Hammer and Hound Forge reviews

27 Apr 25'

Marc reviewed: Beginners Knife Forging Day

"Beginners Knife Forging Day This was a birthday present from my partner - and an excellent present it was too. The day was well structured, ensuring everyone was able to complete their knife in time. Alex is a very knowledgeable and attentive teacher who intervenes only when needed, to keep things on the straight and narrow - literally! A great experience. Thank you Alex. "

20 Apr 25'

Rachael reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners Day

"We had an amazing day!!. I was surprised how much we made and how much we learnt. Alex is a great teacher, always attentive and stepping in with guidance where needed. I have already recommended to my friends."

20 Apr 25'

Todd Lawrence reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners Day

"Amazing day for my 13 year old. Very engaged and teaching was excellent. Alex was very welcoming and knowledgeable. Brilliant, just brilliant. "

14 Apr 25'

Nathan reviewed: Damascus Steel Knife forging

"Came here for a Father-Son forging experience. The guidance was immaculate, the final product was exactly what we wanted, and we still use the Knives we made every day. We'll be back again to forge some more!"

7 Apr 25'

Carl Grundy reviewed: Beginners Knife Forging Day

"Absolutely fantastic day. This session was bought for me and my son as a Christmas present. Neither of us have done anything like this before. Alex greeted us warmly when we arrived and was always very approachable throughout the day. Alex would take his time with each person and never rush around. You got quality time with him and he only intervened when you were about to make a mess of the knife. We both thoroughly enjoyed the day and we are looking forward to booking on to another session later in the year. I honestly can not recommend this enough. Great fun for all ages (within reason)"

6 Apr 25'

Adam reviewed: Axe / Hammer Forging Day

"Great activity day. Took my dad to the Axe forging workshop as a Christmas gift and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. Alex is a very knowledgeable, enthusiastic- and patient- instructor! Clearly loves his craft. Definitely a worthwhile experience!"

23 Mar 25'

June Downes reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners Day

"My first experience of blacksmithing was great. Alex is very welcoming, helpful and supportive. He guides you through each stage of the process but allows each person to create their own pieces. It was physically manageable although we were all quite tired by 5 o’clock. I learned a lot and am encouraged to do more. Highly recommend this experience."

9 Mar 25'

Stephen Marr reviewed: Beginners Knife Forging Day

"Alex the class leader was fantastic. He made everyone feel comfortable and confident and created a very friendly atmosphere. Made sure everyone knew what they were doing and was managing his help between everyone. Super happy with the final product and I will be back for more knife classes among other ones!!!"

8 Mar 25'

Gill Woodward reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners Day

"My sons and I had an absolutely fabulous day with Alex on his beginners course. Alex is a great tutor and we learnt loads, as well as really enjoying ourselves! The course was very practical and well paced and Alex knew just when to intervene (mainly to help me along!) or explain things a bit more to deepen understanding. We all enjoyed the experience of making a coat hook, bottle opener and a poker so much that we are going back and do the knife day ..and then maybe the sword day! Thank you for a very memorable day, Alex. Can't recommend this course highly enough! "

23 Feb 25'

Tina Pringle reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners Day

"Excellent introduction to Blacksmithing course. Alex was brilliant at explaining the skills and taking us at pace that suited us all. A really and knowledgeable day , where not only did I feel I had achieved something with the items I made but also that I had learned new skills. I would definitely recommend "

23 Feb 25'

George reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners Day

"An absolutely fantastic day and a brilliant introduction to blacksmithing! Alex’s expertise and guidance are first class!!! Thank you! "

6 Feb 25'

Alex reviewed: Axe / Hammer Forging Day

"Highly recommend this course. It's very full on, a lot to take in for one day, but Alex guided us well and is very personable, friendly, knowledgeable, and created a comfortable, supportive environment. As a senior female, being treated exactly the same as everyone else was much appreciated. We all made knives, including the handle, and there is nothing like the feeling you get from creating something. This was one of the best birthday presents I've ever had, and I'm sorely tempted to try the Damascus knife making weekend, or another knife making day. "

3 Feb 25'

Rik Horton reviewed: Axe / Hammer Forging Day

"After being subjected to me watching many episodes of Forged in Fire, my girlfriend purchased a days course in beginners knife making for my Christmas present. Which turned out to be one of the best presents ever. The 7-8 hour course seemed like 7-8 minutes, Alex was an excellent teacher, friendly, intelligent, informative and somehow aware of what all 5 of the students were doing simultaneously. He kept us safe, helped when needed, was encouraging and had a huge repertoire of corny jokes. The day left me happy, and wanting to do more, the axe making course is already on my birthday present list. "

