If you had told me a few years ago that blacksmithing would lead to installing a standing seam roof, running compressed air lines, or moving massive stones for a patio, I probably would’ve laughed… then asked how heavy the stones were. But here we are: deep into the homestretch of our workshop construction and adding a whole new set of “blacksmith-adjacent” skills to the list.

This summer’s biggest milestone was the roof. We decided to install the standing seam panels ourselves. Partly to save money, partly because we’re gluttons for punishment, and mostly because learning new skills is what this job is all about. From wiring heavy machinery to insulating a 200-year-old barn, there’s been no shortage of hands-on problem-solving.

Of course, what would the shop be without a few natural disasters? This past winter, we learned that when it snows, it floods. The shop ended up with a few inches of water across the floor. Our high-tech solution? A tactical combination of brooms, shovels, and an emergency deployment of sandbags spread out over several days.

On the product side, there’s been plenty of excitement, too. We kicked off a new exclusive partnership with Roseland this year to design a classic American-style standing floor lamp. After many months of prototyping, we locked in a beautiful design and just finished up our first production run of lamps. They will be dropping soon, so stay tuned for more lamp excitement in the near future.

We also launched our first run of handcrafted garden tools in collaboration with local woodworkers. The response has been incredible, and we’re grateful for all the positive feedback. These kinds of partnerships, ones that strengthen local connections and bring different crafts together, are some of our favorite projects to work on.

And now? We’re staring down the holiday season, which means production is in overdrive. The hammers are swinging, the forges are running hot, and we’ve even brought some new folks onto the team to help keep up with the demand.

Thanks, as always, for being part of this journey. Whether you’ve been following along since the early days or just stumbled upon us recently, we appreciate every bit of support. Here’s to more making, more learning, and more of the unexpected adventures that seem to come with running a blacksmith shop.