"In 1997, I stopped in at a small blacksmith shop in Kintnersville, PA, and watched blacksmith Gerald Biresch for several hours."

"Watching him change the shape of hot metal with hammer and anvil was very interesting. I started reading books on blacksmithing and going to demos of local blacksmiths and I knew I wanted to have my own shop. I was fortunate to find an abandoned blacksmith shop on a farm where a friend was renting. Everything I needed was all in one place: forge, anvil, tongs, hammers, and other assorted blacksmith items. I decided to utilize the stone foundation under my three-car-garage as my shop. I started out making simple things: hooks, plant hangers, small bracelets, etc."

"A client told me about a craft school she went to in Farmington, PA called Touchstone Center for the Crafts. The blacksmith teacher was Dr. Bob Becker from Oxford, Michigan. I attended my first class there in 1998 and took week-long classes under Dr. Bob every year for ten years. I usually take two week-long classes a year. Some of the other instructors I've studied under are Charlie Orlando, Peter Happaney, Tom Laten, Richard Sheppard, and Ray Rybar, learning different techniques and skills every year."

Wayne Apgar was recently featured in Elucidator magazine. Click to read the article.