Tucked behind a gravel backroad in the shadow of North Idaho pines, Athol Ironworks hosts a rotating tap of students eager to learn a new trade.
David Walker founded Fire Iron Forge in Rathdrum years ago turning his hobby into a career; Will Branson of Athol Ironworks joined as a teacher where the tradesmen now lead classes together. Teens to full grown adults, the school welcomes all eager to hammer steel.
“Our market share is 100% you know, nobody does anything like this,” Walker said.
The trade is governed by the Artist Blacksmith Association of North America (ABANA). Both are certified teachers and part of few in the region. Only three other ABANA certified blacksmiths exist in between Washington and Idaho, according to an ABANA spokesperson.
While brute force plays a valuable role in moving hot steel, a delicate touch is of equal – arguably more – value. The pair believe the trade is a crossroads between brains, brawn and the inevitable beard.
Blacksmiths tend to be self-sufficient; they make their own tools and don’t need to rely on another tradesmen – ever. Branson’s known this to be a trait his whole life. He’s an auto mechanic, electrician and carpenter depending on the task at hand. He’s largely self-taught and often seen as the guy who can fix anything.
Not quite.
“Oh boy, yeah. That’s a tough. Tough. It’s a nerve,” Branson said. “My mom. It was cancer.”
Her name was Debera. She died a few months ago. And in her memory, Branson set down the hammer. He imposed a lighthouse on a sheet of copper – a delicate touch.
“Lighthouses were her thing,” Branson said. “Definitely a very kind, soft person.”
The artwork won an award at the North Idaho Fair and will continue to appear in Fairs throughout the region including the Spokane County Fair in September.
“It’s something that I’ll probably keep with me forever,” Branson said. “It was really something to say goodbye.”
The blacksmithing school in currently accepting students.
