Black Forest ArtWorks

I am really excited about my summer blacksmithing adventures!  I signed up for a class with my favorite master smith, Mark Aspery at Touchst...

I have been making scroll candlestick holders and backscratchers lately to prep for the May Market Fair.  My goal will be to learn a lot mak...

Thursday, December 17, 2009 A Leaf Jeff made a beautiful leaf while blacksmithing the other day. It was quite an accomplishment because le...

Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose

Blest Be The Tie by Alexander Lawrence (Larry's first in the Goins series)

Was sent a neat article today from a friend: http://www.newsobserver.com/life/home_garden/story/224230.html Hot from the past BY DIANE DANIE...

Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follet (great!)

I did my first batch of wax finish today and it came out great!  I was nervous at first, as was my wife, considering all these heavy wax and...

Please join me and my family at the next Claude Moore Colonial Farm Market Fair!   It will be great to see you all there the  3 rd  full wee...

The Backyard Blacksmith (Jeff) - Lorelei Sims (perpetually open!) The Blacksmith's Craft (Jeff) - Charles McRaven A Short History of the...

After being cancelled on Saturday due to rain, the Market Fair at Claude Moore Farm in McLean, Virginia opened on Sunday, giving me the chan...

The anvil I will most likely use (unless Erin can convince me to use his because it rings more :-) ) at the Claude Moore Market Fair this Oc...

So, my wife says I'm "a bit nervous" , but talking about blacksmithing is going to be loads of fun for me! Plus, I get to demo...

I found some interesting information online today about hardness testing.  I am posting this here for my own purposes, so please don't q...

Some interesting stuff I found today online about dressing an anvil.  I have not tried this yet, but will soon.  I have not verified this co...

Progress continues on the anvil stand.  To hear my my wife talk about it, it's quite a rite of passage for a fledgling blacksmith. You c...

Here are the sites for the stuff I ordered this summer to complete my home forge:     Shed: www.bestbuiltsheds.net/c/262/workshops (6x10 Kha...

The Forge is Lit! My friend Steve and I decided to test out the new forge this afternoon. Steve is a farrier and has been mentoring me on my...

We're picking up steam here because I am scheduled to demonstrate blacksmithing at a colonial fair and marketplace on October 17-18th. T...

Progress continues - The shed was delivered on Monday morning! After some tricky maneuvering to get it into place in the back corner, we wer...

The plans for the blacksmithing forge continue!  The boys and I have been preparing the site for a new shed. Today, I got the welder and anv...

I have tried lots of hobbies over the years, but blacksmithing is one that has "stuck".  Up to now, I have been traveling once a w...

My blacksmithing education continued at a tool-making class I took this past weekend. As you can see from the photo, I had a great time. Bla...

After a peaceful Saturday at the cabin, we drove further out into the boonies on Sunday to meet my blacksmithing buddies who were on a missi...