Evington Iron Werks           

By Andie Gibson

      Walking into Evington Iron Werks is like taking a step back in time. At least until you spot the computer and high-tech CNC Plasma cutter. At first glance, what catches your eye is the hot iron coming out of the fire. With a mallet and anvil, Jeremy Funderburk shapes it into the perfect twist of a curtain holder, a pot rack, a garden gate or other hand-forged creations.

     “What I have here is very unique,” said Jeremy, owner and blacksmith at Evington Iron Werks. “No one else in the area has anything like this.” Jeremy actually merges traditional blacksmithing and the newest technology in plasma steel cutting. With this combination, he created a full fabrication shop providing the most versatile options for custom art and home décor. “Your imagination is my limit,” he said.

      The idea can start as a picture, something from a magazine or your own creation. “I try to include the customer in the design process and be as customer-oriented as possible,” explained Jeremy. For Plasma Cut Art, he takes your idea and goes straight to his computer. Using the most advanced programs available, Jeremy recreates your idea on the screen and sets the plasma cutter to cut up to 22 gage steel (7/8th of an inch thick) on an X and Y vector. Jeremy currently produces art up to 4 feet by 8 feet, but he can expand up to 4 feet by 25 feet. 

     For his home décor, lawn and garden, and other forged items, Jeremy learned from a master blacksmith. He can recreate a 200-year-old gate or design an elaborate fireplace screen using just fire, an anvil and a power hammer.

     So how does someone become involved in a craft that is almost a lost art? For Jeremy, it began in high school when his best friend’s father bought a forge. Jeremy and his friend spent almost every day practicing with the forge after school. Jeremy’s mom was an artist and his father was a photographer, so he became a metal artist. While he gave it up for a career in the Navy and then at Ericsson in Lynchburg, it was always something he loved.

     When he first purchased a forge, Jeremy used it to do period reenactments with his family. Soon he found himself at craft shows filling unique custom orders. The more work he did, the more he studied the craft. By increasing his knowledge, he was able to offer more and more complex designs. Knowing he had the knowledge, skills and equipment to create unique gifts like nothing else in the area, he opened Evington Iron Werks in June 2004. In just a few short months, he has already maximized every inch of space in the small shop off Highway 24, between Smith Mountain Lake and Lynchburg. To see Jeremy’s work, visit www.blueridgeforge.com or call 434-821-1774 for an appointment. Iron Werks works with Blinds & Beyond creating speciality decor and has creations at several area art galleries and shops around the area.