An absent-minded brush of bare skin against a leaf of the Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) can feel disastrous - resulting in small but persistently uncomfortable burning welts that give the plant a bad reputation. However, when handled mindfully, every part of the Nettle can be harvested for various applications: as nutritious greens to eat, brewed as teas and other extracts for medicines, processed into cordage and fabric, or composted into a rich soil amendment.

The transformative power of fire is both a blessing and a terror: even the smallest flame may grow into a devastating force, but heat can be used as a tool with innumerable implementations when approached with presence and intention. The effective forging of hot steel and the successful harvest of a fickle wild edible both impart a sense of simultaneous humility and empowerment. Mindfulness and sense of purpose enable us to unlock the potentials within these elemental allies, to nourish our bodies and our creativity, to build and metamorphose.

The guiding purpose of Nettlefire Forge is to explore processes of transformation to create inspiring and integrous metal objects for the home and homestead.

Mak has been travelling as a journeyman since 2020, working for various shops around the country, and are currently employed at the Metal Museum in Memphis, TN as the 2023-2025 Blacksmithing Apprentice. Before their time at the Museum, they worked for Davis Metalsmiths in Temple, TX, and MDO Welding & Fabrication in Chicago, IL.

Mak's background is in hospitality and human ecology, but when they caught the metalworking bug, their focus shifted to forging and fabrication. After learning some basics near their home in the San Juan Islands, at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, and as a jewelry production assistant at Material Wit, they relocated to Seattle to pursue their education as an apprentice at Tinder Heart metals & design. They lived in the city from 2016 -2019 and worked as a plasma-cutting assistant at 2K Metalworks and as a fabricator at Urban Reclamations before moving to western Pennsylvania for a position at Touchstone Center for Crafts. As the 2019 Summer Studio Assistant in the Blacksmithing Studio, they assisted visiting instructors, helped to maintain the shop and equipment, and expanded their own practice within the forge as well as other studios, including glass and ceramics. While in PA, they also had the opportunity to attend and participate in iron casting pours with Rivers of Steel Arts in Pittsburgh. Mak returned to Touchstone as the Blacksmithing Technician for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, and enjoyed working on a variety of projects in the Hart Moore Blacksmith Studio. They have occasionally instructed workshops at Peters Valley School of Craft.

Follow their work on Instagram at @nettlefireforge!