Open Forge Night in Brooklyn: Hands-On Knife Forging at Craftsman Ave

Open Forge Night at Craftsman Ave turns an ordinary Brooklyn evening into a concentrated session of heat, hammering, and hands-on progress. Located at 68 34th St in Brooklyn, New York, this four-hour open studio invites alumni of the studio’s forging workshops to return to the forge, continue projects, or start new blades with focused support from the shop crew. The room is defined by function: a coal-fired forge that cranks steel to orange heat, heavy anvils with marked dents from decades of use, bench grinders lined with belts and wheels, and quench tanks for hardening—each feature staged for efficient blade-making.

The experience is intimate and deliberate. Open Forge Night accepts no more than six guests, keeping workstations generous and instructor attention close. This is a BYOS session—bring your own steel—so expect to see recycled tool steel, old files converted to blade stock, and experimental billets laid out on workbenches. The shop supplies the fire and grinders, plus a team that helps with shaping, tapering, and finishing. Because the event is reserved for intermediate makers who completed a forging workshop within the last year, conversations move fast: about heat cycles, normalized flows, tang geometry, and quench timing.

What makes this evening stand out in Brooklyn’s creative landscape is the raw practicality of the place. 68 34th St sits in an industrial corridor that reflects the borough’s manufacturing roots; Craftsman Ave’s workshop repurposes that heritage into a modern blacksmithing lab. The lighting highlights glowing metal, the roar of the forge replaces background music, and the rhythm of hammer strikes becomes your metronome. For city travelers seeking a tactile counterpoint to museums and cafes, this is a distinctly hands-on way to engage with Brooklyn’s maker culture.

Practicalities are straightforward: sessions last approximately four hours, start at about $85 per person, and maintain accessibility — the studio is stroller and wheelchair accessible. Minors must be accompanied by a guardian. Small class size and strict safety protocols mean you’ll have real time with tools without crowding. Whether you’re finishing a knife from an earlier class or iterating on a new profile, an Open Forge Night accelerates skill in a supportive, resource-rich environment.

Plan to arrive a few minutes early to set up at your bench and review safety procedures with the crew; leather aprons, eye protection, and closed-toe boots are strongly recommended. The small-group format and BYOS policy foster a culture of material stewardship, where makers swap techniques, critique grinds, and trade hardened stories late into the night. Bring curiosity and respect for safety.