I started working as a logger at 16, and also worked as a trapper and a rancher, eventually progressing into blacksmithing. While working as a rancher I found a lot of blacksmith tools and my interest grew from there.

Starting more seriously about 20 years ago with just a pair of vise grips, a hammer, and a borrowed anvil, I began a long journey to learn the art of blacksmithing. Beginning by making most of my own tongs and other tools, and borrowing from friends what I could not make, I learned how to make a coal fire from instructions in a 30 page, three dollar book I had. I brought in my first few bags of good coal from Oklahoma City, and once this ran out, no more could be obtained. So, searching for an alternative, I constructed a retort, and began making my own charcoal as fuel. During the first year, this is all I had to work with.

As I went on, I learned to use spare car parts to make tools from, and obtained an anvil of my own. With the new anvil, and a riveting forge, many things became much easier. My first shop was tiny, only 8'x10', lit by candles. As I went on learning, all mistakes were kept under the bench for reference later on. Early on, a few books were of help to me, such as M.T. Richardson's Practical Blacksmithing - Part One and Practical Blacksmithing - Part Two. As well, Alexander Weyger's The Making of Tools was an excellent resource.

After about 7 years of trial and error, driving my wife crazy, I had learned enough to work in the Folk Life Pavilion at Expo '86 in Vancouver, BC. That experience helped out a lot, and I found that there were more people out there doing what I was trying to do. Talking to them was a great learning tool as well. I met a few retired blacksmiths who taught me some tricks, and their knowledge was a great help to me.

Later on, I met a man who had a full shop of tools and equipment that he didn't use, yet I couldn't convince him to sell some or all of it to me. About 5 years after that, I stopped in to see him, and he decided to sell me two truckloads of tools, among them a 25 lb. Canadian Giant power hammer. Learning to use this hammer relieved a lot of the strain on my arm and shoulder, and made it possible to do much more than before. Along with this, I also now use a propane forge that I built myself, and this is much better to use than a coal forge.

Building most of my own tools has made it possible to make my work personal and unique. My designs come from what I have experienced and a sense that tells me what will look good as wrought iron.

Many years of practice and experience, along with the right equipment, have made it possible for me to make a living from blacksmithing in my own shop.