Mountain Fire Forge

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.

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.

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!

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:

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!