Tom Staley got me started in blacksmithing. I met Tom shortly after moving to Gainesville. He saw that I played clawhammer style banjo and introduced me to the old time music scene. I saw that he had a beautiful Swedish anvil and got him to tell me stories about blacksmithing. He also showed me how to start a coal fire in a forge. We married a couple of years later (almost ruining a great friendship – but that’s another story). I spent a lot of time at the forge doing the grunt work and observing the smith at his trade. After we split up, after I moved to Pennsylvania I found that I knew enough to buy good equipment and start my own personal journey of discovery with wrought iron. Thank you Tom. RIP.