Workshops in Blacksmithing and Rural Crafts In the Mountains of Northwest Montana

Terrific News !

The New Agrarian School is now a 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit corporation, which means that any contributions made to the school are fully tax deductible for the donor.

This also qualifies us for grants and other funding sources. Why is this important? Because craft schools like this one cannot realistically pay for the programs we offer with income limited to registration fees alone. At least not without raising prices dramatically higher than what other schools charge (which are already nonprofits). So, if you value what we do here and are in the position to contribute to the school to help ensure we can continue to offer great workshops, please hit the “donate now” button and be part of the family that makes this school possible.

New Agrarian School is on YouTube

The curriculum and technology of the New Agrarian School is thoroughly steeped in history and tradition.

However, don’t expect an indulgence in nostalgia. The tooling, the attitude, and the imagination is very much in the present, and looking into the future.

The design and hand skills involved emphasize self-reliance, which is never outdated.

Fusing imagination with a practice rooted in very tangible skills, we endeavor to fuel individual creativity with heart, mind, and hand. We believe deeply that human beings are inherently makers, and that the practice of making enhances our lives both as individuals and members of a larger community.

Founded with an emphasis on the fundamental role of Blacksmithing

within the broader realm of traditional rural crafts. We are dedicated to fostering development of contemporary forged metalworking while both reaching into history and creating a more sustainable future. The school offers a wide variety of workshops from one to three weeks in length, along with studio assistantships, weekend classes, and flexible residencies. Our object is to offer dynamic educational opportunities for people of all skill levels — from beginner to journeyman. Class content and schedules are designed to provide a comprehensive curriculum for both avocational excellence and professional development.

The rural school setting is on ten acres in the Flathead Valley of Northwest Montana

surrounded by pristine lakes and rivers, at the foot of the Swan range of the Rocky Mountains. Flathead Lake is only minutes away, and it’s a short drive to Glacier National Park. All classes will be held in the well-equipped working studio of Jeffrey Funk. The school offers reasonably priced accommodations in simple, rustic cabins, with a central bathing and toilet facility. Motel and other options are also available in the area. There is a fine outdoor kitchen facility available to students, and the numerous local café’s and restaurants provide a variety of dining options.

New Agrarian School Reflections from 2024
What to expect in 2025

It is hard to believe that the New Agrarian School has just completed its sixth summer of blacksmithing workshops. Through the uncertainty of Covid, political whiplash, and inflation we’ve somehow not only survived, but strengthened. The 2024 lineup was a powerful one, with seven great workshops running through the summer. Tool making, knife making, and bloomery smelting kept a passionate group of students deeply engaged with this elemental craft. And, we have at l;ong last transitioned to being a nonprofit corporation, which poises us to accept outside funding to support the school’s ongoing operation and ensure a bright future.

For the upcoming 2025 summer season we are excited to have a fabulous group of guest instructors, including Mark Aspery, Jordan LaMothe, Anna Koplik, Pete Braspenninx, and Tony Stewart, along with Jeffrey Funk. This summer we decided to offer more classes that are one week in length…. Six of them. So if taking two weeks off from your busy summer is just too hard to pull off, you should be able to find a class of interest that is shorter. Three classes will allow a full two-week immersion. Please take a moment and check out the full descriptions of the 2025 workshops by clicking on “Workshops” at the top of this page.

If you’ve been to the school before, we hope you find something in the 2025 schedule that inspires you to return. If you are looking for a way to explore this amazing craft in a beautiful part of the country with extraordinary instructors, we sincerely hope to meet you this year. The New Agrarian School offers an opportunity to truly immerse yourself in an intensive learning experience, away from the humdrum of “normal” life, and in the company of others passionate about not only the craft of blacksmithing but how this work fits into the world at large.

newagrarianschool

OK forge geeks, this is the newly configured two c $OK forge geeks, this is the newly configured two chamber forge/furnace that is now thermostatically controlled. The details are more than can be shared on posts like this, but basically the idea here is to have a system that can accurately hold a prescribed temperature, avoid flame contact with the work inside, recycle the heat from the initial chamber to a preheat chamber, and exhaust all combustion byproducts into a chimney and out of the building. Subsequent photos here illustrate the main features, but in a nutshell, a digital controller is hooked up to both an air valve (that controls the combustion air input) and a propane valve that allows the burner system to operate on a high and low setting. The chambers are cast of hard refractory and insulated heavily. The burners are underneath the first chamber, and the length of the flame path is maximized. Good doors are critical to even heat and energy efficiency, here mounted at a five degree angle at the front of the chamber, and held by cables and counterweights. The exhaust exits the top rear of the second (right hand) chamber and is mixed with cold air before going up the chimney. Please look at the other photos in this series as well as the captions to get a better idea of how the thing works.$

This is the primary chamber of the furnace, shown

This is a view inside the second chamber of the fu

Here the system is turned off since the actual and

This photo shows the front of the panel during act

This is kind of the heart of the system. The two b $This is kind of the heart of the system. The two brass 90 degree elbows in the foreground house two, independently supplied gas jets, both with .045" orifices. In actual operation, the primary jet is always on, providing gas for warm up and idling at all times. The secondary jet is controlled by the controller, and is only on when the system calls for more heat in order to meet the temperature setting value. By having all of the gas enter one manifold to supply the burners (in this case four burners), there is always flame in the furnace and ignition for the second stage is guaranteed and smooth. The burners are exposed to a good bit of radiant heat from the refractory above them, and the constant supply of air and gas in this configuration keeps them cool. If burners get too hot it invites preignition, or "back burning". The air supply and the gas supply can be carefully tuned to assure proper mixture for both stages. The smaller fitting and tube behind the gas jets communicates the manifold pressure to the Magnehelic pressure gauge in the main panel. This helps in tuning the burners for optimal mixture.$

This is the butterfly air supply valve. You have t

This shot shows the basic propane controls. The 2n

So, I know this is of interest only to forge geeks

The solidified lava on the island of Hawaii can be

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