In 1978, Mark Carter took up welding at a vocational technical school, then transitioned to building oilfield pressure tanks and shoeing horses. For 35 years, he was a City of Moore firefighter, and he retired in 2018. Now he owns MC Iron Blacksmithing & Welding in Stillwater.
“I make anything, from hand-forged wall art, fireplace tools and table bases to gates and handrails,” says Carter. “I have a couple of different forges that heat the metal to approximately 2,000 degrees — then I forge them with a hammer and different tools on a 125 pound anvil. For gates and handrails, I also incorporate welding equipment.”
Improving his skills through workshops and classes, Carter hand forges items and uses tools to fabricate.
“I stay as busy as I want,” he says. “My favorite thing is for someone to say is, ‘I know what I want but I just can’t find it.’”
The owner of SDS Knifeworks in Piedmont, Shawn Shropshire is an East Central University alumni, and was an Oklahoma City police officer for 20 years.
“When I found metal work and forging, it just felt right,” says Shropshire, who began making knives as a hobby two decades ago. “The shop is hot in the summer, cold in the winter and usually doesn’t smell too good. But it’s where I feel most comfortable.”
Known primarily for making cutlery, Shropshire produces custom, handmade knives and related items. He works with organic materials, and is recognized for frontier-inspired knives and sheaths as well as Native American and European Viking influences. Shropshire’s customers pepper the U.S., and are also in Europe, South America, New Zealand and the Middle East. His blacksmith travels are global.
Because he makes luxury items, Shropshire’s demand fluctuates. But his orders stay backed up for at least a year.
“Typically I start with raw steel, forge to shape, then finish, grind, heat treat, clean that up, and fit a guard and handle before finally hand sanding and making a sheath for it. Each knife is different, so each sheath is fitted to the specific knife. Some of the sheaths I build, such as frontier style, rawhide, can take nearly as long to make as the knives.”
The Resurgence of Blacksmithing
An ancient art, blacksmithing involves heating metal in a fire or furnace to make it soft enough to hammer, bend and shape into useful or decorative items. By the Middle Ages, a local blacksmith shop, or smithy, was common. Blacksmithing declined with automation, but has recently resurged as a hobby, paralleling the call for traditional craftsmanship. The global market is moving blacksmithing’s popularity and cultural presence forward through television, social media and competitions.
In 2021, Shropshire won the “Best Forged Blade Knife” Competition at the 32nd Salon International du Couteau d’Art et de Collection (SICAC) in Paris. He won the “Best Bowie” Competition at the 2022 Texas Select Custom Cutlery Event in Bellville, Texas. His champion status in the History Channel Season 5 Episode 39 “Forged in Fire Champion” took him into a full-time career.
There are various Oklahoma blacksmithing groups, including the Oklahoma Knife Group LLC, Okie Blacksmiths, and Saltfork Craftsmen Artist-Blacksmith Association.
