Blacksmith Portfolio

Enjoy some pictures of my creations I’ve forged in my blacksmith portfolio. I don’t take pictures of everything I make (that would be a job unto itself!), but I do try and get some shots of things that are a bit different or items that are above and beyond normal quality. Also there’s pictures of custom work I’ve done.

For the everyday stuff that I forge and sell you can see those items in the shop.

Everything you see in this portfolio is hand forged. No two items are identical. Similar yes, but never identical as hand forging isn’t a precise process but that’s what makes everything unique and one of a kind.

Terminology

Just some quick terminology and explanations for things you’ll see below in the portfolio.

Chamfer – When the edges of an object are hammered so they aren’t so square. This usually products a clean angled line.
Mild Steel – This is common steel used for a wide variety of things from construction to welding to of course blacksmithing. Unless noted otherwise, all items I forge are of mild steel.
Volute – This is when something curls into itself. You’ll most often see them below on the ends of things like hooks and handles.

Fire & Grill Tools

Andirons

These andirons were done as a commission for a customer who liked the ones his sister has. He took pictures and gave me measurements. I then reproduced them based on that info.

These are 18″ deep and measure about 19″ tall.

Leaf Wrapped Fire Poker

I had run out of my usual stock and needed a fire poker for a craft fair and this was what I came up with – a leaf wrapped handle with a rope twist.

Evaporator Rake

I was contacted by Maple Rush Sugar House to forge them an evaporator rake. Their evaporator is long and they needed something that could reach in, break up the ash, and have them not burn their hands. This was my solution.

Kitchenwares

Colonial Spatula

A Civil War reenactor commissioned me to make him a Colonial style spatula. He also wanted a reverse twist on there. While it’s not a traditional Colonial spatula it’s definitely in the style – just with more flare.

Gardening & Outdoors

All the fun things you need to enjoy the outside!

Garden Trowel

I made this for my wife from a railroad spike.

Gun Rack

I forged this for a local Civil War reenactor. I made 8 hooks and 2 stakes. The customer added a 2″x2″ piece of wood between the two stakes and added the hooks to it. I think it looks amazing all done and setup.

Sign Hanger

A local floral artist had a sign made for her and she commissioned me to make her a sign hanger. This was the first time I’ve forged anything like this and I had a great time and also learned a lot.

Quadruple Ridge Pole Hanger

I have some ridge pole hangers in the shop, but this customer wanted a quadruple one (2 hooks per-side). This is for another Civil War reenactor so you can see it all setup in his tent.

Home Decor & Decorative Items

In this section you’ll find various items to decorate your house or simply decorative items for anything you’d like.

Cabinet Handles

These cabinet handles were part of a custom order where 22 were needed. The customer wanted simple and they needed to fit a standard 3″ hole distance for 18 of them and a 3 1/2″ distance for 4 of the handles.

The customer wanted each handle to be unique. So instead of bending these all with a jig to get a nice uniform look, each handle was done entirely by hand. Also the feet (where the screw goes) you’ll notice aren’t perfectly uniform either. I didn’t aim for perfect on these to accomplish that distinct look with each handle.

Here’s some before and after shots from cheap store bought handles to solid steel hand-forged handles.

Charcuterie Board Handles

I did a commission for a local woodworker who makes charcuterie boards and cutting boards. I made him 6 sets of handles: 3 painted and distressed, 3 with a forged finish.

Coffee Table Legs

This was a fun commission for coffee table legs. The customer wanted something organic and nature related. We tossed around some ideas and landed on what you see. The idea being it’s like a tree’s growth rings. I added a wood-like texture to the vertical pieces for some visual interest. Whenever I do added detail like this, I distress it to really make the dimensional texture apparent.

The customer will finish the live edge top. In the pictures I just set it on top of the legs. So if things look a bit off, it’s that coupled with trying to stand this on grass.

J Hooks (Coat Hooks)

I have a lot of different styles of J hooks, which are most often used as coat hooks. Many of them are minor differences from one to the next.

Railroad Spike Double Hook

Forged from railroad spikes these double hooks are rugged and fun.

Letter Openers

While most of us communicate digitally, there’s just something classic about a nice letter opener.

Lantern Hanger

Admittedly this was forged as a plant hanger. However, the customer decided to use it to hang a lantern from and I think it looks great!

Shelving Brackets with Twisted Cross Section

These brackets are for 8″ shelves and are made of 3/4″ wide, 1/4″ thick mild steel. With the cross section, which isn’t just for decoration, these will hold up to a lot of weight.

Each cross section is fastened with a traditional blacksmith rivet so it’s not only functional but decorative.

Miscellaneous

Blood Bowl Trophy

A friend of mine asked me to make a trophy for Blood Bowl which is a tabletop miniature game. The game has a fantasy setting and it’s American football but devastatingly brutal. Picture Orcs, Goblins, Trolls, etc. all smashing each other while trying to get a football across the field.

This was a game I played a lot before I got into blacksmithing so I knew exactly what I wanted the trophy to look like.