I am a 19 year old German born American bladesmith specializing in classical techniques.
Spijk Spijk (it’s pronounced, “”Spike””) began blacksmithing at age 9, when he saw a local smith making nails and asked whether he could do it, too. At the recommendation of Jack Daniel, at age 12 Spijk studied smithing at Prospect Hill Forge in Waltham, MA. At age 13, he became the youngest apprentice ever at Hancock Shaker Village, an outdoor-history museum comprising 20 authentic historic buildings, a working farm, and extensive gardens. The buildings are staffed with interpreters who demonstrate Shaker trade crafts, among which blacksmithing is an important part. By age 17, he had established Rocky Hill Forge, a traditional blacksmithing and silversmithing company in New York’s Hudson Valley and Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley.
RHF makes handcrafted forged iron work, including decorative pieces, knives and blades, and cane-toppers, using traditional techniques. These include heating the iron in a hand-cranked coal- and wood-fueled forge, using hand-operated hammers to shape, and using hand and minimal use of power tools to finish, his fine, gluten-free ironwork.
Spijk also makes hand-crafted silver products with the same respect to traditional, time-tested techniques.
Rocky Hill Forge (https://rockyhillforge.com)
