The Journey
Follow me as I visit back the friendships and the experiences of my journey in the craft of the blade.
Oakland, CA
Jeff Pringle met with me in Jim Austin's very well equipped shop in Oackland, CA. Jeff has been doing a lot of work in crucible steel (wootz) and viking pattern welding and inlaying. Jim works primarily as a architectural and artistic blacksmith and has done some outsanding bladesmithing as well. I admit that I like to visit Jeff just to have a taste of the culinary delicacies of San Francisco, but also I very much enjoy the conversation and the opportunity to use the Nazel 3B.
Jeff starting the fire
A very simple crucible forge
A crucible cooling down
Steel ingots with glass remnants
Jeff forging on the Nazel
Jim forging on the Nazel
Lexington, VA
SMELTFEST at Lee's shop in the mountains of Virginia is a week of experimental iron and steel smelting. Lee Sauder, Skip Williams, Darrell Markewitz, Dick Sargent from Peters Valley Crafts Center, Colonial Williamsburg blacksmiths Shel Browder and Steve Mankowski, and others like Jake Keen and Michael McCarthy, get together every year for good conversation and fun.
Skip digging at the bottom of the furnace
The gang watching Darrell
Steve forging a steel ingot
Lee watching the fire
Slag running off
Dick forging on the Beaudry
Jake and Darrell
The furnace running
Steel from a bloom
Marriottsville, MD
Kerry and Matt Stagmer, from Baltimore Knife & Sword, have been putting together a very versatile and interesting hammer-in on the East Coast: The Fire and Brimstone Hammer-In. It all started when Kerry offered me a place to run a tatara smelter for other people to see and participate. Walter Sorrells and Chris Price came over to help run the smelter, and many other demonstrators and bladesmiths joined in to share their knowledge and friendship, including: Rob Deker, Jeff Pringle, Larry Nowicki, Tony Swatton. Other fellow bladesmiths included Mike Lambiase, Matt Venier, Chris Moss, Sam Salvati, JJ Simon, Wally Yater, and many others I can't remember show up to enjoy the gathering.
Mike Lambiase grinding
Wally Yater holding F.L.O.
Matt Stagmer looking cool
Deker forging
Matt Venier turning red
Jesus on the Ironkiss hammer
Jeff Pringle cooking an ingot
Walter Sorrells and Kerry
Nowicki having breakfast
Steel from the bloom
Bristol, TN
Larry Harley from Lonesome Pine Knives used to gather together some of the most talented makers in a hammer-in held at his shop in Holston Mountain in early spring. Walter Sorrells and I used to drive up every year. I first met with Chris Price, Stephan Fowler and Alan Longmire there. Howard Clark, Don Fogg, Ric Furrer, Louie Mills, Rick Barrett, Steve Schwarzer, and many more who I forget, showed their talents there for others to watch. Mike Blue and Randal Graham used to cook a tatara and make steel and were my inspiration to get started making my own steel.
Steve Schwarzer and Larry Harley
Don Fogg watching the fire
Alan Longmire
250# Little Giant
Mike Blue covered in charcoal
Walter and Randal by the tatara
Tatara
Stephan Fowler and Don Fogg
Louie Mills at the hammer
Chris Price and Ric Furrer
Jesus and Rick Barrett
