blacksmithing
A hands-on introduction to blacksmithing in our Bandung workshop. Learn the basics, make a simple sketch, work with metal, and create your own piece to take home.
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PRICE :Â IDR 850,000/Â person
DURATION :Â 4 hours (Including discussion, sketching, making & finishing)
MATERIAL :Â Â Â iron rod/sheet
YOUR PIECE :Â 1 keychain leaf, made by you, to take home
LEVEL :Â Beginner Friendly (No previous experience needed)
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Additional time beyond 4 hours is charged at IDR 100,000 per hour
A leaf may look simple, but it is a great way to learn the fundamentals of blacksmithing. In one small piece, you can explore how metal responds to heat, hammering, drawing, shouldering, bending, punching, and scrolling—the same foundational movements used to shape many other forged objects.
Leaf projects are also commonly used as beginner exercises because the form is simple enough to understand, while still giving you plenty of room to learn how metal moves under the hammer.
why a     ?
process overview
1. Get to Know the Material
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We start with a short introduction to the iron we’ll be working with—what it is, how it responds to heat, and why temperature matters when forging. You’ll also get familiar with the basic blacksmithing tools, from the forge, anvil, hammer, and tongs to the smaller tools used along the way.
2. Safety First
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Before the fire is lit, we go through basic workshop safety: how to move around the forge, handle hot metal and tools, work around the anvil, and recognize when the material is ready to be worked. Safety is part of the process, not an afterthought.
3. Meet the Fire
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Now we get the forge going. You’ll learn how the fire and airflow work together, how to place the material in the heat, and how to read the metal as it heats up. Knowing when the metal is ready is one of the most important parts of forging.
4. Start Forging
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Once the iron reaches the right working temperature, the making begins. You’ll learn how to hold the workpiece, position it on the anvil, and use the hammer to gradually move the metal rather than simply hitting it harder.
5. Build the Leaf
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Heat, hammer, repeat. We begin drawing and spreading the material, then use shouldering and other basic forging techniques to create the shape and proportions of the leaf. Each heat gives you another chance to adjust the form, refine the edges, and understand how the metal moves.
6. Shape the Details
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With the main leaf form established, we refine the edges and surface, then work on the details that make it read as a leaf. The process keeps moving between fire and anvil—heat the metal, shape it, return it to the fire, and shape it again.
7. Forge the Stem &Â Scroll
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The remaining end of the iron becomes the leaf's stem and hanging loop. Using drawing, tapering, bending, and scrolling, you'll turn the straight piece of metal into a small spiral that becomes the keychain's attachment point. Scrolling itself is a classic blacksmithing exercise, built from controlled bending and repeated heating.
9. The Leaf Is Done
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After the final shaping and finishing, your forged leaf is ready to become a keychain. What started as a simple piece of iron has gone through fire, hammer, anvil, and your own hands—leaving you with a small object that also happens to be a course in the fundamentals of blacksmithing.
Workshop results
Turn a piece of iron into your own hand-forged leaf keychain. You’ll work with fire, hammer, and anvil as you heat, shape, bend, and scroll the metal into its final form. A fun, hands-on blacksmithing experience in Bandung—and yes, you get to take your little forged leaf home.