24 Jan 25'

Andy Ward reviewed: Axe / Hammer Forging Day

"Great day with Alex, very knowledgeable and extremely friendly and helpful, we all had an excellent day, would highly recommend to anyone fancying a go at something a little different"

23 Jan 25'

Emma Worden reviewed: Axe / Hammer Forging Day

"My fifteen year old son completed a day’s axe making course with Alex as a Christmas present. Thanks to Alex’s expertise, enthusiasm, encouragement and support my son thoroughly enjoyed the experience and was thrilled that he had a working axe to show for it at the end which he made himself. We are already looking to book another workshop for his birthday! "

20 Jan 25'

Autumn reviewed: Axe / Hammer Forging Day

"Brilliant day! Bought this as a Christmas present for our 16 year old son and he really enjoyed it. Alex is great teacher and keeps everyone involved engaged really well. Highly recommend "

19 Jan 25'

Henri reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners Day

"Fantastic day of forging, I really appreciated Alex's patience and willingness to go into detail. Already looking forward to the next course :)"

19 Jan 25'

Mick Sim reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners Day

"Thank you Alex! A brilliant day and first rate instruction. A genuinely outstanding introduction to traditional forging techniques. I’ll definitely return for another session. "

19 Jan 25'

Chris Lunnon reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners Day

"A gift given to me for Christmas from my wife . Welcoming and friendly atmosphere. Professional setup. Alex was very helpful knew what he was doing and great twa her which made it easier to learn some techniques. The day flew by. Would love you so again. "

23 Dec 24'

Jonathan reviewed: Beginners Knife Forging Day

"I recently did the beginners knife making course, I'm very proud of the knife I made and would definitely recoemend the course. Without any prior experience Alex helpfully guided me through the steps of turning a lump of iron into an amazing (and useful) kitchen knife. "

5 Dec 24'

Shaun b reviewed: Beginners Knife Forging Day

"Alex is a fantastic guy , he has loads of experience and patience , also passionate about what he does .The knife making class was amazing ,learnt loads of new skill, had a blast with the whole class ,first class day would recommend this class to everyone. "

2 Dec 24'

Shaun Brown reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners Day

"Alex is an amazing teacher, he has gathered loads of skills in his 11 years of blacksmithing, brilliant day making a fantastic knife, Alex helps you step by step ,I would really recommend the course to everyone, will definitely be back to do the Damascus course in the future. Great day with a great bunch of guys , "

6 Nov 24'

Bethanie Lewis reviewed: Beginners Knife Forging Day

"If I could give this experience more stars I would! I wanted to book a surprise, unique course for my Fiance's birthday and smithing his own knife certainly seemed like something that would be up his street! Alex was super super helpful from start to finish and honestly made the day so fun, relaxed and entertaining. His enthusiasm and passion for his craft was so inspiring its definitely made us want to come back again! I had first reached out over WhatsApp to enquire about the course and he was more than happy to explain and help me understand everything to ensure that I had the right course and information. He even offered to have a look at any images I might be able to send to check that what my fiance would want to make would be okay in the session. When we arrived we received a super warm welcome and even though I was just watching and taking pictures he made sure everyone was super safe and that I was comfortable and had a great view to watch! My fiance crafted his own bushcraft knife to use when he goes camping and absolutely loved putting the effort and work in to have something super special he could come home with! Overall this was one of the best experiences we've had and I couldn't recommend this course enough to anyone even thinking about wanting to do something unusual and learn a new cool skill! Thanks so much Alex for making our day special!!"

7 Oct 24'

Rachel S reviewed: Beginners Knife Forging Day

"Absolutely outstanding experience! We did the beginner bladesmithing day for my partner's birthday. Alex runs Hammer and Hound Forge, and is an excellent teacher, knowledgeable, friendly, and approachable. After explaining each step, he lets you get on with it without making you feel like he's hovering over your shoulder. He helps where required but encourages you to make the item your own and supports you in doing so. Loved being able to create something awesome to take home! Thank you so much, Alex!"

30 Sep 24'

Phil, Heather & Ross reviewed: Beginners Knife Forging Day

"My wife and son and I have just attended a Beginners Knife Forging Day at Hammer and Hound Forge in Blyth, Northumberland. What a fantastic day! Alex is such an excellent, knowledgeable and patient teacher! My son and I both came away with 2 sloyd knives that we can use in woodcarving! And my wife is now the proud owner of a kitchen knife. Fantastic that we’ll be able to use knives that we made with our own hands from scratch! Alex took us through each step of the process and was always on hand to help us with the tricky bits. Can’t recommend highly enough - thanks, Alex for an experience we’ll remember for the rest of our lives!"