All classes are taught at the new Damselfly Forge shop in Whiteford, Maryland.

We are conveniently located within an hour drive of York, Pennsylvania - Baltimore, Maryland - Wilmington, Delaware. Within a 2-hour drive of Washinton D.C. - Philidelphia, Pennsylvania - Federick, Maryland.

Since I started teaching Blacksmithing classes in 2008, I’ve enjoyed helping students reach their goals within the craft. With a lot of experience under my belt, I have found that it is beneficial to the students that class sizes are kept small, so students are able to have the best experience possible and gather as much information from the class as they need. I look forward to helping you start your blacksmithing adventure!
We are excited to be welcoming guest teachers to the shop as well!
- Derick Kemper, Owner and Blacksmith of Damselfly Forge Inc.

Age restrictions -
For safety reasons we cannot accept students under 13 years of age.
If a student is under 18 years of age, we encourage the guardian to take the class alongside them.
If a student is under 18 years of age a guardian must be present for the entirety of the class.

Forging Concepts: Ideas to Reality Workshop – Taught by Ellen Durkan.

No prior Blacksmithing experience necessary. Open to all skill levels.
Group class, up to 6 people - Cost $600 per person, materials included. No hidden fees.
3 Day Class - March 21st - 23rd, 2025
For more info and to purchase this workshop click the listing below -

Pattern Welded Seax Class - Taught by Emiliano Carrillo

Some prior forging experience strongly suggested. If you have any questions or concerns about your prior experience, please get in contact with Derick Kemper.
A link to our contact page is here.
Group class, up to 6 people - Cost $650 per person, materials included. No hidden fees.
3 Day Class - April 4th-6th, 2025
For more info and to purchase this class click the listing below -

Basic Axe Making Class - Taught by Derick Kemper

No prior Blacksmithing experience necessary. Open to all skill levels.
Group class, up to 6 people - Cost $300 per person, materials included. No hidden fees.

One on One - Cost $700, materials included. Limited availability for one-on-one classes on weekends.
If you would like to book a one-on-one class, please fill out the contact form farther down on this page, and we will happily book you a private class.

Blacksmithing Basic Intensive class - Taught by Derick Kemper

No experience required to take this class.
Group class, up to 6 people - Cost $275 per person, materials included. No hidden fees.

One on One - Cost $650, materials included. Limited availability for one-on-one classes on weekends.
If you would like to book a one-on-one class, please fill out the contact form farther down on this page, and we will happily book you a private class.

This class is only being held twice in 2025, hit it while it’s hot!! (Blacksmith joke)
For more info and to purchase this class click one of the available dates listed below -

Hidden-Tang Gyuto Class - Taught by Andrew Flores

Prior forging experience is required.
If you have any questions or concerns about your prior experience, please get in contact with Derick Kemper.
A link to our contact page is here.
Group class, up to 6 people - Cost $650 per person, materials included. No hidden fees.
2 Day Class - June 21st-22nd, 2025
For more info and to purchase this class click the listing below -

Practical Tong Making Class - Taught by Derick Kemper

Some Blacksmithing experience is strongly suggested.
If you have any questions or concerns about your prior experience, please get in contact with Derick Kemper.
A link to our contact page is here.
Group class, up to 6 people - Cost $300.00 per person, materials included. No hidden fees.
One day class - June 28th, 2025.
For more info and to purchase this class click on the listing below -

Blacksmithing Basic Intensive & Basic Knife Making Weekend Class - Taught by Derick Kemper

No experience required to take this class.
Group class, up to 6 people - Cost $480.00 per person, materials included. No hidden fees.
Two-day class - July 12th – 13th, 2025
This class is only being held once in 2025, hit it while it’s hot!! (Blacksmith joke)
For more info and to purchase this class click on the listing below -

Mosaic Damasus Class: Pattern Development.
It doesn’t matter where you start, it matters where you finish -

This is an intermediate class. Participants should have some forging experience and have forge welded before. Power hammer experience is beneficial.
If you have any questions or concerns about your prior experience, please get in contact with Derick Kemper.
A link to our contact page is here.
Group class, up to 6 people - Cost $800 per person, materials included. No hidden fees.
Two Day Class - August 9th – 10th, 2025
For more info and to purchase this class click on the listing below -

Hidden Tang Knife Making 101 - Taught by Jarrett Cieslak

Prior forging experience is required.
If you have any questions or concerns about your prior experience, please get in contact with Derick Kemper.
A link to our contact page is here.
Group class, up to 6 people - Cost $700 per person, materials included. No hidden fees.
2 Day Class - August 23rd-24th, 2025
For more info and to purchase this class click on the listing below -

Blacksmithing Project Class - Taught by Derick Kemper or Ellen Durkan (specified in each listing)

No prior Blacksmithing experience necessary. Open to all skill levels.
Group classes, up to 6 people - Cost $175 per person, materials included. No hidden fees.
These shorter classes are created to give someone an experience in blacksmithing.
Each class has a different project that is designed to be completed in a 4-5hour timeframe.
Come and spend a morning/afternoon making a piece of art for yourself, or as a gift for a loved one!

For more info and to purchase a class from the available dates click one of the listings below -

We are currently gathering even more projects and dates to be offered very soon for 2025!

Interested in booking for a private group, Birthday or Bachelor/Bachelorette party, please use the form below.

Interested in a class that we don’t have any dates showing on this page, or just have questions, please use the form below.

Full payment due prior to class via online payment or check.

We are conveniently located within an hour drive of York, Pennsylvania - Baltimore, Maryland - Wilmington, Delaware. Within a 2-hour drive of Washinton D.C. - Philidelphia, Pennsylvania - Federick, Maryland.

Photos and video by Valune Media - Valune Media | Photographer in York Pa | York, PA, USA