Alex Pole Ironwork

12/10/2026

CHEFS TOOL
11” slicer demo from this weekend’s Forge a Chefs Knife class
80crv2 blade with copper and walnut handle
There are still a few places left for my 2027 blacksmith workshops - but selling out fast !
Made with a little help from some friends :
Grinding by
Handle by
Handle Wax by
Sharpening by .

11/10/2026

‘RANDOM SQUARE’
Plate 23 cm in 5 mm stainless
Custom order .

09/10/2026

BRASS PLATE
23 x 5 cm : ‘100 yr old hammer’ texture
Forged cold with a satin finish
This one takes a long time to forge as the hammer peen is so small … but loving the result .

07/10/2026

FORGING HANDLES : PT 2
Pre-forms have been profiled on the 2 x 72” grinders (but that’s boring to watch !)
Stamped , fullered and straightened .

07/10/2026

04/10/2026

ARBON STEEL COOKWARE
Hand spun in the UK from high grade carbon steel . Fitted out with forged stainless steel handles and copper rivets
Old school style pans and skillets for the serious cook - perfect for open flame cooking , induction friendly and built to last a life time
NO CHEMICAL COATINGS - JUST RAW STEEL AND CRAFTSMANSHIP .

25/09/2026

BLACKSMITH COURSES 2027
All my courses for 2027 are now live on the website
- FORGING AN AXE
- FORGE A CHEFS KNIFE
- 1 DAY KNIFE MAKING
- FORGING BBQ TOOLS
Due to popular demand I have added in extra dates for next year but still focused on small classes to give a more personal and relaxed
Places going fast - so don’t miss out .

23/09/2026

SPOON & FORK
30 sets of custom cutlery - fish spoon and fish fork
Ulta-lightweight, geometric, industrial and texture was the brief from the chef - think these have nailed it
3 mm laser cut stainless with ‘criss-cross’ texture and satin finish
Exploring new designs and processes - taking me in an unexpected direction ! More of this to come I think ….

20/09/2026

SO YOU WANT TO BE A BLACKSMITH
I’ve just finished reading Kitchen Confidential again for the 3rd time and it strikes me how similar the life of the cook and the life of the blacksmith are !
Replace the word ‘cook’ with ‘blacksmith’ and you will get an insight into this life we lead
Written in a far better way than I ever could Bourdain captures so much the essence of the strange, brutal and wonderful craft of both cooking and forging
A must read for anyone thinking of becoming a blacksmith and for anyone already in this life
His departure was the greatest loss
Normal service will resume next week (once the anti-histamines, pain killers and Merlot have worn off - got attacked by wasps and they won !) .