When I recently reviewed the images I took at the ABANA La Crosse conference in 2002 I saw the folder for Oleh Bonkovskyi.  Incidentally...

I was looking at one of the few pieces of demonstrator-made ironwork which I have collected.  I really was interested in this piece, boug...

Here is a quick example of poor design.  It may not be intrinsically bad design, but is problematic in it’s particular environment.  I a...

The metaphysical exploration of the nature of quality was the theme of Robert Pirsig’s novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance ...

One thing said about craft masters is that they are in control of their tools and techniques. That is what skill is all about. But when ...

I recently put my 50 pound Little Giant up for sale and when visiting with a prospective buyer I recalled something which struck me funny ...

Every designer must settle on some methods of imagination which usually works for them. I have become comfortable with a method which relie...

I like to use solid rivets. Emphasizing the joinery sometimes seems to dress up a piece which may otherwise be rather plain. They are a tr...

By coincidence I left for a short vacation the morning after the September 11, 2001 twin towers attack. One of the places we visited was Vil...

Someone once told me the world was divided into two types of thinkers, lumpers and splitters. That was the opinion of a splitter. Thinking a...

My wife checks all the e-mail and reads the newspaper and clips what is important for me to see. Today, sadly, she gave me an e-mail from A...

A sealed rust patina, I find very appealing and it can be especially useful in outdoor applications. I plan to use it on the outdoor ...

When I became interested in blacksmithing and started my first first forging efforts I had no sense of direction to the work. I was only in...

At year end, when the hustle and bustle of the holidays is past, it is time to focus on preparing for tax season and also plan the work sche...

My operational intent is to work on commission projects on a first-come-first-served basis. In practice it is hard for outsiders to see this...

Maybe I’m just abnormally clumsy or inattentive but I think I manage to acquire at least one minor wound a day a welding splatter burn, a b...

At the beginning of every commission project I feel it is important to gain the confidence of the client and, as much as possible, put them ...

Getting client work out the door and billed quickly is the engine of cash flow. I came to the conclusion early on that with the type of thin...

Perhaps the most legendary American artist blacksmith associated with the resurgence of interest in the field of blacksmithing was Francis ...