IDAHO FALLS—An Idaho Falls man has found success running his own blacksmith business.
Chris Hendry, owner of the shop, calls his business American Warrior Forge and Designs. He said he has been operating his business for about two years now.
“I’m in the Army Reserve and got back in 2020,” he said. “COVID was happening and there were a lot of stressors in my life and I needed a hobby.”
Hendry said he got the idea to learn blacksmithing when he watched an episode of “Forged in Fire” on the History Channel.
“After that I went to YouTube and watched one blacksmithing video after another,” he said. “That’s where it all started.”
Hendry said he makes anything from cowboy toothpicks, coffee scoops and even some bowls made from copper.
“I do a fair amount of custom knives as well,” he said.
Hendry said that since he is self-taught, it took a lot of trial and error before he felt comfortable about turning his hobby into a business. Since he started his business, he has been successful.
“When I felt comfortable to sell some of these things, I didn’t expect it to take off as quickly as it did,” he said. “It has outgrown any expectation I had for it.”
Hendry said what he likes best about being a blacksmith is the self-reliance that comes with it. He is able to make his own tools for any one of his projects.
“Whether I’m working on something I haven’t done before or something I’ve done a million times, the steel works the same,” he said.
Hendry also likes the blacksmith community he has come in contact with. He said they are all supportive of each other and are always happy to help new blacksmiths learn. He hopes to implement their example with his business.
“If anyone wants to learn and get started, I’m happy to help them out,” he said. “There’s no trade secrets.”
More information about American Warrior Forge and Designs can be found at facebook.com/AmericanWarriorForge and americanwarriorforge.com.