.Q. Do you Weld?
A. Short answer, Yes. I began metalwork in school in Niagara Falls and took welding for 2 years. From there I went into industry and worked as a welder on and off for 15 years, and then I discovered blacksmithing. Welding is still a major component of the work and I pride myself on my ability to do it well.
Q. Do you do welding repair?
A. One of the things I love about the being the blacksmith in my community is to help my neighbors keep things fixed. Most of the small welding repair jobs I do are charged by the minute.
Q. Do you make horse shoes?
A. I have made two in my career, and neither has seen a horse. I do refurbish cast-offs and sell them as "Lucky" horseshoes, with a history of the tradition. The person you are looking for goes by the trade name of farrier, part vet, part blacksmith, all hardworking and I think a tall guy like myself wouldn't last a month.
Q. Do you make swords?
A. Yes and no.
Q. Can you make this item I found in this catalog?
A. Yes, of course. It will most likely cost you more, but you will get a higher quality, hand crafted finished product, not a production line knock off. My business is based on custom metal, tailored to fit the needs of a specific client and/or space. If you can find what you need at the quality you demand elsewhere, I would recommend you buy it. If the quality is lacking or it doesn't fit your space or style then I am the one you come to to solve these problems.
Q. Do you do design work?
A. Yes, every job comes with a good deal of design (and engineering) work that needs to be dealt with along the way to a finished project and I have done my fair share of design. Sometimes it is better for a client to come with a bad drawing that I can turn into something great than a very detailed one that leaves me little artistic licence.
Q. How did you start?
A. There was a welding teacher at the high school I attended whose reputation as a great/fun teacher among the kids had me choose welding as my shop elective. My love of the medium began there.
Q. What's the biggest piece you made , how long did it take you ?
A. As a welder I worked on some large structural steel projects, including a 3 story clock tower for Ville St. Laurent that I got to build on its side and flip with two overhead cranes. As far as Art metal is concerned there was a giant flower/lamp that I did with Les Forges Olivier Maranda.
Q. When did people first use iron? And which culture was the first one to produce proper blacksmiths?
A .The Hittites started making iron in West Asia about 1500 BC. They managed to hide the knowledge from everyone else for a couple hundred years. Before that the hardest metal available was bronze.
Q. What is the difference between iron and steel?
A. Iron is a metallic element extracted from an ore, and on its own is comparatively soft. Steel is created when you mix (alloy) iron with carbon (between 0.002% and 2.1%) and other elements for specific uses. (nickel for stainless steel as an example)
Q. Do you use recycled steel?
A. Steel is, has been, and will most likely remain, the most recycled material on the planet. While I do sometimes incorporate interesting pieces of discarded metal into my work, for the majority of the projects I require (new) steel, in specific shapes to accommodate the design.
Q. What is "wrought" iron?
A. A noun, a verb and adjective;
Wrought iron, noun: an iron alloy with a very low carbon (less than 0.08%) no longer produced on a commercial scale. As a smith it is wonderful material to work with but hard to find.
Wrought, verb: past tense and past participle of work.
Wrought, adjective :carefully formed or worked into shape, worked into shape by artistry or effort
Q. Was blacksmithing your dream job from early childhood on?
A. (from my mother ) When Kelly was a child, he created all sorts of things with Plasticine. Very intricate things. Amazing little things with parts you could open and close. I think he sometimes still uses the material as part of his creative process. So, in early childhood, he always wanted to create, and it evolved into blacksmithing. He took welding in high school, and I still have a piece he made for me during that time. Next step, after welding? Why not work with the big stuff?
Q. Do you know and adhere to construction codes?
A . Yes, and there have been a few changes to the code last year relating to climability that makes designing something a bit easier. You can find the BC Building Codes here.
A. Short answer, Yes. I began metalwork in school in Niagara Falls and took welding for 2 years. From there I went into industry and worked as a welder on and off for 15 years, and then I discovered blacksmithing. Welding is still a major component of the work and I pride myself on my ability to do it well.
Q. Do you do welding repair?
A. One of the things I love about the being the blacksmith in my community is to help my neighbors keep things fixed. Most of the small welding repair jobs I do are charged by the minute.
Q. Do you make horse shoes?
A. I have made two in my career, and neither has seen a horse. I do refurbish cast-offs and sell them as "Lucky" horseshoes, with a history of the tradition. The person you are looking for goes by the trade name of farrier, part vet, part blacksmith, all hardworking and I think a tall guy like myself wouldn't last a month.
Q. Do you make swords?
A. Yes and no.
Q. Can you make this item I found in this catalog?
A. Yes, of course. It will most likely cost you more, but you will get a higher quality, hand crafted finished product, not a production line knock off. My business is based on custom metal, tailored to fit the needs of a specific client and/or space. If you can find what you need at the quality you demand elsewhere, I would recommend you buy it. If the quality is lacking or it doesn't fit your space or style then I am the one you come to to solve these problems.
Q. Do you do design work?
A. Yes, every job comes with a good deal of design (and engineering) work that needs to be dealt with along the way to a finished project and I have done my fair share of design. Sometimes it is better for a client to come with a bad drawing that I can turn into something great than a very detailed one that leaves me little artistic licence.
Q. How did you start?
A. There was a welding teacher at the high school I attended whose reputation as a great/fun teacher among the kids had me choose welding as my shop elective. My love of the medium began there.
Q. What's the biggest piece you made , how long did it take you ?
A. As a welder I worked on some large structural steel projects, including a 3 story clock tower for Ville St. Laurent that I got to build on its side and flip with two overhead cranes. As far as Art metal is concerned there was a giant flower/lamp that I did with Les Forges Olivier Maranda.
Q. When did people first use iron? And which culture was the first one to produce proper blacksmiths?
A .The Hittites started making iron in West Asia about 1500 BC. They managed to hide the knowledge from everyone else for a couple hundred years. Before that the hardest metal available was bronze.
Q. What is the difference between iron and steel?
A. Iron is a metallic element extracted from an ore, and on its own is comparatively soft. Steel is created when you mix (alloy) iron with carbon (between 0.002% and 2.1%) and other elements for specific uses. (nickel for stainless steel as an example)
Q. Do you use recycled steel?
A. Steel is, has been, and will most likely remain, the most recycled material on the planet. While I do sometimes incorporate interesting pieces of discarded metal into my work, for the majority of the projects I require (new) steel, in specific shapes to accommodate the design.
Q. What is "wrought" iron?
A. A noun, a verb and adjective;
Wrought iron, noun: an iron alloy with a very low carbon (less than 0.08%) no longer produced on a commercial scale. As a smith it is wonderful material to work with but hard to find.
Wrought, verb: past tense and past participle of work.
Wrought, adjective :carefully formed or worked into shape, worked into shape by artistry or effort
Q. Was blacksmithing your dream job from early childhood on?
A. (from my mother ) When Kelly was a child, he created all sorts of things with Plasticine. Very intricate things. Amazing little things with parts you could open and close. I think he sometimes still uses the material as part of his creative process. So, in early childhood, he always wanted to create, and it evolved into blacksmithing. He took welding in high school, and I still have a piece he made for me during that time. Next step, after welding? Why not work with the big stuff?
Q. Do you know and adhere to construction codes?
A . Yes, and there have been a few changes to the code last year relating to climability that makes designing something a bit easier. You can find the BC Building Codes here.