Services & Facilities

The new workshop is now situated in the rural outskirts of Darlington and Northallerton, in the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside, with all our work carried out at the forge being hand crafted. The business has now been trading since 2003 and the team of blacksmiths are able to cater for various demands within the private and the pubic sectors both domestic and commercial.

Adrian Wood is a university graduate with a degree in fine art sculpture from The University of London. A chance visit to a forge gave Adrian Wood his first taste of blacksmithing. He recalls; ”From the first moment I hit the hot steel I knew what I wanted to do.”

Adrian`s first job was at a renowned workshop near York where he worked on a number of prestigious projects. After which he worked for Brian Russell, widely regarded as one of the finest blacksmiths in the UK. Brian’s approach and processes to creating bespoke and uniquely designed metalwork had an enormous effect on the designs and processes created by Adrian Wood Artist Blacksmiths.

Traditional blacksmithing techniques are used to create contemporary and innovative ways to fulfil the client’s needs. The designs are beautifully hand drawn with delicate attention given to the smallest of details, resulting in fine craftsmanship, superb detailing and a substantial build quality that reflects a belief in a lasting beauty and quality.

Adrian’s area of expertise lies in his ability to understand the client’s needs and provide detailed drawings and finally to create the work to a high standard and build quality.

Ian first started blacksmithing having decided that office work wasn’t necessarily for him.
Starting work with a local blacksmiths firm in April 2008, by the end of the first day Ian was hooked. He promptly signed up to the blacksmith course at Warwickshire College where he spent 2 years training with Michelle Parker to obtain his National Certificate in Blacksmithing.

In March 2011, Ian was awarded a journeymanship by the Princes Foundation for Building Community. This gave him the opportunity to work with a number of well renowned blacksmiths throughout the country, providing Ian with invaluable experience.

Upon completing his studies in 2012, Ian returned to the Dorset-Wiltshire borders where he has joined Tony and Paul Sparkes at their forge in the village of Berwick St John where he has completed a wide variety of commissions ranging from simple fire sets to complex sets of gates, railings and balconies.
The forge also offers a wide range of fabricational facilities for structural metalwork.

Ian’s personal interest lies in ancient metalwork and he has an ongoing commission from the Ancient Technology Centre to create replications of tools used in the Roman, Saxon, Viking and Medieval periods.

In 2013, Ian was awarded the Certificate of Merit by the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths for works done to date.

I offer high quality Belt Grinders and professional brand name Abrasive Belts at very good prices for sale throughout the UK and Europe.

Please check my Abrasive Belt offerings and prices before restocking your workshop 🙂 if they are not listed it is only 5 days manufacture.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

All the best,

Jon

Coming from a background in archaeology, my name is Dan Goodwin and I’m a jack’o’all’trades blacksmith with a passion for this wonderful craft. I offer teaching and educational demonstrations, as well as designing and producing commissioned ironwork alongside creating my own designs for sale.

Graduating from the National School of Blacksmithing in 2016 with Triple Distinction, I played the role of Journeyman for two years and settled myself in the 18th century grounds of Catton Hall, South Derbyshire, in 2018. From here, I’ve had the pleasure to teach a colorful array of people and take on an ever increasing range of jobs.

I’m happiest when I’m travelling the country and bringing the craft out into the sunlight, telling and learning the stories and history that accompany the people I meet and the trade I practice. Though the village smithy may not play the same role it did in pre-industrial times, I still firmly believe the smith has a role to play in both supporting and working within the local community.

Always happy to discuss bespoke projects, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at FirehoundForge@outlook.com

We strive in high quality, customer care. We have tailored our approach to business to be entirely customer-led and you will have the opportunity to work with the Master Blacksmith, Ken Fanner, from conception of the idea to the final design work. We produce both traditional and contemporary ironwork in the production method.

Our standard produces the highest quality ironwork at the most competitive price, ensuring our clients are fully embraced in the experience of Ironwork of Distinction Limited which is the main driver to the improvement of our business.

Our services now span across the UK and include design, manufacture and installation of traditional and contemporary ironwork to both private clients and commercial sectors.​

Artist blacksmith creating and selling decorative items, tools and jewellery. Commissions and demonstrations including re-enactments, Vikings etc

BlacksmitHer Radio is a weekly podcast specifically about blacksmithing for blacksmiths. Would you like to know what your fellow blacksmith peers are saying about their blacksmithing businesses or get inspired by a project they are working on? You can do that by listening to their interviews on BlacksmitHER Radio. I’ve learned valuable skills from some of the best blacksmiths through workshops and classes, but mostly from having conversations and connecting with them. So I thought by sharing those connections and conversations through podcasts, you too will be able to learn something new about blacksmithing and your fellow mates.

What is BlacksmitHER Radio? An audio only podcast show that:
• Interviews blacksmiths around the world.
• Provides relatable topics that can help blacksmiths such as tool usage, pricing and time management.
• Offers education, entertainment and a sense of community and camaraderie among the guests and listeners.
Where can you listen to BlacksmitHER Radio?
• On your phone with a podcast player app
• On your computer from the BlacksmitHER podcast tab on the website
• In iTunes, under podcasts search BlacksmitHER Radio
• In Stitcher, a podcast app for android phones, search for BlacksmitHER Radio

Jack Waygood | Specialist In Communicating Visual Ideas Through Highly Skilled Craftsmanship | Exhibiting Fine Artist | Active Metal Arts Teacher & Lecturer | Undertaking Collaborations & Commissions | Welcome to Work of Iron

Dan Nauman, designer, owner and artisan at Bighorn Forge, has been forging since 1979, professionally since 1993. His work spans many styles of ornamental and architectural metalwork, and is primarily hand-forged. Gates, railings, lighting, furniture, fire-tools, sculpture and more are commonly made in Nauman’s studio. One of his specialties is the process of French repousse’, applying flowing acanthus leaves, and intricate rosettes to his metalwork. Nauman’s Northern School for Blacksmiths, a division of Bighorn Forge, is where Nauman teaches up to eleven different workshops, from beginning forging to French repousse’. Nauman also teaches, demo’s and lectures around the USA at colleges, craft schools, and museums. Nauman has been fortunate to have restored and reproduced work by the famed Austrian born master blacksmith, Cyril Colnik (1871-1958), and also produced a video on Colnik entitled, Forged Elegance, that aired on Wisconsin Public Television, and also Milwaukee Public Television in 1998. Nauman served as a board member for the Artist-Blacksmith’s Association of North America (ABANA) from 2000-2006, and chaired the Controlled Hand Forging committee, which wrote 28 lessons about basic forging. Currently, Nauman is the editor/designer of ABANA’s The Hammer’s Blow, and as of 2017, will also be the editor/designer of The Anvil’s Ring.

The world’s greatest museum of art and design.

Principally a garden designer, but have designed numerous features for open spaces with forged steel. Working mostly with Terrence Clark and Rebecca Knott, they have turned design concepts into amazing pieces of artwork that I am very proud of.