The first time Stephen Sheriff cast metal – a replica of the Wizard of Oz’s Tin Man – in front of an auditorium of elementary school students, he was hooked. Now, alongside his colleagues at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), he’s determined to give students and job seekers exciting, in-person forging experiences. 

Sheriff, who’s an engineer and research associate with the Fiber Composites Manufacturing Facility at Innovation South, is part of a team of almost 30 UTK staff and students who are bringing metalcasting to communities in East Tennessee. 

In partnership with METAL, a program led by IACMI – The Composites Institute®, with funding from the Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program, UTK has hosted four bootcamps for adults interested in metalcasting and 20 K-12 workshops. Both bootcamps and workshops cover metalcasting basics, including techniques for sand and investment casting. But now forging is becoming just as important to UTK’s education programs. 

Forging, the art of blacksmiths and swordmakers, is the process of re-shaping metal using extreme pressure to form a high-strength tool. Unlike casting, where metal is melted down, poured and cooled to become a new creation, a forger hammers, presses, or rolls solid metal into shape. Most of the time, forgers heat the metal to make it more pliable, but not always. A metal part can be both cast and then forged to completion—and both processes are critical to modern manufacturing. 

Today, there are about 3,000 stamping and forging companies in the U.S., but this number is declining. More than 240 forging plants closed and 21,000 jobs were eliminated as manufacturing left the U.S. However, the importance of forging is only growing for industry innovation and national security. Forging is necessary to produce critical parts in automotive, transportation, aerospace, energy and defense industries—from hand tools, hooks and chains to navy ships and fighter jets.     

“When people think of forging, they think of Forged in Fire or making anvils, knives and horseshoes—that sort of thing,” Sheriff explained. “We’re exposing students to the differences between cast and forged parts and how you’re affected by them every day.”  

New Irons In the Fire 

Sheriff loves the spark he sees in students when they learn how metal can be transformed. This spring, he awed students at Seymour Primary School with a live sand casting demonstration, bringing one of their favorite characters to life at the school’s annual Book Bash.

Now, as UTK plans to roll out a new K-12 blacksmithing workshop, Sheriff is ready to create more moments that spark curiosity for forging. 

“Seeing kids light up about what we’re doing is great,” he said. “When students get that metal part from whatever pattern they picked in their hands, and say, ‘This is really cool, I want to learn how to do this,’ it turns into a career or a hobby.”

Sheriff’s team recently tested the blacksmithing workshop’s new curriculum, which will include lessons on how to shape metal and use a forging press. Middle and high school students will have the opportunity to practice heating and flattening steel with an anvil before stamping the puck with a design.

One of the most important goals for Sheriff is helping students overcome their fear of working with red-hot metal.  

“A lot of people are very intimidated when you hand them a piece of metal that’s glowing orange,” he said. “Some students might have experience with shop safety, but when you get students that aren’t involved with those types of activities, you need more time with them.”

Sheriff said clay forging will be one activity offered to help students practice without feeling the heat. Polymer modeling clay moves similarly to hot metal, Sheriff explained. With a palm-sized clay cube, students will use a plastic ballpoint hammer to draw the shape out and then stamp it with UTK’s “Power T” before baking it into a finished forging.    

“I’m looking forward to getting students involved,” Sheriff said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Soon, UTK’s blacksmithing workshop will be available to schools across East Tennessee.  

The university is also adding an introduction to forging to their free week-long bootcamps. UTK’s bootcamps, hosted in partnership with METAL, offer college students, professionals and career seekers a rare, hands-on opportunity to learn about metallurgy—from designing 3D molds, to melting, pouring and casting metal, to now forging a finished product.   

Dustin Gilmer, an assistant professor in materials science and engineering at UTK who helps lead the bootcamps, believes forging skills will better prepare tomorrow’s workforce.     

“We were up and running really quickly with casting, but forging is a little bit more specialized,” Gilmer said. Through partnerships with METAL, Pennsylvania State University, and The Ohio State University, UTK is developing a forging curriculum for bootcamp participants who see a future for themselves in manufacturing. 

“We’re looking for people who think they have a career in this industry, and we’re trying to get them ready to enter the workforce,” Gilmer said. “That’s the goal of the bootcamps.”

Gilmer and his team plan to incorporate forging lessons and hands-on learning into UTK’s December bootcamp. 

Forging Community

Beyond skills training, Gilmer and Sheriff are focused on connecting students and bootcamp participants to the forging community. 

“We’ve lost a lot of this type of manufacturing in the U.S.,” Sheriff said. “We haven’t refreshed our workforce, and as foundry employees retire, there’s not many people coming up behind them learning the craft.”

The good news is, more than 3.8 million U.S. jobs will be there for metalworkers, engineers and manufacturing professionals who are ready to make an impact in the next decade. Gilmer said he’s been surprised by the number of metallurgical opportunities and support he’s found in Tennessee.

“When we first started our programs, I would’ve said we do not have a good metalcasting ecosystem. Since then, I have been proven wrong,” Gilmer said. “Having people champion us at the local level is why we’re so successful.”

For UTK’s team, the future of manufacturing starts with auditoriums of wide-eyed students and foundries where eager learners can discover the magic of metallurgy. 

“The first time you see somebody pouring molten metal, it’s an experience,” Gilmer said. “It’s something you don’t usually forget.”

Ready to forge your future? Register for our free online training then visit our events page to attend the next METAL bootcamp or workshop near you.