Our story
Our story begins with a young college student attending a small university in Oregon. Unsure of his life after graduation, he was searching for a path that would allow him to pursue his love of art and passion for exploring the imagination. On the advice of a friend he joined a metal sculpture class to try out for a term. It wasn't long before he was hooked, and soon after Matt Orthmann realized that he had found his passion.
He learned how to weld and build, using steel to pair form and function. Then one day while scrounging for scrap metal behind the school shop, he and his buddies uncovered what appeared to be some kind of furnace. They soon realized it was an old forge, in disrepair and requiring some much needed attention. Before long it was fired up, turning chunks of steel red hot and ready for hammering.
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With a working forge and a new passion for knowledge that burned as hot as the forge itself, Matt found himself falling in love with an age old craft. For the next three years Matt would delve into the art of blacksmithing, eventually switching his major over so that he could focus on his craft as a blacksmith.
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Graduation brought with it a whole new world of opportunities. and in January of 2014 Matt followed his dream of starting a custom blacksmithing business and Orthmann Ironworks was born. Since then Matt has continued to grow the business serving the Great Pacific Northwest and surrounding states including Idaho, Montana and California.
Blacksmithing takes hard work and patience, dedication and attention to detail. This is a testament to the work ethic of the man behind the hammer and is evident in his skill as a blacksmith. Matt believes in challenging himself to put forth the greatest effort in achieving the best product possible. He believes in his craft and creating the highest quality work for his customers.
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