The BlackSmythShop started out as a hobby, making useful things out of scrap obtained where I was working at the time. I have three children and I wanted to teach them not to be wasteful, much like my Grandmother taught me. At first, I made wind-chimes that were so popular that people who drove by my house would stop and look at them. I am a Mechanical Engineer by trade, with metallurgy being my p
assion. I quickly realized that the old ways of doing things could be augmented with modern technology (CAD, Photoshop, etc...), and the results were not only functional, but also beautiful and durable. Everything I make, I make it to be passed on to later generations. I foresee that mass production, outsourcing, and technology will supplant the American worker and we will return to a village economy. This IS already happening, I programmed welding robots that put 230 people out of a job in ! That was one of the saddest days of my life, it was also the day that I vowed not to send my kids into the world without the skills they are going to need to survive. Skills like how to fix something, grow a garden, use resources like the local library, etc. and above all: always be willing to help your fellow man. We are a work in progress, ever evolving. We take anyone who wants to learn, especially my kids friends, and let them create their own masterpieces while learning how to do a job right.
