such a potent blend of aggression and elegance, and the objects themselves always seem to exude an aura of hand-made attention. I enjoy making Japanese blades, but my intention for what I learn during this course is actually to use the input and blend it with my general design vocabulary and sense of aesthetics in every piece I make.

The cost per student for this workshop is $5000.00. Of course we realize that this is very expensive and that most will also have difficulty freeing up a solid month of time. The cost will cover Mr. Hallam’s travel costs as well as a month of his own shop time and the absolutely priceless value of his expertise and instruction.

The workshop will run for four weeks, six days per week, 9:00am - 5:00pm, plus instructor availability evenings and Sundays. My workshop will also be available on evenings and Sundays for those of you who need to spend some time working on ongoing projects.

Week 1:

a) Basic tool- and pitch-making

<img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//cool.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' /> Basics of chisel work, with a focus on line engraving and chip carving

Week 2:

a) Basic wire inlay

<img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//cool.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' /> Raised inlay with relief carving

Week 3:

a) Continuation of week 2

<img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//cool.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' /> Introduction to the formulation and application of patinas

Week 4:

a) Introduction to “uchidashi,” a traditional style of sculpting hollow forms

Materials:

• 3 styles of Japanese hammer

• An assortment of chisels, punches, and scrapers

• Some polishing stones, polishing charcoal, and polishing brushes

• One jeweler’s piercing saw

• Chemicals (rokusho, CuSO4, salt petre, borax, alum)

• A few other odds and ends

Students are welcome to bring their own supplies, but Mr. Hallam can also provide full kits, at cost to the student. (Accurate accounting will be provided before any purchase is made, but an estimate for a full set is somewhere between $250 and $300.)

In addition to using my workshop to host this course, I have also offered my home in order to soften the cost of lodging for the month. (I will ask for some money for food—it will end up being easiest to eat family-style, with only one kitchen—but, assuming you already intended to eat during the month of October, I see no reason why there should be any difference in what it would cost you to feed yourself anyway.) Space is limited, however, and there are only one or two beds still available. If anybody would prefer to camp out, I have plenty of space outside. There are also several inns/hotels within a half-hour of my home.

While he’s here, Mr. Hallam has also offered the possibility of an additional one-week intensive class, following the immersion workshop. The shorter class will cover different skills, but the current idea is for each student to complete a tsuba by the end. The cost will be $1250/student, and again, lodging is available.

If you are interested, please contact me immediately at [email protected]. As I said, space in the immersion workshop is extremely limited, and the last couple of slots may be filled at any moment.

The cost is steep, but the opportunity is once in a lifetime.

Cheers,

Zack