Lankton Metal Design

10/31/2024

Manfred and I demonstrating at the U of M Art school, I love the reflection in the glass behind us... we put him up in the Ann Arbor Hilton and every day he would get there for tea time in the lobby with the other better dressed guests, filthy as a pig wearing those leather pants, and charming and gregarious as ever. What a time that was.

10/30/2024

With my Mentor Manfred Bredohl In 1987. He came and did a workshop at my place in Ann Arbor. I'll have to dig a little for other photos of the 12 who was there and what we made; the "Falling Fence" and a speakers Podium. An amazing good experience!

10/30/2024

09/22/2024

An amazing group of car enthusiasts at the Empire Hill Climb! It fun to drive an this car near its (and my) limits! Did I win you ask? Well let's say that everyone loved having our 1963 Morgan roadster in this 60 year old event so much that we got a special award! I didn't really stand chance of beating any of these race cars, but we drove hard anyway, and that is still worth something in this world. Go Morgan!

09/08/2024

One more shot of the old doors with a flower blooming in the ruins..

09/08/2024

I stopped by the old Hart Blacksmith shop recently. Pretty sad to see my first real blacksmith shop essentially gone. The little giant is still standing as is the facade but little else. I do love the sunflower blooming in the ruin, and Harold's weathervane is still spinning and groaning in the wind. The last picture shows the remnants of the ship's ladder railing I made that went up to my bedroom. The hinges on the front doors are also "mine". Its been 39 years since I left it behind so I just stopped by to say good bye. The owner John Griswold aka Iron Angle forge, wants to rebuild it and has a go fund me page you can look up if you choose. A great loss for him.

09/03/2024

Digging thru boxes and throwing things away, but finding a few treasures like this NWBA newspaper from 1982... full of good articles featuring the likes of Richard Quinnell, Corky Storer, Fred Holder, Dean Mook, and more! Fun little bit of our modern blacksmith history.

08/27/2024

Don Fogg stress testing a blade at Ashokan, NY c 1980's. I can't really tell or remember how this one came out, but Louis Mills, Al Pendray, and Steve Schwarzer, and others were all doing this. Destructive testing. Louis's bent way past 90 and back again, Al's wooty blade was also very Impressive as I recall. Fun times.

08/27/2024

The forge area in the old Hart, MI Blacksmith Shop. It essentially burned down recently. Not from blacksmithing though.

08/27/2024

"Keep the suet coming and maybe we'll leave your wooden house alone!"
I love the way that "Butch" and his brother's crowns have not laid down yet.

08/24/2024

Happiness is a warm gun, bang bang, shoot shoot...

08/21/2024

Back when everybody smoked, matches might have been better than business cards.... these are from the shop I once owned in Hart, Michigan, It burned down last month, don't know if any of these matches were responsible? (No) Chris Wilde was an amazing man, he could fix just about anything, "as good as new or better" and his slogan, "Where Quality Counts! He meant it. RIP