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Mountainfire Forge is a customer centered small-batch forge and copperworks located just outside of London, Kentucky. Our specialty is hand forged wrought iron
and hand chased copper pieces for various uses and occasions. We also
participate in educational demonstrations as well.
Our ironwork spans the
uses from architectural, to memorial cemetery pieces, to wrought fixtures for
cabins and tack rooms. Each piece is hand forged in our facility, right here in
the mountains of east Kentucky, to the buyer’s specifications. We strive to use traditional joinery
(very little conventional welding) as much as possible to replicate the pieces
of yesterday.
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 The copper portion of
our portfolio encompasses hand chased bowls, dishes, trays, urns, and
sculptural pieces for both wall display and garden display. Bowls typically are
made of 16 ga (.050) or heavier copper, for a heft and feel sure to get the
attention of everyone! Check out our extensive gallery of past and current
work, as well as the commission section to see what other customers have
ordered!
Mountainfire Forge is
also a demonstrating artisan forge. This means that we are available for setup
and demonstration at outside venues such as schools, art fairs, clubs and
teacher professional development days! We provide a truly unique experience
that fits well with classes from Art, to American History, to Agriculture, to
Industrial Arts. Our demonstrating smith is extremely well versed in presenting
the history and technical aspects of the craft to young and old alike! We
strive to accurately present our craft in a safe setting for all students.
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Nearly every time we set up at a festival, customers come  along who are very impressed with our work, and request a piece that is more personal and
meaningful. These pieces have ranged from memorial pieces to lost loved ones,
replicas of body art, individualized plaques, desk plates or thresholds, to
iron flower stands for cemetery memorials. Each piece is done with the same
care and exacting standards as every other piece we perform. Many are
one-of-a-kind. All bear the touchmark of the artist as a testimony to the
quality and value that only a handmade piece of art can stand for.
As a commission customer, each piece is personally designed and
approved prior to production. Once we get the go-ahead to start production, we
strive to meet each delivery schedule for gifting occasions, as well as other
needs.
One of our newest product lines is the “memorial cemetery flower
stand”. These pieces are created individually, and are designed to be set in
concrete by the headstone or strongly attached to deter removal. These pieces
are special-order, and as such can be designed to the needs of each customer.
 Copper Bowls and trays are another long standing commission piece for
our forge. We can put nearly anything on copper from stock designs to
individual artwork. This includes portraits and lettering, as well as symbols
and pictures. Particularly in demand are business logos, fraternity/sorority
letters, Masonic symbols, wedding memorials, and memorials for significant
milestones in the lives of our valued customers. These pieces can be as small
or large as you imagine, from small bowls to larger mounted or free standing
sculptural pieces.
Each piece we make at Mountianfire Forge is handmade, with few if any
machine processes involved. Contact us today with your ideas, and let the
smiths at Mountainfire Forge make your idea a reality!
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The blacksmith was once a fixture at every small town in America. His purpose was
to be the engineer, fabricator and welder, as well as often the local farrier.
In this day and time, hand working of iron has become quite a lost art.
Children and adults of today have rarely had the opportunity to view, and
participate in the lost art of the forge and hammer.
Mountainfire Forge – featuring Artist Blacksmith Gavin Wilson,
provides blacksmith demonstrations to a variety of customers annually. You have
very likely seen us working at venues such as Bittersweet Cabins at Renfro Valley, Mayfest,
Francisco’s Farm Art Fair, The Speckled Egg, The Daniel Boone Festival and The
Forkland Festival and Revue. We specialize in demonstrating for craft
festivals, school groups, clubs, 4-H, FFA, Scouts, and teacher’s professional
development days. Our demonstrations vary from simple copper chasing technique,
to a fully operational blacksmith forge. These demonstrations are available to
be done at your site!
Arrangements for demonstrations vary. Here is a typical cost schedule
for your organization to consider:
- Copper chasing demonstration (4 hours)
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$200
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- Copper Chasing Demonstration (full day)
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$325
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- Live Forge Demonstration (full day only)
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$425 |
- Teacher Development Day**
**(includes instruction in the craft, and valuable take-home materials!)
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$750 |
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If you consider the cost at a normal school demonstration
– 7 classes
with one hour per child and 30 students per class, that adds up to just over
$2.00 per child for an all day - full live forge demonstration!
Nominal mileage at the federal rate applies as well. All demonstration
pieces unless otherwise arranged remain the property of the artist.
Demonstrations always include all materials (metal, fuel, etc), and will be
“set up and ready” to begin your instructional day!
Craft Fair/ Gallery demonstrations with applicable sales:
Craft Fairs are a unique opportunity to showcase the nature of your
crafters by having a demonstrating artist on the grounds. This not only
enhances the visitors experiences’ by having a “live” component to your event,
it also increases sales by showing the customer the actual work involved in
making a given piece, and the craftsmanship imparted by hammer and hand. We
therefore take into consideration the sales volume at any particular show, and
credit a portion of that towards the cost of the demonstration. If we sell well
at your venue, the demonstration can come at a much discounted price! Call now
to discuss arrangements!  
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