Meet our flagship tool

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Steam hammer, 1943, photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information

Industrial steam hammer

Little Giant ad

Homemade power hammer

Kyle forming a taper using our Little Giant soon after he finished refurbishing it.

Our refurbished 1918 50 lb Little Giant in the metal studio.

The power hammer is the workhorse of the modern blacksmith shop, replacing the traditional role of the striker in moving and shaping heavy stock. These impressive industrial machines have been around a long time. Trip hammers were known in China and Greece as early as the third century BC. During the 19th century, giant steam hammers were developed alongside steam locomotive technology. Line-shaft powered, and later electric motor powered mechanical hammers have been used by blacksmiths and other metalworkers since the late 19th century. In fact, those very machines are still used in metal shops today-- our own refurbished 50 lb Little Giant hammer was built in 1918!

Forged steel collaborations

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Forged steel is a versatile medium, beautiful in it's own right. But we also love to see the depths of color and texture created when blacksmiths collaborate with ceramic and glass artists. Here's a round-up of a few of our favorite examples.

Forged steel by our own Kyle Lucia, glass discs by Jude Schlotzhauer.

Ceramic by Carol Long, forged steel by Dustin Sypher. 

"Chrysalis", 9"w x 12"h. Ceramic by Carol Long, forged steel by Dustin Sypher 

"Animal Spine: Life and Death", approximately 11"h x 52"w x 9"d. Glass spheres by Mark Matthews, forged steel by Joel Sanderson.

"Ikebana #11", 22"h x 16"w x 10"d. Cast crystal and forged steel by Brian Russell. Russell is unique in his ability to combine lost wax glass casting with forged and fabricated metal in one studio. 

"Hemisphere: Fantasty", 14"h x 20"w x 12"d. Cast glass and forged steel by Brian Russell.

A few lines from William Morris

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From We Are Teachers

From Jason G. Sturgill

The well-loved line about items in our homes was the first William Morris quote we came across. Both as people with objects and as makers of objects, we feel passionate about this idea. But freeing our lives of clutter by surrounding ourselves with beauty and usefulness is just part of it. Useful items themselves can and even should be beautiful. And beauty, with its ability to raise our spirits and our expectations, should be an every day part of everyone's life.

It's remarkable how relevant and contemporary the writings of Morris, a 19th century textile designer and a founder of the English Arts & Crafts Movement, remain today. Many of the lines we love touch on our deepest values as artists and members of the broader community. Beauty, art, happiness, personhood, even the environment and the natural world. Nearly 150 years later, despite all the changes of the intervening years, these things remain at the heart of our lives.