Rising Stars: Meet Dean Curfman of Morganton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dean Curfman.

Hi Dean, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story as an Artistic Blacksmith started 36 years ago. I left my home state of PA. and made my way to the great state of NC with a passion for tooling and artistic metal design. I worked various jobs to start my “Oak Hill Iron Works Inc” business. We are now known for our incredible, hand-forged iron work, found throughout the country, and our tooling line known as “BLU Hammer.” Our power hammer, Big BLU, can be seen on The History Channel’s “Forged In Fire.”

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a smooth road?
Every business owner has struggles, including myself; I have found struggles always turn into an incredible learning experience. A “struggle” becomes a teacher. When you are open to the lesson, you will achieve great success.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
In the early 80s, my career with metal began. The feeling of forging a solid medal by heating it and turning it into something beautiful is beyond words. I have traveled all over the world, honing my mental skill. I created The Big BLU Power hammer to forge metal, as seen on Forged in Fire on the History channel. I started the Big BLU hammer so I could make my tools initially, and industrial hammers for forging would not work for artistic designs. Now, I share it with the world. Later I learned to saw, kiln dry, and finish wood slabs. Taking a 3″ live edge slab and being able to use my epoxy (i-Epoxy) to create river tables was a dream just a few yrs back. After many hard days and countless hours, my dream became a reality. I now also share this knowledge with my fellow woodworkers. The marriage of metal and wood has become a bigger passion than ever imagined. My company, Oak Hill Iron Works, now produces the most beautiful, functional, hand-forged gates, rails, and heirloom pieces of furniture that any family would be proud to love. Just as my wife, Lynn Curfman, says ‘We strive to create timeless pieces that will become the next generations treasure,” and that is exactly what we do.

We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
When starting my business, I did not think about “Risk.” I just went for it. If you were to look at the “Risk” before starting your business, you would likely never start it. Once you have your feelings on the ground in your new business, the thought of “Risk” comes into play. At this point, your “Risk” is to maintain your business. I am the “RISK” taker.

Pricing:

• Call for custom pricing

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.oakhilliron.com
• Instagram: oak_hill_iron_wood_showroom
• Facebook: facebook.com/oakhillironworks

Image Credits
Elizabeth G. Curfman