I have been working as a professional blacksmith for 15 years. I first started blacksmithing at 9 years old. My great grandfather had been a blacksmith and my grandfather let me heat nails on the stove in his shop in Montana. I later joined the Navy and became an maritime electrician, but continued to blacksmith as a hobby. I worked as a blacksmith in Old Town, San Diego for a year before traveling to Iceland in 2000. During my stay, I was invited to make the tools and weapons of an Icelandic viking group in Hafnarfjordur called Rimmugýgur. This summer you can find me set up at the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary.