Entry No. 10 — the Santa Fe file — filed under: blacksmithing
Make Santa Fe
A nonprofit community makerspace where 'Badge' classes certify you to use real industrial equipment — forges, MIG welders, a CNC plasma table, metal lathes, aluminum casting, a wood lathe. The 'Forging Essentials: The Art of Blacksmithing' badge class teaches forge operation and hammer-and-anvil basics, and it rotates alongside welding, wood-turning, sand casting, and knife-sharpening badge classes scheduled essentially every week through 2026.
The story
Santa Fe’s glossy gallery district on Canyon Road sells finished ironwork for five figures, but down off All Trades Road in the industrial Siler-Rufina grid, you can actually heat steel to glowing yellow and beat it with a hand hammer yourself. Make Santa Fe operates as a non-profit industrial makerspace, serving as a shared communal shop for local artists, tinkerers, and builders who need serious machinery without buying their own industrial warehouse.
Instead of handed-down passive tours, the space runs a tight roster of practical 'Badge' classes designed to certify you on heavy hardware. In courses like *Forging Essentials: The Art of Blacksmithing*, *Molten Metal Sand Casting*, or the *CNC Plasma Table* class, you learn forge management, anvil ergonomics, and metal cutting basics from people who actually know what they're doing. Once certified, members get access to a floor packed with MIG welders, metal and wood lathes, laser cutters, 3D printers, and CNC routers.
Between weekly community drop-ins and absurd local spectacles like power-tool racing fundraisers, it remains one of the few spots on the south side where Santa Fe's maker subculture gets its hands covered in machine grease and iron dust.
What it's like
Inside, the room smells of sawdust, metal grinding fluid, and forge burn. The atmosphere is unpretentious and focused—people in canvas work jackets tinkering silently or shouting safety instructions over power tools. If you aren't ready to lock in a full badge certification class, roll up on a Third Friday between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm for their Open Forge & Fire Arts Night, or swing by for a guided space tour at 6:00 pm. Crucial tip: wear 100% natural fibers like cotton jeans and leather boots; synthetic fabrics will melt instantly if hit by stray forge sparks.
The move: Take the Blacksmithing badge class together on a Saturday morning, then come back later in the month for Molten Metal Sand Casting or the CNC Plasma Table class — you'll each leave the first session having actually forged something with a hammer and anvil.
- 📍 Santa Fe (south side / Siler-Rufina district)
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 2879 All Trades Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87507
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Bostick & Sullivan — Pair your hands-on metal fabrication with a visit to this nearby 19th-century photography supply house that still compounds wet-plate collodion chemistry by hand.
- Prairie Dog Glass (inside Jackalope) — Double down on high-heat physical crafts by heading half a mile over to watch or take a glassblowing session inside Jackalope.
- Meow Wolf: House of Eternal Return — After learning how CNC routers and plasma tables operate, head down the road to see how local artists used industrial fabrication to construct Meow Wolf's massive installation.
Good to know
Do I need prior metalworking or fabrication experience?
No. The Badge classes are introductory certification sessions designed to teach beginners tool safety and basic operation from scratch.
What specific equipment is available at the makerspace?
The facility includes blacksmithing forges, anvils, MIG welders, a CNC plasma table, sand casting gear, metal and wood lathes, laser cutters, 3D printers, and CNC routers.
Can I check out the facility without taking a full class?
Yes. You can take a public tour on Friday evenings around 6:00 pm or attend community events like the Third Friday Open Forge & Fire Arts Night.
What should I wear to a blacksmithing or welding class?
Wear natural fibers (cotton or denim) and sturdy closed-toe leather boots. Synthetic materials melt against skin when struck by hot metal flying off an anvil.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-20