Quiet Giants: Josiah Powell builds a modern blacksmith business at Bifrost Forge

DELAWARE — Hammering red-hot metal into axe heads is not something the average person does in their garage.

For Josiah Powell, it’s just another day at Bifrost Forge.

At his garage-based blacksmithing business, Powell creates handmade metal pieces — everything from axes and tomahawks to everyday household items like hooks, racks and cooking tools.

Powell opened the business in 2022, just one year after his wife got him an entry-level blacksmithing class — thankfully, she puts up with his craft, he joked.

“It was just a one-day class, but I was really stoked about it,” Powell said.

“Pretty much the next day, I was looking on Facebook Marketplace for stuff, and I found a dude that just happened to be selling his anvil, forge and whole setup.”

Powell said finding the gear he was looking for so quickly “catapulted him towards destiny.” Without it, Bifrost Forge might not exist.

But from those humble beginnings, Powell quickly started accumulating more equipment. From a custom tire hammer designed by another blacksmith to a historic fly press imported from England, it’s safe to say the garage doesn’t house cars anymore.

“Everything I have now, as far as equipment, materials, my welder, all that stuff, I’ve been able to pay for through sales from blacksmithing,” he said.

“I just make some little things, sell them, save up and get a piece of equipment that helps me make more stuff.”

After flipping items and upgrading his at-home space, Powell quickly realized his craft revolved around more than just metal.

Pieces of leather scatter around his shop, and various wooden boards sit on a shelf. Powell said he picked up leather work for sheaths and woodworking for handles.

“You just have to be multifaceted, and blacksmithing kind of just forces you into that,” he said.

Early inspiration

Adopted from Pittsburgh and raised in Hilliard, Powell recalled going to the Prairie Peddler Festival as a kid and seeing blacksmiths.

“I always thought [blacksmithing] was cool, but I never really had a chance to do it,” he said.

“I had seen Forged in Fire, and I think that was where I said, ‘Oh, I’d really like to make knives.'”

Powell said the original goal of the class was to get into knife-making, but seeing as how that was the intermediate class and hook-making was the beginner class, things changed.

“I became fascinated by the art side of blacksmithing and started looking up people like Black Bear Forge on YouTube,” he said.

“[Black Bear Forge] was kind of the crutch that I used to really get going.”

The ability to take a solid block of steel, stretch it, round it and maybe punch a hole in it is what drew Powell into blacksmithing versus bladesmithing.

However, Powell loves axes and tomahawks — because who doesn’t?

“I’ve made quite a few axes and tomahawks, and that’s a lot of fun. It incorporates a lot of the actual forging stuff. You start with a square block and make everything from that,” Powell said.

While Nordic weaponry is objectively cool, it also somewhat ties into the name Bifrost Forge.

Powell said he has some Nordic ancestry and explained how the Bifrost is a fire bridge that connects Earth (Midgard) to the heavens (Asgard) in Norse mythology.

Combined with the Vikings’ historical ties to blacksmithing, the name felt like a natural fit.

Standing out in a thousands-year craft

Powell confessed he isn’t sure how he’s different from other blacksmiths, but said that’s kind of the point.

“I guess that’s the neat thing about art. I feel like [being different from others] is for other people to decide,” he said.

“But some of it is the nature of the craft. There are a bunch of different shapes of hammers, but they’re all hammers. Most of them have two ends and a hole in the middle.

“So, is it unique? Yeah, it’s a little bit different, but it’s a fine line,” he said. “Anytime I see something that inspires me, the goal that I have is how can I spin off that to make it my own?”

Since blacksmithing has been around for thousands of years, Powell said it can be pretty rare to come across something that is truly original.

However, some blacksmiths have motifs or calling cards that they etch into their work. This is something Powell is still figuring out.

“Maybe I do have something, and people look at my work and can tell it’s Bifrost Forge. But I feel like I’m still feeling it out, and I don’t know that I have a specific thing that is my style yet,” he said.

The business side of blacksmithing

Powell said frying pans, pan racks, towel racks and hooks have been some of his more popular items lately.

But he’s also been able to stretch his creativity with skeletal hand-inspired holders for axes and towels.

“I also like the household stuff: grilling tools, forks, spatulas, steak flippers. Those are pretty popular, I’ll make those from railroad spikes,” he said.

Customers typically purchase Powell’s products from his website or message him on social media for something custom.

Folks can also find Bifrost Forge products on Sandusky Street in either Goat Local or Barley Hopsters, as Powell has partnerships with both businesses.

Powell explained that both the Delaware community and the blacksmithing community have been super helpful to his business.

“I’ve had a lot of success selling stuff to people in Delaware because I feel like it’s a place that does appreciate the small business type of stuff,” he said.

“It’s a great spot for anything handmade. It seems like people are very willing to spend money on stuff like that.”

Powell moved to Delaware around 2011 after getting out of the Marines. He said he appreciates Delaware for being a curious community that wants to learn more about his business and support it.

As far as the blacksmithing community goes, just about everyone Powell has talked to wants to be a source of knowledge.

“I have had people give me materials, their time, books and invite me over to their shop so I can learn stuff,” he said.

“It’s incredible how cool the community is for those looking to learn it. And pardon the pun, but the older guys are dying to share their information because it has to be passed down.”

Whether it’s at a market, in a local shop or through a custom order, Powell said the reward is the same: someone stopping, taking a closer look and realizing, “Wow — somebody actually made this.”