Level I: Basic Blacksmithing.

This certificate will be awarded to those who have completed the Level I, basic training or the equivalent. They will have presented to their instructor the Gate Latch (see below) and have passed a safety test. By doing so they have shown an understanding of the basic skills of a blacksmith, including:

•         Safety
•         Nomenclature anvil, forge & vise
•         Hammers and types of hammer blows
•         Chisel, square & round point tapers
•         Staple (to match Gate Latch Project)
•         S-Hook; 1" ID
•         Taper project: Leaf or Hook or other
•         Hand Held center punch or round punch
•         Hand-held chisel
•         Hammer eye drift - short
•         Slotting punch to make hammer eye
•         Heat treat cold chisel, center punch
•         Monkey Tool 5/16 or Top Tool
•         Hand-held Fuller/simple Z bottom fuller 1/4"
•         Round Tenon 5/16" diameter to match Monkey Tool
•         Round Drift (also called Pin Drift)
•         Forge weld: Flux-Spoon and either trivet or Chain Links
•         Complete gate latch per drawing

Level I Student Packet (pdf)

The packet has the sign off sheet, materials lists, detailed requirements, and a drawing of the final project.

There are no time constraints or expectations placed on the completion of this level, as each individual has different levels of learning and access to the blacksmith shop.

Class Project

Gate Latch Updated July 2023

Additional Resources

If you do not have a CBA class in your area, or just want to prepare for an upcoming class, we recommend checking out YouTube videos. There are lots to choose from. Below is a list if the best ones we could find for the specific projects or skills. In the future, we hope to have our own CBA instructions videos for our members. Be sure to check out this list again in the future.

CBA Level 1 YouTube Videos. pdf