Metalwork Merit Badge – Blacksmith

We offer a specialty two-part course specifically designed to fulfill the Blacksmithing option of the Metalwork Merit Badge. The course consists of two 3-hour sessions:

  • Session 1: Scouts will forge a J-hook and a tent stake puller (see photo attached). These projects meet the requirements for the Blacksmithing option—Option D—of the Metalwork Merit Badge.
  • Session 2: Scouts will work with sheet metal, covering techniques that fulfill the general crafting requirements listed at the top of the merit badge guidebook.

Cost: Each session is $70 per person, totaling $140 per person for the complete course.

Our instructor, Kyle, is a certified merit badge counselor and will sign off on the badge card once all requirements are met. While there are no prerequisites to attend, we recommend that scouts complete all written and associated badge work beforehand. This preparation allows Kyle to coordinate directly with the troop to review and confirm badge completion.

Please note that our recommendations for pre-class work are based on the latest updates from the BSA website:

  1. Read the safety rules for metalwork. Discuss how to be safe while working with metal. Discuss with your counselor the additional safety rules that apply to the metalwork option you choose for requirement 5.
  2. Define the terms native metal, malleable, metallurgy, alloy, nonferrous, and ferrous. Then do the following:
    • Name two nonferrous alloys used by pre-Iron Age metalworkers. Name the metals that are combined to form these alloys.
    • Name three ferrous alloys used by modern metalworkers.
    • Describe how to work-harden a metal.
    • Describe how to anneal a nonferrous and a ferrous metal.
  3. Find out about three career opportunities in metalworking. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.

If you’re interested, please reach out to us via email, phone, or text. We’d be delighted to schedule your troop for this two-part course!