Edition Seven Feature
Words by: Liam Hoffman
Location: Roan Mountain, Tennessee, USA
Photo Credit: ©Colton Kilgore @everydaycolton

Messing around with metal aged 13 sparked an enduring interest in blacksmithing for Liam Hoffman. Less than a decade on, such is demand for his quality handmade axes that Liam’s thriving business employs five others and has a healthy two-year backlog of orders.

What is it that you do and how do you do it?

I’m a full-time bladesmith, which is a subcategory of blacksmithing. A bladesmith specialises in forging all things blades, and my specialty is axe making. We use tools that were common around 1900 or so. We use power hammers and hydraulic presses for some things, and a hammer and anvil to forge the axe-heads just as you would imagine when you think of a blacksmith. Basically, that’s what we do: we take steel and heat it up until it’s malleable, and then form it like clay under different shaped hammers and dies.