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Striking Hot Steel with @charleslionheart

To see more of Charlie’s blacksmith photos, follow @charleslionheart on Instagram.

In western North Carolina, 24-year-old Charlie Ellis (@charleslionheart) spends his days crafting detailed tools — knives, especially — from wood, leather and steel. He also enjoys the occasional bit of time travel. “When I’m really focused on a project, I sometimes feel out of touch with the world, like I’m in another era,” says Charlie, who at times takes inspiration from the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien and other mythical worlds for his modern-day blacksmithing. Charlie grew up in Florida, but first “struck hot steel” at a summer heritage festival in Maine when he was just 14. “There was a blacksmith giving classes, and after I made a little fire poker and a couple of nails, I was completely hooked,” he says. While craftsmanship runs in the family — his father is a lifelong carpenter — Charlie’s handiwork has an edge all its own. It also pays the bills. “I truly believe this is what I’m meant to do,” he says of smithing and his particular brand of exquisite steelwork. “And to be able to provide for my family [he’s married, with a two-month-old son] while doing the work I love — I feel I’m blessed.”