These images document the working forge, the castle setting, and the Middle Rhine landscape surrounding the program.
Middle Rhine ValleyThe Rhine belowCastle forgeFire beneath the wallsAt the fireA forge in the old stonesBacharachThe village beyond the forgeEvening forgeShared fireAfter darkWork by firelight
02 · Southern Africa
Namibia
African Forge & Safari
Work with local materials at an Egumbo forge in the Kingdom of Ondonga, then travel through Namibia's northern and southern landscapes.
Three distinct journeys · private groups of 1–3
0112 days
Forge & Safari
$8,600
The core forge experience paired with a focused wildlife route.
0218 days
Grand Safari & Forge
$10,900
More time across northern Namibia with expanded safari travel.
0330 days
Artist Residency & Safaris
$12,800
A longer residency built around studio time, forging, and extended travel.
01 · The route
From the forge to the desert.
Routes may include Windhoek, Tsumeb, Etosha, Oshikoto, Epupa Falls, Damaraland, the Namib Desert, and Messum Crater.
02 · What's included
The working journey.
Lodging, two meals daily, lessons, safari tours, equipment rental, and airport shuttle included
Safari camping may be required; non-camping itineraries are available at a different rate
Rates are flat for 1–3 people; airfare is not included
A landscape shaped by distance, wildlife, and iron.
These photographs document the wildlife, desert light, and iron-rich landmarks surrounding the forge-and-safari route.
Namib DesertDesert lightWild NamibiaGiraffe countrySafari roadShared passageNorthern NamibiaAfter the day’s travelHoba MeteoriteIron from the sky
Maine artisanal mining
Read the ground. Recover the knowledge.
From introductory rockhounding to a working certificate, the Guild's field program keeps Maine's small-scale mining heritage active through low-impact, legal, and environmentally responsible practice.
01
WassataquiokBlack Banded Jasper & Runic Granite
Difficult · Full dayP
02
MunsunganRed Banded Jasper
Moderate · Full dayP / L
03
East BranchHoney Chalcedony, Jaspers & Cherts
Easy · Partial dayP
04
Roosevelt’s SecretChalcedony, Greenstone, Diabase & more
Easy · Partial dayP
05
Devonian PlutonSimple Pegmatites, Grus, Banded Iron & Chalcopyrite
Equipment is charged once when planning multiple days. Primitive camping is available at select claims; bring your own equipment and follow a carry-in, carry-out policy.
Certificate program
Valley Forge · Winn, Maine
Artisanal Mining Certificate
A full-day course at an artisanal mine covering safe, low-impact, environmentally responsible mineral and stone extraction under Maine law. The assessment includes two attempts before the course must be retaken.
Scheduled as neededInstructor: Sam Smith, Guildmaster$650
Functional, architectural, and personal work from the hands of Guild smiths and international partners.
01
Architectural restorationEast Waterboro, Maine
Historic ironwork
02
Pattern-welded bladeGuild collection
Bladesmithing
03
17th-century formTraditional beeswax finish
Hearthware
/ 06 — The Guild
Preserve the past. Forge the next.
The Maine Blacksmith's Guild is a private organization of working shops formed to protect, teach, and advance traditional ironwork.
Its lineage draws from the Howell Works Blacksmith's Guild and the early American shops that kept communities moving. What began as one shop on the Penobscot River has grown into a network across Maine, Europe, and Africa.
Guild expeditions catalog and recreate lost ironwork. Apprentices bring those techniques home, passing hand knowledge forward before it disappears.
East WaterboroSouthern Maine HQBridgtonWestern MaineWinnPenobscot regionBacharachGermanyOshikotoNamibia
Sam is a Maine-based Master Blacksmith with more than twenty years in the trade. He leads the Guild as a working smith, teacher, and keeper of a tradition that is learned hand to hand.
His work moves between custom ironwork, private instruction, apprenticeships, historic research, and public demonstrations. Whether he is guiding a first-time student or tracing the story of Maine's old forges, the goal is the same: keep practical knowledge alive by putting it to work.
GuildmasterSam H. SmithMaster Blacksmith · Educator
/ 08 — Watch the work
Go beyond the forge door.
The Guild's public channel follows the work where it happens: at the anvil, beside Maine's rivers, and among the old mines and forges that shaped the region.
