My name is Matt Baity, 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 inside work steel like it was made of clay and whispering to my wife that 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 I am sure he has no idea just how profoundly he changed the course of my life even though I see him regularly to this day. Ignoring my shyness Trevor spoke to me like an old friend, telling me how they were a club of around 50 and they met all year round. He told me how they valued teaching above all else and that there were two meetings a month. Two meetings where I could learn all that the members had to teach me, and all it would ever cost is a good attitude and the time I put into it. It all sounded too good to be true, I gave it a shot anyway 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 those blacksmiths every chance I could. 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 spend meetings teaching people starting out just like my friends still teach me. My blacksmithing journey started with a desire to make knives. While that is a perfectly fine pursuit and I have made a knife or two it is not something I particularly enjoyed. By being blessed with many teachers who all specialize in different aspects of blacksmithing I have found that I most enjoy ornamental and architectural work, as well as historic recreations and colonial ironwork. Forged flowers and plant forms are especially fun for me as attempting to capture the beauty of delicate things in inflexible iron is a challenging process that always feels rewarding when completed.
