Foldforming Master Class with Charles Lewton-Brain 5/4/25

Foldforming Master Class with Charles Lewton-Brain 5/4/25

Class | Available

Master Class
5/4/2025-5/9/2025
9:00 AM-5:00 PM EST on Mon Tue Wed Th
Download iCalendar
$795.00
$21.00

Foldforming Master Class with Charles Lewton-Brain 5/4/25

Class | Available

MASTER CLASS: FOLDFORMING
INSTRUCTOR: CHARLES LEWTIN-BRAIN

Overview: 
This unusually long and thorough 6 day workshop is an overview of the whole system-a real, and rare, opportunity to learn it all. Foldforming is a new, rapid, easily learned way of shaping sheet metal with hand tools. It lets you design and compose with metal in 3D. Rather than forcing form upon the material forms are derived from the natural plasticity, ductility and elasticity of the metal. An original invention, it is internationally recognized as a new approach to working metal. Developed steadily since 1980, many schools teach it and thousands of people use the methods. Shaping is extremely efficient and fast (many radical changes in cross section and surface can be made in 3-5 minutes). Tools are simple; fingers, hands, hammers, mallets, anvils and rolling mills. Complex high relief forms are produced from single sheets of metal often with a single annealing. These shapes resemble chased, constructed and soldered forms. The techniques work with all metals and are applicable for jewellery, holloware, sculpture, enamelling, anodizing etc.

 

Class Kit Fee: $50 Payable to  WH

Estimated Materials Fee:0 to $50

Prerequisites: None

 

Students Please Bring:

Notebook, pens, camera for recording samples.

Safety goggles and ear plugs or muffs

Hammers and mallets. Best are forging and raising hammers

MASTER SERIES REFUND POLICIES


  • Once you have enrolled and paid tuition, there are no refunds or credits issued for Master Class Workshops if you are unable to attend.
  • By enrolling in a Master Class workshop, you affirm your acceptance of our no refunds policy and represent to us that you possess the appropriate skills to comply with the prerequisites.  
  • In the event that William Holland School must cancel the workshop, a refund or credit will be issued.  
  • Master Classes are not eligible for Instructor Free Class, scholarships or Instructor family member pricing.

**MINIMUM OF 6 STUDENTS REQUIRED FOR THIS CLASS

 

  • Hammer Sets for Fold-Forming

    Lewton-Brain©21

    Hammers for foldforming include some regular unchanged commercial hammers. This means you can use them as they come from the supplier. Examples include chasing hammers, leather mallets, paper mallets, bordering hammers (for smaller work)  and planishing hammers. Forging hammers however have to have a very specific shape in order to use them for foldforming.  This means that you often need to change the face shape. This video (sales support the Ganoksin Project) shows how to change it: https://www.ganoksin.com/video/preparing-hammer-fold-forming/

    Info on hammers: http://brainpress.com/Foldformingtools.shtml

    Not too rounded a face: http://brainpress.com/images/TOOLS/synclasticface1.jpg

    Weight

    The size and weight of the hammer affect efficiency and the size of the work done.  I will list as well the hammers I use most myself. See this page for images of my favorite hammers   http://www.brainpress.com/Foldformingtools.shtml

    For objects under an inch and a half fretz forging hammers can work.

    SUPPLIERS:

    Allcraft

    http://www.allcraftusa.com/

    This NYC supplier specializes in working with clients. They are currently the only supplier to actually offer and reshape a consistent hammer face that is useful for foldforming. Ask for the foldforming hammer. I use the 500 gram raising (bordering) hammer the most. (NC Black has a couple of good hammer shapes for smaller/jewelry scale work and is working collaboratively with me on creating a series of hammers specific to foldforming.)

     

    My own adapted hammer:

    This 300g hammer has a proper forging peen for foldforming jewelry scale objects, and a planishing, low forming face as well, ($70 (s+h $20)

     

    Allcraft Fold-Forming Hammer Set

    Raising Hammer 078-02 

    Raising Hammer 200g  078-04

    Raising Hammer 300g

    Planishing hammer (big) 077-03

    Ask for the ‘Cogswell’ forging hammer, or the foldforming hammer. I like the 500gram one the best.

    Catalogs and information: 800-645-7124 fax; 800-845-7125

     

    Otto Frei

    Phone: 1-800-772-3456

    Fax: 1-800-900-3734

    These are suggested hammers to have for fold-forming. You may already have these hammers in your collection. This lists the hammers that Otto Frei carries that are useful for fold forming. While not all the hammers useful for fold-forming they represent a good starting group. Two different sets are suggested, one for jewelry scale work and the other for medium to large work (several inches across). Note they may no longer have these exact hammers available.

     Set #1     Jewelry scale fold-forming

    137.003           raising 400g:  $34.95

    137.033           planishing 170g:  $34.95

    137.018           raising 300g:  $34.95

    137.220           16mm  7 0z :  $32.95

    137.703           41mm, 8 oz rawhide mallet:  $23.50

     Set #2     Jewelry and larger work fold-forming

    137.003           raising 400g:  $34.95

    137.033           planishing 170g:  $34.95

    137.018           raising 300g: $34.95

    137.703           41mm, 8 oz rawhide mallet:  $23.50

     

    Also contact:

    Rio Grande Company     1-800-545-6566           

    Some selection of hammers for foldforming. Bordering hammers have the right face.

     

    NC Black has several hammers that will work for lighter and smaller objects.

    https://www.ncblack.com/product/padre-hammer

     https://www.ncblack.com/product/brooke-forging-hammer

     Useful for foldforming https://www.ncblack.com/product/shelby-raising-hammer,

    Note we are in discussions to produce some foldforming specific hammers.

      

    Fretz hammers

    The large forging hammer works well for small-medium objects but the face dents easily and it is very narrow-may need reshaping.

     Picard hammers are very good but need to be reshaped.

    https://contenti.com/hammers/picard-hammers/picard-heavy-bordering-hammer

     

     

     

Lewton-Brain, Charles
Charles Lewton-Brain

Charles Lewton-Brain learned and worked in Germany, Canada and the United States. His work is concerned with nature and structure. His jewelry and research into compositional systems for metal working has been published internationally. He invented and disseminated foldforming, a system of working sheet metal new to the field. Charles received Canada’s highest honor for Craft, The Saidye Bronfman Governor Generals Award. He co-founded the Ganoksin.com Project with Dr. Hanuman Aspler in 1996, now the worlds largest educational website for jewelers. He has over 1000 pages of his writing there.