Joseph Campbell is an architectural metal fabricator who owns Metal Inc and the Metal Collaborative Studio in Philadelphia, PA.  You’ll hear Joe talk about the Metal Collaborative membership, it’s like a gym membership but to a metal studio outfitted with welding and blacksmithing equipment.  It’s an interesting business model that I wish would grow, giving competent blacksmiths or metal workers a place to be creative and collaborate with each other.  He mentions what membership access gives you and how much it costs.  Joe also talks about his own private and public commissions he has been getting through his metal working business.

But first I want to thank our sponsor today and that’s Bob Menard of the Ball and Chain Forge in Portland, Maine.  He’s been making a tool that allows a blacksmith to increase the weight of their anvil by 30lbs and to make tools without the need for a large swage block with pass through holes, it’s the BCF Anvil Block and he’s been making them for 5 years in his forge in Maine.

It is a 30lb block of cast iron that has 2 square holes passing through, 1" and 1 3/8".  The size is 3 1/2" wide x 6 1/2" long x 4" high, so it fits on top of the anvil face and firmly secures to any anvil size with a top bracket and chains.

The current price is $200 including shipping in the continental US.  For more information contact Bob through email, [email protected].

Thanks Bob Menard and Ball and Chain Forge!

 

What We Talked About

• Joe talks about how his architectural metal business helps pays the bills for the Metal Collaborative studio membership. Also, how the collaborative nature of the studio lends its creativity to the architectural side of the business too.
• Joe, Ann Klicka, Nick Eyre’s started a collaborative blacksmith community from a local prolific Artist blacksmith, Bob Phillips, after Phillip’s passing away about 4 years ago. Most of the group disbanded and Joe wanted to continue his metal working business and the collaborative metal studio concept.
• Currently, there are about 6 members of the Collaborative studio. As of this recording, their rates for membership are varied: $400/month for full-time access and storage, part-time access and smaller storage space is $200/mo, and a day rate of $75.
• Residing in Philadelphia has its perks as a metal worker, such as seeing original works forged by Samuel Yellin.
• Joe has been inspired by some of Yellin’s work and techniques, he submitted a design for a public city bike rack and incorporated one of Yellin’s “lattice” slit and drift design aspects. The bike rack design was accepted by the City and he has yet to make it.
• Joe talks about insurance coverages and suggests that artists look through ABANA and NOMMA

Guest Links

Metal Inc website - http://www.metalincorporated.com/about-the-metal-collaborative/

A Big Thank You to today’s sponsor – Bob Menard of the Ball and Chain Forge, http://www.ballandchainforge.com/tooling_1?_rdr