John Crouchet, Artist Blacksmith    Gallery

I began blacksmithing in 1997, after working for twenty-seven years as a professional goldsmith. I enjoy the change in scale, or what I call “working large”. At the same time, I am intrigued by the surprising similarities between working iron and working gold. The vast majority of my work is traditional blacksmithing at the anvil and the treadle hammer. I work in Marble Falls, Texas, on my family ranch on Sycamore Creek in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, building gates, railings, fireplace screens, and traditional blacksmith products.

My training and experience as a manufacturing goldsmith left me with an appreciation for the classic skills of metalwork. Modern “casual” blacksmithing has often overlooked the importance of training and knowledge in the basic skills of filing, fitting, annealing, and shaping metals. I do not want my work to result from a “happy accident”. It should be carefully planned and well executed. In this way, I try to carry on the tradition of generations of working blacksmiths before me.

Custom wrought iron work. Fly press seminars.

For information contact John

• by phone: 830-798-3710
• by email: john@texaswroughtiron.com
• by post: 5828 East FM 1431
•               Marble Falls, Texas 78654

Blacksmithing video by John Crouchet: "The Fly Press"

John Crouchet is an expert at fly press operations, and the versatility of the tool demonstrated here is simply amazing...
Review in the Hammer's Blow Winter 2005

purchase it now: http://www.teachingtapes.net/TheFlyPress.html