Combat Ready Art

3 Generations, a husband, and maybe a lesson learned in the forge.😉😁 Great class with these 4, and maybe one of them got to make a knife twice. It's all good!

Taylor was on the grinder all morning, but his damascus blade is heated treat and ready for finish sanding and handle scales!

Latest between class distraction -- steel flowers in a Fibonacci inspired "wreath". This one is finally done! The pieces have been sitting in the background in the forge for awhile, as I would do a flower here and there. Now everything is put together and ready to hang on a wall or door.

It's been a busy summer in the forge, so I've been a bit behind uploading the Class Blog posts. But now we're all up-to-date! Check out what everyone's been making in the forge!

https://www.combatreadyart.com/2026classes

Downtown Kalamazoo Collective Downtown Kalamazoo Discover Kalamazoo Park Trades Center

Really fun group of friends, brothers, and partners this morning celebrating a birthday with Railroad Spike Knifemaking!

Dirty faces and beautiful steel flowers -- must be a 4H Steel Flower Class! This was the last Allegan County 4-H class of the summer. Really fun group this afternoon!
Thank you to Allegan 4H and Michigan State University Extension for arranging and sponsoring these classes!

Final day of the Allegan County 4-H classes for the summer, sponsored by Michigan State University Extension. This morning was beginner blacksmithing making "S" hooks! Fun group of kids and they did remarkably well for their first time around a forge!

Back to School time means another year of Blacksmithing for Homeschoolers! Both age groups are currently full, but you can join the waitlist! You'll be notified if a space opens up.
If there are enough on the waitlist, then I will also open additional class times!

https://www.combatreadyart.com/waitlist

Homeschool Course Waitlist — COMBAT READY ART Join our waitlist for the Homeschool Course.

Quick between class distraction-- a stamped titanium ring. Titanium is really fun to work with just because of the super bright white sparks.

I've had some interesting commissions this summer, but this one was definitely the most meaningful. I was asked by a wife to make an urn for her late husband out of his Harley Davidson gas tank. As we talked, we discovered our late husbands probably knew each other through mutual downtown connections.

This one has a blank gas cap for this photo, but the final one is engraved with his name.

Making the urn was a challenge, and learning experience, but also an incredible honor to be apart of!

I did ask permission to post this.