Ancient art of blacksmithing still has a place in today’s world

By Lethbridge Herald on July 31, 2025.

Joe Manio
Lethbridge Herald 
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Blacksmithing is one of the oldest trades, with evidence of its practice dating back thousands of years. The ability to work with metal, particularly iron, revolutionized toolmaking and weaponry, playing a crucial role in the development of civilization. “Smithing” as an art and craft is still alive and well in the 21st century, continued by artisans like Johsua Vandenhoek who smiths under his company, Ace of Spades Sharpening.

“Smithing and sharpening is not my full time job…yet!” Vandenhoek points out. “I currently work as a corporate infrastructure engineer for a health care application platform company in Toronto as my day job, remotely of course. This is a long way of saying, ‘I work from home writing code and solving IT-related issues for users at my company,’” 

Vandenhoek graduated twice from the University of Lethbridge, with degrees in both psychology and computer science. He took up blacksmithing after “depression-watching” numerous YouTube smithing videos during the COVID-19 lockdown.

As ancient peoples discovered new metals such as iron, bronze, copper and gold, they also experimented with new forging methods, fuels, and primitive technologies. 

One of the most prosperous times for blacksmiths throughout history was the Middle Ages, when almost every town or village had a local blacksmith. Blacksmiths were also a staple trade in every town during the Wild West period in North America. 

“Blacksmithing is inherently physical, in that the metal ain’t gonna move itself,” says Vandenhoek. “However, smithing often doesn’t involve brute force, but rather relies more on careful and intentional blows to accomplish your goals. I’d say it’s somewhere in the realm of a 70/30 split, in favour of careful work. The majority of the tiredness comes from being constantly busy,” 

While many smiths still practice forging today, the craft and its tools are quite different from those of their ancestors. As humans advanced and experimented with innovative technology, they also advanced blacksmithing tools. The use of electricity and propane-powered forges are just two advances available to modern-day smiths.  

Many modern industrial processes have traditional blacksmithing techniques to thank for their growth. Examples include fields such as construction, manufacturing, fabrication, and more use welding and other metalworking processes daily.

“Smithing gave me an unprecedented feeling of control and autonomy over my environment and life like no other craft, hobby or occupation ever has,”  says Vandenhoek. “If you’d like to try it out for yourself, give me a ring and come on down to the shop because I’d love to share this with you!”

Despite automation even before the Industrial Revolution, traditional blacksmithing endures. Humans have never lost their appreciation for handcrafted and unique items, even with the rise of mass production and automation, says Vandenhoek.

“The best thing about my craft in my opinion is that I will never be done making things. There is an infinity of items and styles to explore and share with other people.”