SHARE:
Forging Numbers and Letters
with Garry Kalajian
For more than two decades, blacksmith Garry Kalajian has taught students at Sanborn Mills Farm how to shape hot steel using traditional tools and methods. This season, he returns to lead a workshop that welcomes both beginners looking to learn foundational skills and experienced smiths interested in expanding their technical abilities.
Beginners will learn essential forging techniques, including tapering the ends of round and square bars and bending metal both freehand and with bending fixtures. More experienced participants will explore advanced projects using flat bars, forge welding, and riveting. These techniques allow smiths to create wider, tapered forms and more decorative designs while building on traditional forging skills.
Kalajian has worked as a full-time blacksmith since 1993 and operates a studio in Bradford, New Hampshire. His work is based on both historical and original designs and is known for its careful craftsmanship and faithful use of traditional tools and techniques.
His commitment to teaching has made him a familiar figure in New Hampshire’s craft community. He has been a resident artist at Bow Middle School, taught at Holderness School, and received seven Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Grants from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts as a Master Artist. Since 2000, he has regularly demonstrated blacksmithing at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Annual Fair at Mt. Sunapee State Park.
In 2002, Kalajian helped establish the blacksmithing teaching program at Sanborn Mills Farm, where he has continued to mentor students and preserve traditional metalworking skills. His teaching has also taken him beyond New England, leading workshops for the Ontario Blacksmiths Association, in Lerum, Sweden, and at the Adirondack Folk School.
The workshop offers participants an opportunity to learn directly from a craftsman whose career has been dedicated to both creating and teaching traditional blacksmithing. Whether learning basic hammer techniques or tackling more complex forged designs, students will gain hands-on experience with methods that have been passed down through generations of smiths.
Registration for the workshop closes Monday, June 8.
Handled Brooms with Larry Antonuk
Broom maker Larry Antonuk will lead a hands-on workshop at Sanborn Mills Farm for students interested in advancing beyond simple whisk brooms and learning to create handled brooms. Designed for beginners and experienced makers alike, the class introduces techniques that produce sturdier brooms suited for a variety of household and workshop tasks.
Participants will make several small round brooms, including cobwebbers, hearth brooms, lobby brooms, and small house brooms. Along the way, students will learn the knots, construction methods, and finishing techniques needed to build handled brooms using either found or purchased materials. Each participant will leave with a practice whisk and one or more handled brooms of their own design.
For those with previous broom-making experience, the workshop offers opportunities to explore more advanced decorative techniques, including plaiting and twilling. While prior experience is helpful, it is not required. Moderate hand and forearm strength, along with some hand-eye-foot coordination, will make the work more comfortable and enjoyable.
Antonuk’s path to broom making began in 2010 during a visit to the Enfield Shaker Museum in New Hampshire. After watching a broom-making demonstration, he became intrigued by the craft and later returned to study with Master Broom Maker Susan Brown. What began as a curiosity developed into a long-term commitment to researching and reproducing traditional Shaker broom designs.
Today, Antonuk is a frequent demonstrator at the Enfield Shaker Museum and sells his work through Shaker museums in Enfield and Canterbury, New Hampshire; Hancock, Massachusetts; Watervliet, New York; and Sabbathday Lake, Maine. His work reflects a deep appreciation for the practical design and craftsmanship associated with Shaker traditions.
A juried member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, Antonuk is also a familiar presence at the League’s annual fair at Mt. Sunapee, where he regularly demonstrates broom-making techniques for the public.
The workshop offers participants an opportunity to learn a traditional craft from an experienced maker while gaining the skills needed to continue making brooms on their own long after the class ends.
Our Company | Contact Us | FAQs | Privacy Policy
Mastering Mordants
June 24-28
Madeleine McGarrity
Discover the chemistry behind successful natural dyeing in this hands-on workshop focused entirely on mordants, fixatives, and fabric preparation. Through demonstrations, swatch-making, and guided experimentation, students will build a strong foundation in natural dye processes while exploring techniques that create richer color, stronger permanence, and endless creative possibilities.
Threads of Nature
June 17-21
Sarah K. Benning
Join us for Threads of Nature, a five-day mixed media embroidery retreat that combines drawing, painting, and hand stitching in a creative exploration of the natural world. Open to beginners and experienced artists alike, the retreat offers inspiration, instruction, and time to create in the peaceful setting of Sanborn Mills Farm.
Sanborn Mills Farm | 7097 Sanborn Road | Loudon, NH 03307 US