Regional Leads
Matt King: Sandhills Blacksmith Guild (SBG)
Brandon Willson: Triangle Blacksmiths Guild
I started blacksmithing around May 2014 as a hobby. I had recently left the military after spending 6 years in the U.S. Army and was working a split shift job as a security guard. I needed something to fill my time and had always been fascinated with metalwork.
In 2016, I moved back to North Carolina just outside Creedmoor, built a shop at home, and returned to what I love. Already enjoying blacksmithing, I searched for local groups and found the Triangle Blacksmiths and NCABANA. Both of these organizations have helped me progress as a blacksmith. I began volunteering at the NC State Fair at the Heritage Forge and was appointed to a Heritage Forge committee position in 2017. I was the Vice President of NCABANA from February of 2018 - 2022. In 2021, at the height of the COVID pandemic, I opened Reaver Forge in Raleigh, and I have loved every minute of the Journey.
Matt Baity: Triad Area Blacksmiths
In 2016, I attended the Dixie Classic Fair in Winston-Salem, NC, and like many, was drawn to the sound of ringing anvils and the smell of coal smoke. After watching the blacksmiths at work, I whispered to my wife “I sure wish there was a way to get in on the incredible scene before me”. She had a brilliant idea. “Maybe you should ask him?”. I went then and sheepishly spoke to a man named Trevor and from that moment on, he profoundly changed the course of my life.
After speaking to me like an old friend, Trevor noted the “TABs” were a club of around 50 and met all year round in monthly meetings; they valued teaching above all where I could learn the craft from what members had to offer - all it would cost was a good attitude and the time I put into it. It all sounded too good to be accurate, so I gave it a shot and was baffled to find out that Trevor had, in fact, undersold the experience. I’ve spent most of a decade in the company of the Triad Area Blacksmiths at every chance. They have taught me everything I know and never asked a thing in return. In 2023, I was honored to be elected President of the Triad Area Blacksmiths, and now, I spend meetings teaching people, starting just like my friends that still teach me.
Lyle Wheeler: Wilkes Teaching Forge
A traditional blacksmith shop nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains just west of beautiful downtown Millers Creek, NC. Wilkes Teaching Forge (Wheeler Forge) was established at this locale in the early 1990s. We specialize in traditional ironwork found in the early hearth & home. With fire, hammer, anvil and steel we forge our offerings for discerning clientele who appreciate the time-honored methods and traditions of producing hand-forged ironwork.
We come from a long line of good 'ol boys and strong women who survived as yeoman farmers. We were skilled makers by necessity. We have made furniture, chairs, buggies, carriages, wagons, fiber work tools and farm implements; we were blacksmiths and machine tool makers, rough and finish carpenters, coopers, sawyers and inventors. One line of our heritage has been traced back to the north side of Hadrian's Wall by a Daughter of the American Revolution.
We have a Coat of Arms and a Tartan.
After spending most of my life in upstate New York, I moved to Carthage in 2013, taking a position as Director of Engineering at a manufacturing facility in nearby Sanford. In 2015, I took a drive down the Pottery Highway and stumbled upon Jerry Darnell’s Mill Creek Forge. After a long conversation with Jerry, I knew that blacksmithing was something that I wanted to learn more about. After picking up my first hammer in 2016, I have been very fortunate to count Jerry as a mentor and friend.
At The Carthage Forge & Sandhills Blacksmith Guild, we put an emphasis on traditional forging techniques, but modern techniques are used as appropriate. I have a coal forge, large worktables, a power hammer, torch, and welder in the new shop, and I’ve got plenty of room to move around and work. Big projects like handrails are no problem.