Overview
A friend introduced me to blacksmithing in 2020. I went over to this house and he showed me the basics of forging. However, my interest in blacksmithing didn’t take hold immediately.
In 2021 my wife and I moved to New Gloucester. We bought a home with 4 acres of land. My friend brought all of his blacksmithing stuff over here because I had the space and there weren’t any neighbors to bother with the noise.
That was when I became interested in blacksmithing. I had the space to create and nobody to bother. I could walk to my barn and start forging without the need to drive somewhere or consideration of noise and appropriate hours to forge at because of noise ordnances.
In 2022 my interest exploded into a passion for blacksmithing. I took a beginner blacksmithing course at New England School of Metalwork. Between that course and endless hours of watching other smiths on YouTube, my ability with the trade improved, as did my confidence.
The thing I love about blacksmithing is the process of taking a simple piece of metal and transforming that into a functional item; whether that’s a simple hook for a coat or an ash shovel for a wood stove. It’s a balance of brute force and art.
While blacksmithing is steeped in centuries of tradition and technique there’s still plenty of room for creativity. I strive to find ways to put my own touch on anything I make.
At the end of the day I get an amazing amount of joy from forging items that anyone can use: hooks, spoons, coat racks, fireplace tools, etc. I want what I create to be accessible for people so they can see the difference between a hand-forged item and something that’s mass produced. Everything I make is one of a kind and no matter how many times I make the same item it’s always a little different. That’s something special about handcrafting and that distinct uniqueness should be appreciated.
