Some people work all their lives without ever finding something they truly enjoy.
Joel Patterson, 30, found his calling. Eight years ago, he fell in love with blacksmithing. That fire still burns in him.
Although his weekly paycheck comes from driving a forklift for the Dollar General Corporation, he still says: “Blacksmithing is my job—Dollar General is my hobby.”
His family fills his time between smithing and work. His wife, Patricia, and daughters, Roxanne, 9, and Lacy, 5, often lend a hand around the shop, which is behind his home.
Patterson’s 3-year-old son, Jerry, has his own hammer and does a little smithing of his own.
Patterson’s blacksmith training began under master blacksmith Ed Moody in 1978 at Wondering Woods, a 1900’s-era old-fashioned village in Park City. In the spring of 1981, Patterson set up his own shop at Gun Town Mountain in Cave City. He’s has his own shop ever since.
Watching him work, his love for his work shines bright as the coals. The hear can be stifling and horses can be cantankerous. “There’s two ways to shoe a horse,” he said. “You can either stand back or get right in there and get the job done.”
Setting up his shop, he has avoided modern conveniences, except an electric blower for his forge. He plans to replace it with a traditional muscle-powered bellows.
Patterson is perfecting his technique for making a stone-carver’s chisel, most of which are made in Italy. His biggest-seller is the triangle-shaped dinner bell. He also makes fireplace pokers and ash shovels.
“It wouldn’t matter to me if I never made another dime from blacksmithing,” he said. “I’d do it just to make gifts for friends, because it’s what I love.”
