Samuel J. Welch - Artisan Blacksmith

06/02/2026

Colorado-inspired fireplace doors; forged and repousse bronze/steel.

53" x 43"
2026

Artist Blacksmith's Association of North America - ABANA

05/05/2026

The little details bring it all together

04/27/2026

There are a lot of cool elements in this current project, and since everything is about twice as big as my last set (the elk is about 13” nose to tail for reference) it has allowed me to dive a bit deeper into texture and the finer details! Here’s a few progress pics!

02/24/2026

240 layer Damascus with walnut handles and cast bronze ferrules.

02/24/2026

A personal project just to try something new… 240 layers 15n20/1095, walnut handles and cast bronze ferrules.

A lot of firsts to create these: first time trying damascus, first knives, first time casting bronze!

01/15/2026

Here’s a video I made to take you through some of the processes and prototyping in my most recent project!

https://youtu.be/J8cI-9p5l8k?si=raUwkRFkmgKAjY11

One of the nicest things I have ever made! This set of forged steel and bronze fireplace doors challenged me to go outside my comfort zone and explore the wo...

01/14/2026

Forged latch

01/13/2026

One of the coolest projects I've ever done, this one challenged me to go outside my comfort zone and explore the world of bronze repoussé.

Forged steel and repoussé bronze - 2025 - 62" x 30"

12/20/2025

Finished up the ducks and geese (temporarily wired on the screen), and started on the cattails. I have to say, I’m quite enjoying the repoussé, but my hours to accomplish these was just a bit underestimated! Still have more cattails to add, then two final surprises to put this piece over the line.

12/06/2025

Making headway on this project! One of the things that excites me most is trying out new techniques. I’ve been wanting to try legitimate repoussé for a long time, so I finally designed a piece that required it.

To start, I made a small chasing hammer out of a chunk of 1045 with a cherry handle based on some designs I saw online, and used an old coil spring to make a handful of chisels. I forged a few pieces down to different size square stock, so as I get into making these animals I can whip up new chisel shapes as needed.

For my first attempt on the duck I thought it went pretty well. It might have been smarter to get my feet wet with copper first, but I just love bronze so much I just went for it. It took way too long to make, but I’ve got about 7 more animals to do so I’ll definitely have the opportunity to get more comfortable with the process.

I tried out a different approach to the pine trees as well, I tried to make them a bit more stylistic and suggest more branches than there actually are to keep it from becoming too busy and fragile.

The stainless steel mesh panels are all drilled and tapped and will be darkened prior to the finish, so the details should pop that much more on the finished product as the bright stainless washes things out a bit.

The handles and latch guides are mounted, so it’s pretty much just the fun stuff from here on out!