I’m Tony (AKA: Thor) and I have no pedigree in blacksmithing, no formal training or apprenticeships under master blacksmiths, just a desire to learn and a love of the trade.
I began blacksmithing in 2021 during the pandemic. A friend of mine got me into it as he had taken a blacksmithing course at Open Bench Project in Portland, Maine.
It began as it does for most beginner blacksmiths by learning how to make hooks and those early hooks of mine were terrible, though I do still have them. For the next year I forged off and on as my friend and I had free time over at his house where he had a small setup with a propane forge.
The summer of 2021 my wife and I bought our house in New Gloucester. I started getting a shop setup slowly as I found tools and money permitted. In February 2022 my friend and I took a beginner blacksmithing course at the New England School of Metalwork. It was a 4 day course at 8 hours a day learning everything from the fundamentals up to forge welding.
It was an incredible course where I learned a lot and something I highly recommend any budding blacksmith attend.
Education and Learning to Blacksmith
A lot of my education comes from watching YouTube videos and putting what I see into practice.
If anyone is interested in starting up blacksmithing, then I highly recommend watching John with Black Bear Forge and Roy at Christ Centered Ironworks. Those two smiths are where I learn most of what I put into practice.
Between the videos, reading articles and books, it’s a process best learned through experience and so I spend a great deal of time forging for the sake of learning.
As mentioned above, I took a beginner class as New England School of Metalwork. I have also taken a week long course with Master Blacksmith Mark Aspery. It was during that class that I completed my Level 1 Course for ABANA (Artist-Blacksmith’s Association of North America).
Volunteer Work
In the summer of 2023 I began volunteering as a blacksmith at the Raymond Casco Historical Society. They have a wonderful blacksmith shop that’s 200 years old there. The Watkins Blacksmith Shop.
At Watkins I show how blacksmiths did their craft all those years ago with a coal forge and an anvil well over 100 years old.
It’s a great time to bring the family, check out the blacksmith shop, and also all the other amazing things the historical society has.
I have also volunteered at Pettengill Farm in 2023. I brought my stuff along to their amazing property and did demonstrations throughout the day.
Other than volunteer work you can also find me doing demonstrations at various events and fairs that we attend. You can always find where I’ll be and if I’ll be doing demonstrations on my events page. This includes when I’ll be at Watkins or Pettengill Farm.
My Love of the Craft
I have always enjoyed doing things with my hands. I have been a carpenter, I’m currently a programer, and I spent 14 year painting miniatures for wargames. I haven’t painted in a few years but I still have my blog Creative Twilight which is dedicated to miniature painting.
I enjoy fixing anything and learning how to do it. Learning new things is something I find great enjoyment in.
In my time blacksmithing I have found a passion I didn’t know I had. It’s a trade combines raw power and art. I’m shaping steel with a hammer and creating a functional item that’s often indistinguishable from it’s original form. There’s a magic in that which I’ve found addictive.
While I’ve enjoyed the previously mentioned hobbies, and even met a measure of success with miniature painting, they were just things I enjoyed doing. Blacksmithing though just feels like something I should be doing.
Once I began selling my work my passion for blacksmithing grew. To have other people enjoy what I make so much as to spend their own hard earned money on is a reward I never truly experience before.
That’s why I enjoy creating useful every day items. Whether it’s a coat hook, fire poker, or plant hanger I’m creating something that’s functional. I forge pieces that anyone can use in their home. For me, knowing what I make has a purpose and will be used every day gives me a sense of pride.
I also really love creating custom pieces for people as well. Being able to forge something for someone that they had drawn up in their mind is an amazing feeling.
There’s such a deep and rich history with blacksmithing. I feel if I spent 40 years doing it that I would still barely scratch the surface on what I could create and what I could learn. All these things fuel my passion to continue learning and push myself to become a better blacksmith.
Memberships
I’m a proud member of Maine Made. This is a state run program that spotlights artisans in Maine. The process to join is juried and not every applicant will become a member. I joined in 2023 and remain a member today.
ABANA (Artist-Blacksmith’s Association of North America) is an organization I’m a member of, having also joined that in 2023. This is a collective of blacksmiths in North America who support one another.
NEB (New England Blacksmiths) is a local chapter of ABANA that I joined in 2023. This is the local group of blacksmiths that meet twice a year for weekend events, and of course support one another.
Thor?
Oh, and if you’re wondering, the moniker Thor is one I’ve used since my earlier days of being on the internet back around 1994. Yes, I was in high school when the internet as we know it came to be – that’s how old I am.
Anyway, I’ve always enjoyed mythology and I’ve always loved thunderstorms, which made Thor a natural fit for an online handle.