Forge your own Bottle Opener

with John Harvey

Next session: October 21st, 2026

$150 More Info

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The bottle opener … it’s everyone’s favorite tool and a great conversation starter at a party! In this workshop, students will learn the fundamentals of blacksmithing, while focusing on forging their own handmade bottle openers. A perfect introduction to the craft of forging, this course teaches the basics of heating, hammering, and shaping steel.

In three hours, we will cover techniques such as punching, drifting, tapering, and more. This class focuses on forging techniques for small pieces; think less brute force and more precise detail. No need to be big and burly!

No previous experience necessary; all tools and materials are provided.

INSTRUCTOR BIO: John D. Harvey caught the blacksmithing bug at The Steel Yard (Providence, RI) in 2014. His work leans heavily towards organic shapes and designs as well as household products. Currently, he forges out of his own shop (JDH Metalcraft) in East Providence, RI, and teaches at The Steel Yard.

COURSE WITHDRAWAL & TRANSFERS: All enrollments are subject to our REGISTRATION & ENROLLMENT POLICIES.

Weekend Welding

with Various Instructors

Next session: November 7th to 8th, 2026

$400 More Info

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Spend a weekend learning the basics of metalworking: ripping through steel with gas torches and fusing it back together with a 10,000° electrical arc! This two-day workshop introduces you to MIG welding, the oxygen-acetylene torch, various metal saws, and the grinder. By the end of the first day, you will be able to heat, cut, join, bend, and polish. On the second day, you will use your new skills creating a project to take home. No previous experience necessary. This is a great opportunity to explore welding for the first time. Materials and tools will be provided.

The course should give you the skills to begin your own artistic welding exploration. These classes do not lead to certification.

Open studio access after the completion of this course may be purchased on the website. Open studio runs Monday (3-6pm), Thursday (3-6pm) and Sundays (5-8pm).

COURSE WITHDRAWAL & TRANSFERS: All enrollments are subject to our REGISTRATION & ENROLLMENT POLICIES.

Payment plan available: $100.00 deposit plus 4 payments of $75.00, paid weekly

Metal to Petals

with Kendra Plumley

Next session: December 3rd, 2026

$165 More Info

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

In this beginner friendly 3hr taster, students will be introduced to the MIG welder, plasma cutter and shaping techniques to fabricate their own custom metal flower!

Students will have the option of using the provided pattern or designing their own. The patterns will provide a template that will be transferred on to sheet metal and then cut by students with the handheld plasma cutter. Students will then use the angle grinder to cut their stems to size and clean their cut outs. We will discuss shaping the petals, dishing out with a hammer or folding with pliers. Students will assemble the flowers by tack welding their components to the stems. This course will provide beginners with the opportunity to explore metal fabrication in a shop setting, introduce new equipment and the proper PPE.

INSTRUCTOR BIO: Kendra Plumley is a queer interdisciplinary artist from Providence Rhode Island. Kendra has a background in painting, illustration and metal working with a focus on the hand held plasma cutter. They believe that art and education are forms of resistance and empowerment.

COURSE WITHDRAWAL AND TRANSFERS: All enrollments are subject to our REGISTRATION & ENROLLMENT POLICIES.

Payment plan available: $50.00 deposit plus 1 payment of $115.00

Punch it, Chewie! Making tempered punches and chisels from carbon steel

with Mark Oribello

Next session: December 5th, 2026

$220 More Info

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Blacksmiths have historically been the source of tools, from ploughshares to knives and axes to tableware. More importantly, blacksmiths have always made and altered their own tools to suit the job at hand. In this class we’ll make a blacksmith’s round punch and chisel out of high-carbon steel – two hand tools used regularly by blacksmiths.

You’ll learn how to work with high-carbon steel, how to temper it for regular use, and some options for other shapes and hand tools. Students should have had at least one other blacksmithing class and should know how to draw and taper steel. Students should also be able to start, tend, and break down a coal forge fire.

INSTRUCTOR BIO: Mark Oribello is an artist / blacksmith / fabricator / carpenter / firefighter / paramedic whose main interests lie in making new blacksmiths, fabricators and useful objects, which are very often the same thing. In addition to teaching at the Yard he is also an instructor at the RI Fire Academy and occasional helper / instructor at Prospect Hill Forge in Waltham, MA.

COURSE WITHDRAWAL AND TRANSFERS: All enrollments are subject to our REGISTRATION & ENROLLMENT POLICIES.

Payment plan available: $50.00 deposit plus 2 payments of $85.00, paid every four weeks

Stick Welding Workshop

with Mark Oribello

Next session: November 22nd, 2026

$250 More Info

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Shielded metal arc welding, or stick welding, was first developed in 1888 as one of the first methods of electrical welding. It remains popular because it’s cheap, simple, and versatile. In an emergency, stick welding can be performed with a couple of car batteries, making it the perfect method for welding your post-apocalyptic zombie-hunting buggy together! We’ll cover the basic techniques of stick welding with some “easy” rods for mild steel. You will learn how to select and use personal protective equipment and techniques for joining mild steel. You’ll also practice “scratch” starts. We’ll go over angle grinder use for cutting, grinding, and finishing your welds. You will have lots of time to practice and create in the afternoon.

INSTRUCTOR BIO: Mark Oribello creates useful items out of steel using blacksmithing techniques combined with modern fabrication tools. He teaches at The Steel Yard in Providence and at Prospect Hill Forge in Waltham, MA, where he first learned blacksmithing.

COURSE WITHDRAWAL AND TRANSFERS: All enrollments are subject to our REGISTRATION & ENROLLMENT POLICIES.

