Toronto Blacksmith

9 friends and I took Paul's axe forging class, and we had a great time. It's hard work, but the end result was more than worth it. Paul is a great instructor - he gave us the knowledge we needed every step of the way to complete the axes almost completely on our own while lending support along the way when we needed it. Thanks Paul!

Had an amazing experience learning to forge an Axe with Paul. He was super helpful and explained the process clearly so there was little confusion. Paul makes sure that each person knows what they are doing and feels confident. It never feels like he is holding your hand, but he is happy to help with any questions or concerns you have. I walked in with 0 experience with forging and left feeling confident in what I did. Paul is very friendly and a great teacher.I went with 3 other friends and we all had a great time. I took my BF for his XMas gift and he absolutely loved it and won't stop talking about how he wants to go again.After sharing the photos on facebook, I have many friends already interested in doing it, and I'm definitely down to do another session, as are the 3 that joined me. Hopefully in the future more forging options will be added (i.e. different axe shapes, knives, etc)I am an axe thrower and would love to try another class where you can forge an axe more appropriate for throwing (bigger head and more distance from blade face to the handle).

I went with a group of 5 guys for the axe-making workshop. Paul started with brief intro and demo and we were soon forging our own axe head from a rectanglar section of steel. It was amazing to see it take shape from the first through hole to heat treatment and finally wedging the handle. Fortunately paul was very patient and fixed a few of our novice mistakes! Well worth the effort and sure muscles!

An absolutely amazing experience. I came to the forge for an axe making class. I went solo and had the great honor to work along side Paul. To anyone coming into this class you need to understand how much physical work is involved in making these blades. We had a class of 9 and we were all managed professionally and given thorough guidance and lessons. I had zero experience and produced a beautiful axe in only 7 hours. I went home and attacked the forest in the back yard without losing any integrity or edge. It not only looks awesome it's a fully functional axe. Paul you are a great instructor. Firm but not intimidating. I highly recommend these classes for an awesome experience you'll always remember.

Great class, great experience. Paul puts you through the paces of creating your own Axe. You walk away with a tool you built yourself and an experience to remember. Highly recommend to anyone who has been watching videos on youtube about tool/weapon forging wondering what it would be like.

Just finished the hatchet making class. Awesome experience, learned about hammering techniques, fullers , how to heat the steel and heat treating .Paul is a very talented, and a great instructor. I highly recommend the class!!Thanks again Paul!

I had an axe class in Hammer In, Germany. Paul was a really good teacher not only by blacksmithing skills but pedagogically speaking too. Those hundred axe classes that he has already teached really show up in a well thought-out process without any extra hassle, even though we operated in field conditions".My recommendations if you want to learn more about blacksmithing and axe making. I'm also happy with the axe I made."

Having watched a million episodes of forged in fire - a buddy of mine thought this would make for a fun and unique experience and it certainly was! Had an awesome time this past weekend at Paul's shop. Super cool experience, learned a lot along the way (having zero previous experience).Paul was incredibly patient with everyone, instructive, but allowed you to make (and then correct) mistakes along with way, giving you the freedom to actually learn how to shape the steel. There is a nervousness working in this kind of environment (swingin a sledgehammer, carrying hot steel in a pair of tongs, flake metal pinging off the anvil), but Paul's easy going approach, cool-headed attitude, and structured learning, (with explanation as to why we were doing what we were doing), made things instantly comfortable, more interesting, and a boat load of fun.You do probably 90-95% of the forging/hammering/hardening/tempering on your own (along with your partner) and Paul does the grind and helps get you over the line (which combined gives you a super functional DIY tool.It's pretty go go go, rotating between you and your partner's axe heads, which makes it pretty well non-stop action.NOTE: the customization of the handles (through burning) makes for a one of a kind keepsake.Would do this again for sure! Whole new appreciation for the hammer and tongs.

I had the pleasure to take an axe making class from Paul. He's a great teacher! Everyone learned a ton and at the end the participants took home an axe they made themselves to keep and use with great pride. I'm a somewhat experienced tool smith myself so I learned mostly new details and improvements. Others were complete beginners which he guided through every basic step along the way.

My wife booked this for my birthday, inviting a number of friends and family and it was amazing. None of us have had any experience in blacksmithing and came into it completely green. Paul patiently and efficiently stepped us through the process, explaining why things were done a certain way, demonstrating the techniques and providing tips as we worked to produce a quality product. It's definitely a workout, but we couldn't be happier with the quality of axes we were able to produce. They have proven to be strong and have been perfect for using at our cottage preparing kindling and clearing brush.We had a blast and I highly recommend this experience to anyone.