By Matthew Holcomb

It seems the iconic image of the blacksmith, a huge bull of a man battering glowing steel into form, is not as antiquated as one might think. In an age of machine production and precision cut metalwork, the hammer and anvil endures. And that it endures locally is doubly interesting: Ferromorphics Blacksmithing, located in Worcester, is owned by blacksmith Joshua Swalec ~ who creates one of a kind works regardless of size or oddity.

Swalec, an award-winning blacksmith with 11 years of experience, began his training at the Worcester Vocational Technical School. “In my senior year, I began to discover other possibilities,” said Swalec. “A whole other branch where you could do a lot of neat things with blacksmithing.”

Forging Ferromorphics Blacksmithing into what it is today was no hasty venture for Swalec. “It was a side business of mine for 11 years. I gave it a name and a website two or three years after renting my shop,” explained Swalec. “Once I had the shop, things grew from that into more of a business and less of a hobby.”

One might assume that though the title of blacksmith remains, the traditional process has surely been usurped by modern methods. Swalec refutes such assumptions, explaining that old techniques endure today, co-existing comfortably with modern practice: “There is still quite a bit of that tradition in modern blacksmithing. For small projects, I still use the hammer and anvil. But as an artistic form, it can go in a whole other direction these days.”

Ferromorphics’ productions range from the small and ornate ~ such as decorated fireplace tool sets ~ to the large and delightfully absurd ~ an old boiler cut and crafted into furniture. “None of the sculptures I make lack a function,” said Swalec of his works. “They are the same useful items a traditional blacksmith would have made but with new and interesting designs.”

There is little exaggeration in Swalec’s claim that “If you can dream it, we can build it,” as he currently works upon a 13-foot sword sculpture (a process that Swalec said has already consumed hundreds of hours of labor and still requires more) to be displayed as a public art piece at Higgins Armory ~ funded by a grant awarded from the Massachusetts Cultural Coalition

Interested parties are welcomed to contact Swalec regarding a new project and he will gladly provide a free estimate. There is an odd comfort in knowing that should one stumble across the wrecked hull of a ship, there is someone out there who can skillfully transform it into a breakfast nook by hand ~ or at least give an estimate of what a job like that might run.

Peruse Swalec’s projects and impressive portfolio at his website,
ferromorphics.com/index.html, where you may also contact him.