Combat Ready Art

06/19/2026

Dan continued working on his twisted damascus dagger today. He finished hammering the shape, started grinding, and got to the first "motivational dip" in the acid. It's already looking so good, just wait until the finished piece!

06/19/2026

Look at that shine on the blade! Larry did a fantastic job with his Railroad Spike Knife! Super sharp and probably able to be seen from space!😉

06/18/2026

Dan came to the forge for the first time yesterday after receiving the class as a gift from his daughter. He made a great Railroad Spike Knife!

06/17/2026

Here is the, now, Emmy winning episode again 😉

Combat Ready Art and Jake Girolami work with heat, light, and chemicals to create something new.

06/17/2026

This is awesome! Congratulations to Kalamazoo Lively Arts on ! The segment they did on the forge last year won the regional Emmy!

We brought home 5 Regional Emmy Awards at the 2025 NATAS Michigan Emmy Ceremony, and we are so proud. Living West Michigan, Kalamazoo Lively Arts: Combat Ready Art, and Our Show Today were all recognized for the storytelling West Michigan deserves. None of it happens without you, our community. Thank you for showing up for the stories that matter. Michigan EMMY Chapter - NATAS

06/15/2026

James did a great job with his first knife today! He's going to add wood or resin, so we stretched the handle to length.

06/15/2026

Scott and his mother were back today! Scott continued working on his damascus billet, and his mom made another beautiful steel flower.

06/13/2026

Megan and Kevin celebrated their Steel Anniversary (11th) in the forge today! They both made beautiful flowers!

06/12/2026

There are fun classes, and then there are " Todd Chance FOX17 from FOX 17 Morning Mix comes to the forge" fun classes!

FOX 17 reached out a couple of weeks ago and said they've had viewers recommend doing a segment in the forge. So Todd and videographer Jeff came today to learn about what we do, and to make a hook.

Such a fun afternoon with them, especially because I watch the show every morning. And we were all thankful the weather cooled off!

Thank you to all of you for recommending the forge!! I love this community!

The segment will air later this month.


Park Trades Center Discover Kalamazoo Downtown Kalamazoo Downtown Kalamazoo Collective

06/11/2026

Birthday Knifemaking! Max and his father came to the forge this morning for Max's birthday! Fun time with them!