Cody MowBray, a local blacksmith uses a hammer to create a knife inside the Xerocraft Makerspace, 101 W. 6th St.
To Tucson blacksmith Cody MowBray, forging knives, bottle openers and other metalworks from blocks of steel is like living magic.
“There's something crazy about seeing it start from a square and having it take shape,” he said. “To really physically move something that is solid to a completely different shape.”
For the last year, MowBray has been honing his craft, and working away in his fiery wizard’s den at Xerocraft Makerspace, 101 W. 6th St. — a workshop in downtown Tucson for scientists, engineers, tradesmen, artists or any other hobby enthusiast come together to learn all manner of skills for personal hobbies or community projects.
At Xerocraft, you’ll find spaces and resources for everything from 3D printing to wood burning, welding, and of course, blacksmithing.
Butterflies made out of scrap metal inside the Xerocraft Makerspace, 101 W. 6th St.
Advancing from a volunteer to one of the shop managers, MowBray now runs the collective’s weekly open forge events on alternating Fridays and Saturdays, where the public is invited to step into the world of blacksmithing.
“Every week you have an opportunity to come as a member of the community to do this and try it out,” he said. “It's for folks who want to sort of get in with their feet wet and see if they want to commit to this sort of thing.”
The three-hour sessions are $20 for non-members and only $15 for members. The forge space, he said, is also open access for members to use and experiment with any day of the week.
Cody MowBray, a local blacksmith uses a hammer to create a bottle opener inside the Xerocraft Makerspace, 101 W. 6th St.
“It's a really good way just to mess around. It's not really a guided experience. Folks like myself who have experience are here, so you can definitely ask questions,” MowBray said. “We do have scrap steel in the back, so people can mess around with stuff, but if you really want to make something special, we recommend bringing your own things.”
If you’re looking to experiment with forging, but want more direction, MowBray also teaches monthly classes to teach people interested in blacksmithing the fundamentals of how to make their own knives and bottle openers.
MowBray, who is still relatively new to blacksmithing, said he first took interest in blacksmithing during a trip to a renaissance fair.
“I saw this demo for building your own blacksmithing knife,” he said. “And I thought that was really cool, but the line was too long, and it was too expensive, but I had this yearning — this large need and want to do it.”
Cody MowBray, a local blacksmith uses a hammer to create a bottle opener inside the Xerocraft Makerspace, 101 W. 6th St.
Desperate to find blacksmithing opportunities in Tucson, MowBray eventually found his way to Xerocraft. It didn’t take long, he said, before he fell in love with the craft.
“There's just something really cathartic about it, it's a great stress relief,” MowBray said. “If you're ever angry and need to get it out, hot steel and a hammer is the best way.”
He said he also appreciates the hours of demanding physical work that goes into each piece. Especially in an age where most everything is artificial, mass-produced, or cheaply made, MowBray said steel will stand the test of time.
Cody MowBray, a local blacksmith uses a hammer to create a knife inside the Xerocraft Makerspace, 101 W. 6th St.
“Everything here is going to outlive me,” he said. “Those (knives) are not going to be thrown in the garbage.”
His favorite things to make, MowBray said, are bottle openers and knives.
“I like making bottle openers. Bottle openers are not very sexy, but they're very fun. They're functional,” he said. “Knives are what I started making, but I learned very quickly that knives are not really the best thing to do as an entry-level blacksmith. There's a lot of skills you have to learn, a lot of boring stuff, like bottle openers and hooks that teach you fundamentals.”
Creating a single blade can take him between 12 to 15 hours or more.
“Not all of that is straight hammer work. Some of that is planning, some of that is learning, some of that is sketching up designs and concepts,” MowBray said.
Each project, knife or otherwise, begins as an unassuming block of steel.
“When you see a sword, it doesn't come out like that,” he said. “You have to hammer it to shape it.”
The first step though, is to cut the metal into the rough shape typically using an angle grinder or band saw.
“If you want to do things the heritage craft way, you would use a chisel to basically cut it right on the anvil,” he said.
The metal is then heated in the 1,800-degree forge to make it pliable, and slowly shaped millimeter by millimeter into the desired shape.
“If you've ever played with clay or Play-Doh, it works the same way, as long as you get it hot enough,” MowBray said.
Finally, he hearts his creations three more times before they're cooled in a bucket of oil, briefly producing a small flame. The oil, MowBray said, is essential because it cools the metal more gradually than water, resulting in a stronger product.
“When you heat it up, it gets to be very flexible, but when you cool it, it hardens, and how you cool it determines how fragile it is, how sturdy it is, whether it's an axe for chopping wood or it's a chef's knife that you can use to cut your steak,” he said. “If you do it too quickly, the material becomes brittle.”
Cody MowBray, a local blacksmith holds a knife he made inside the Xerocraft Makerspace, 101 W. 6th St.
Out of his nearly two dozen finished blades, one of the pieces he’s most proud of is a steel knife with a smoothed, wooden handle he created entirely by himself.
“I put the pins in it myself, the wood I sanded, I cut and contoured it,” he said. “It took me two hours, twice a week, for about eight or nine weeks.”
“It's one of my favorite pieces, because I've had folks who have made knives before, or have bought from folks who've been making knives for 20-something years, say that one that I made is better in terms of quality craftsmanship, and feels better in their hand, than the knives they've bought from professionals.”
Cody MowBray, a local blacksmith takes a hot metal rod out of the forge inside the Xerocraft Makerspace, 101 W. 6th St.
Although MowBray hopes to someday make money selling his knives, he said that right now, he doesn’t have the capacity because of how much time it takes. He would much rather focus on educating new blacksmiths, and cultivating his community.
“I would love to start my own business to do road shows, and to teach and educate. I do like to make stuff, but I get the most satisfaction about educating people on the craft,” he said. “I really wish I'd found this when I was younger, that probably would have changed my whole life trajectory.
Cody MowBray, a local blacksmith poses for a photo inside the Xerocraft Makerspace, 101 W. 6th St.
“So, what I really wanted to do, and I think I've done successfully, is bring people in who are young. We have a couple young guys who are either 16 or going to be high schoolers, coming in with their parents to do this. Having kids come in here with their parents and seeing the sparks fly, and, and spending two hours, and walking away with something functional — the excitement on their face, for me, is really satisfying,” MowBray said. “If you want to come in here and have a good time and forge and be a part of a growing community, literally making history, then I'm all for whoever wants to show up.”
