A World Long Since Forgotten

By Mark Mitchell

The tools of the trade are simple. One hammer, one anvil, and one coal-burning forge will suffice. The roots of the trade go back in time to the Scriptures. The craft lifted man from the stone age, created weapons during the Middle Ages and formed anchors for the ships of Columbus.

Traditional blacksmith Tim May heats a piece of steel as flames rise from his coal-burning forge. Photos by Mark Mitchell

With hammer in hand and anvil by his side, May works on his next creation.

In today’s world of modern technology, it’s a skill that is not easily found around every corner. A trek to one spot in the High Country where North Carolina and Tennessee merge, however, will find you face-to-face with one man who still embraces this craft with not only his hands, but with his heart as well. The craft is that of a traditional blacksmith, and the man is 32-year-old Tim May.

“I began blacksmithing out of a desire to see what I could create out of old, rusty metal,” said May as he heated coals on his forge. “I taught myself the trade, and while it is still a hobby, I am having more and more people ask me to make pieces for them that they can buy.”

That interest from others led to May starting his own blacksmithing business in October 2006, and now the 32-year-old receives requests on a consistent basis.

One source of the orders come from neighbors who May said still have horse-drawn equipment, and thus, have trouble finding parts. In addition to requests for horse carriage equipment, May said he keeps busy satisfying demands for dinner bells, kitchen devices, knives, hatchets, gate latches and fireplace equipment, with the list going on and on.

May credits the fact that he is a traditional blacksmith as the major reason that his demand is growing.

“I know that there is one traditional blacksmith in Mountain City,” May said, “but I’ve been told that there are not many traditional blacksmiths in the country. With a traditional blacksmith, no two pieces are ever the same. There are always details that are unique to the piece I make. It’s like a fingerprint.”

May, who lives in a unique corner of the world where his mailbox is in Watauga County, his barn on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, and his home in Ashe County, began blacksmithing roughly 10 years ago.

“I’ve always been pretty handy. I’m what you would call a jack of all trades. I can do it all except bear children,” said May as he laughed, “and I don’t want any part of that.”

In terms of family, May is married and is dad to three children. His shop is located on the grounds of his home, which is located in Creston, NC.

On this day, May gives a demonstration of traditional blacksmithing. He begins with a warning that “it is about to get hot in here.” With that, he closes the windows to his shop and lights the coals in his coal-burning forge and waits. He waits for the coals to reach a temperature of nearly 2,600 degrees. As you wait, you do indeed feel the temperature rise. Around this time, May talks about how he once busted a thermostat at around 180 degrees. A piece of metal that is on its way to becoming a knife is inserted into the coils and heats. It is removed when it is almost in a liquefied state, and then the process of forming begins. Finishing the piece is next. A process that involves sanding, quenching in oil and tempering to make the steel harder. From there, the knife is chiseled to accommodate a customer’s request. He ends the demonstration with a little comment about the side benefits of blacksmithing.

“It also works as a kind of anger management for me,” he remarks as he smiles. “If I have a bad day, I can take it out on the anvil.”

May takes his time as creates, and says he tries not to keep track of how much time he spends on each piece, so that a customer is not charged for his attention to detail.

“I learn as I go,” May said as he smiled. “It’s like everyday life in that respect. I think if you are not learning each day then you are dead.”

May has turned the world of blacksmithing into a family affair, having already begun the process of teaching his wife the trade.

“There are not many traditional blacksmiths out there,” he adds, “and I would like to teach the skill to others so that the number rises. I’m working toward getting a portable forge so that I can go outside my shop and teach others the trade. It’s a wonderful craft that takes you back to years gone by, and I love it.”