About me…

My metalworking journey started in 2017 when I went to the Coffeyville Community College Columbus Technical Campus for welding school. It was there that I discovered a love for all things metal. Grinding, torch cutting, welding, fabrication, and we even had some small forging sessions. I had been interested in blacksmithing since I was in high school, but never had the opportunity to try it out. After making some roses and a few terrible knives, I was hooked on the craft.

Shortly out of welding school I went to work for Crossland Construction as an ironworker and soon became in charge of quality control for our crew. Which, for someone fresh out of welding school, was a daunting task to quality check welds from people who had been at it for decades. My boss seemed to trust my judgement, and I soon discovered that he also shared my fascination with blacksmithing. Out at his place we had the occasional hammer-in where we would make tools for roofing and figure out the nuances of forge welding.

When my wife and I moved out to the suburbs of Chicago, I continued my career welding stainless steel and copper alloy sheet metals at Just Manufacturing, and then as director of operations at Maid-o-Mist. It was at this point I started saving up for my own garage shop, starting with a cheap anvil, single burner forge, and a furnace for melting brass and copper. Over time I have built up a functioning fabrication and blacksmithing shop that I am quite proud of.

Since then I have also picked up an appreciation for leatherworking, which I have been trying to implement into the things I make in the form of protective cases, sheaths, and even handles.