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Choosing a career as a blacksmith can be interesting, challenging and extremely satisfying.

In some cases, it can even be well paying, although not all blacksmiths would agree. It's not an easy profession to get into, and success doesn't come without years of practice and hard work.

But regardless of the time, money (or lack of it) and effort that's required, for most blacksmiths, the love of the work, the sense of history and the ability to create make it all worthwhile.

Blacksmithing is one of the few professions that has changed little in the last few hundred years. The tools and methods haven't changed. It's still about creating objects from iron -- bending, shaping, heating and pounding an object into a useful item or work of art.

Because the profession itself hasn't really changed, neither have people's perceptions of blacksmiths. Many still picture the blacksmith as a big burly man, with arms the size of tree trunks, laboring in front of a hot stove. That, however, is the one thing about the profession that HAS changed.

"Blacksmiths are trying to overcome the public perception that they just shoe horses," says Rob Sadowski. He is a blacksmith hobbyist. In fact, more and more blacksmiths refer to themselves as artists. Many have never even worked with horses, much less built shoes for them.

In the old days, says Sadowski, blacksmiths made items more out of necessity. Today, many of the items made are ornamental. The need has definitely changed, but the demand for ironwork is still there.

"There has certainly been a resurgence in it," says Sadowski. He teaches blacksmithing and says weekend courses are always full. People are now requesting the school offer advanced classes as well.

He says many hobbyists take the courses, but several others who attend are making a living from it.

"There will always be a certain demand for [blacksmiths]," says Brian Gilbert. He is a part-time blacksmith and editor for Hammer's Blow magazine.

"And there will always be an appreciation for what blacksmiths do."

Although, he adds, some people will never understand the value behind a piece of hand-forged art. "Slinging a hammer is hard work," says Gilbert. "It's very hands-on and intensive" and that often drives the price of iron pieces up.

Recouping enough money seems to be the biggest obstacle when choosing blacksmithing as a profession. Depending on who you talk to, blacksmiths either earn a good living or they barely survive.

For many, blacksmithing is a labor of love.

Lorelei Sims is a self-employed blacksmith in Charleston, Illinois. "The physical part of blacksmithing is one of my greatest attractions to it," says Sims. "When you really get into it, it's almost Zen-like. It's a whole mind and body concept."

Gilbert agrees with her. "It becomes absolutely absorbing and you tend to lose all track of time," he says.

For many, selling their work for a profit is also appealing. "There's a huge satisfaction in creating something from nothing and then selling it," says Gilbert.

Although he admits he never made much money when he worked as a blacksmith full time, he also says he didn't pursue it very hard. "If you stay at it long enough, you won't have to hustle for your work as much," says Gilbert. But for many, it takes a long time before they ever reach that point.

"It wasn't extremely lucrative for me, until I developed my own style," says Sims. She says about 60 percent of her time is spent creating ornamental pieces. The rest of her time is spent doing basic work, like repairs.

Sims sells much of her work through craft fairs, which can be quite lucrative. However, there are no guarantees and it does involve a lot of traveling.

"The hardest part about blacksmithing," says Sims jokingly, "is lugging [iron] all across the country."

She says for some shows, she's hauled 1.5 tons of iron, all in pieces that have to be set up in a booth and then packed away if they don't sell.

Some blacksmiths, like Gilbert, sell most of their work through commission in art galleries. And others, like Dorothy Stiegler in Carmel, California, sell their work through their shop and through word of mouth.

Stiegler says she has experienced the starving artist syndrome, especially when she began blacksmithing full time. But she says, "I did it because I loved it," and she believed in herself and in her work.

Now, Stiegler has no problem earning a good living and her shop is busy. "I've worked my whole life to make it happen," says Stiegler.

She admits it's difficult for many people to make a living at blacksmithing, but it's not impossible. "It comes down to the same old thing," says Stiegler. "How badly do you want to do it and how much do you believe in yourself?"

Stiegler insists there is a market for good blacksmiths. The key is knowing where the markets are.

Mark Pearce is a full-time blacksmith. He says he's busy enough in his shop to employ two blacksmiths, plus himself and a secretary.

"There's enough work for people to get into it," says Pearce, but he adds that it's hard work and a long learning process.

Because most of the demand is for ornamental ironwork, the busiest markets are usually in the affluent areas of both the U.S. and Canada.

"Blacksmithing has gone from functional to artistic," says Rob Edwards. He is a hobbyist blacksmith and publisher of Anvil Magazine.

"There has been a tremendous resurgence in it," but it does depend on which part of the country you're working in. For example, in farming areas where blacksmithing used to be a necessity to repair equipment, it's no longer required. But in the coastal areas and major centers where people are more interested in ironwork as art, the demand is high.

Affluent areas provide a good market, agrees Stiegler. "Blacksmiths are living where there's money and they're doing just fine," she says, although many of these blacksmiths are masters at their craft. And becoming a master at any craft takes years of hard work and practice.

"If your attraction [to blacksmithing] is to make money, it's probably not the best place to be," says Sims. Earning a good income right from the start probably won't happen.

She says you have to have a desire to work with your hands. If you have some creative juices, or a knack for design, so much the better. "You have to have patience, passion and perseverance," says Sims. If you've got those three things, you just might have what it takes to become a professional blacksmith.