Online registration unavailable

Photolithography on CLay

with Ava Moniz

Next session: November 6th, 2026

$125 More Info

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Are you interested in working with ceramics but also have a love for photography, illustration, printmaking, or ALL THREE? Join us in this three hour workshop to bring your favorite photos into the tangible ceramic world! Students who join this class will be guided through the process of Photolithography and its application onto ceramic tiles. We will go over technique as well as finesse to make your ceramic tiles as unique as you!

INSTRUCTOR BIO: Ava Moniz is a ceramicist and video artist born and raised near Providence, Rhode Island. As a local, Moniz feels connected to the natural features the state has to offer, reflected in her ceramics via natural clay body exposed through layers of glazed brushstrokes on functional pottery. She believes everyone can find their own path to succeeding in wheel throwing and urges students to explore alternative ways of approaching the medium!

COURSE WITHDRAWAL AND TRANSFERS: All enrollments are subject to our REGISTRATION & ENROLLMENT POLICIES.

Payment plan available: $50.00 deposit plus 1 payment of $75.00

Metal Roses

with Mark Oribello

Next session: November 8th, 2026

$250 More Info

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will explore basic blacksmithing techniques and serve as an introduction to a centuries-old art. Starting with copper (which can be worked cold) students will explore smithing skills such as tapering, drawing, and bending using a series of hammers and an anvil as they create a rose using the “Imperial Rose” technique. Once students have familiarized themselves with these basic skills we’ll move to steel. Students will be able to use their newly-acquired smithing skills to forge and shape steel to create a steel rose, changing a rigid piece of industrially-created metal to create an organic, individual shape. No prior blacksmithing or metalworking experience is necessary.

No prior experience is needed. You will learn basic blacksmithing techniques including tapering, scrolling, bending, twisting, and finishing.

INSTRUCTOR BIO: Mark Oribello is an artist / blacksmith / fabricator / carpenter / firefighter / paramedic whose main interests lie in making new blacksmiths, fabricators and useful objects, which are very often the same thing. In addition to teaching at the Yard he is also an instructor at the RI Fire Academy and occasional helper / instructor at Prospect Hill Forge in Waltham, MA.

COURSE WITHDRAWAL & TRANSFER: All enrollments are subject to our REGISTRATION & ENROLLMENT POLICIES.

Payment plan available: $50.00 deposit plus 4 payments of $50.00, paid weekly

Hand Carved Signet Rings

with Marisa McCarthy

Next session: October 25th, 2026

$200 More Info

COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this one-day workshop, you will learn to make a custom signet ring using the ancient lost-wax casting method. You’ll learn about the history of signet rings and emblems, then design your own. By hand-carving wax, students will create their own ring design and transfer it onto wax before engraving the design on the ring’s face. Using the lost-wax casting method, a mold will be made of the wax rings in plaster. Rings will be sent out for casting and finished rings will be available for pick up about three weeks after the workshop. During this workshop, students will gain basic wax-carving and engraving skills as well as an understanding of the lost-wax casting method.

Casting service in sterling silver is included with the purchase of this course.

INSTRUCTOR BIO: Marisa McCarthy is a painter and metalsmith from Massachusetts. She received a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and a BA in Environmental Studies from Tufts University. Her practice approaches art-making as ethnography, creating multicultural objects and adornments.

COURSE WITHDRAWAL & TRANSFERS: All enrollments are subject to our REGISTRATION & ENROLLMENT POLICIES.

Payment plan available: $50.00 deposit plus 2 payments of $75.00, paid weekly

Forge your own Stocking Hanger

with John Harvey

Next session: December 10th, 2026

$170 More Info

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This holiday season, you can hang your stockings on the fireplace mantle in style! In this 3-hour blacksmithing “taster” course, you’ll forge a sturdy hook-under stocking hangar that relies on gravity and weight to keep the hangar in place. You’ll learn to forge a taper, a hook, and then metal bending to form the corners. We’ll also cover some decorative metal texturing and finishes to make your stocking hangar really pop. Also, these hangars can be used all year round to hang different seasonal or year-round decorations from your mantle. This class is intended for complete beginners.

INSTRUCTOR BIO: John D. Harvey caught the blacksmithing bug at The Steel Yard (Providence, RI) in 2014. His work leans heavily towards organic shapes and designs as well as household products. Currently, he forges out of his own shop (JDH Metalcraft) in East Providence, RI, and teaches at The Steel Yard.

COURSE WITHDRAWAL AND TRANSFERS: All enrollments are subject to our REGISTRATION & ENROLLMENT POLICIES.

Payment plan available: $50.00 deposit plus 2 payments of $60.00, paid every four weeks

Build your own Ring: Lost wax build up method

with Julianna Conti

Next session: November 18th, 2026

$165 More Info

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Can’t find that ring you’ve been dreaming of? Come make it yourself in this one-day workshop exploring the lost wax build-up method. You’ll learn how to drip and layer molten wax to form your ring, then refine it with added texture, carved designs, or smooth, polished finishes. You’ll be guided and supported through each step as you discover your own unique way of working. This hands-on process is meditative, perfect for anyone wanting to explore a relaxed, expressive creative outlet. Finished rings will be cast in sterling silver and returned to you after the workshop. Casting service in sterling silver is included with the purchase of this course.

INSTRUCTOR BIO: Julianna Conti is a Providence jewelry artist specializing in lost wax casting. She crafts designs inspired by nature, memories, and the people in her life. She has been teaching at The Steel Yard for a year and love uplifting students and helping them find their creative voice in a welcoming, inclusive space.

COURSE WITHDRAWAL AND TRANSFERS:

All enrollments are subject to our REGISTRATION & ENROLLMENT POLICIES.

Payment plan available: $50.00 deposit plus 2 payments of $57.50, paid every two weeks