Today we’d like to introduce you to Jody & Jennifer Lyddane.

Hi Jody & Jennifer, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.

Jennifer and I have never been comfortable by just existing. We both share a desire to leave our mark, push oursleves to be better, and set an example. Having children, amplified these characteristics. We have a 13 year old boy who is a natural athlete with a laser beam arm that sets him apart as a baseball catcher. Our 16 year old daughter is a higschool wrestler with a type of determination that we’ve never seen. Her dedication to the sport and her team make us so proud. We take no credit for who they both are and give all glory to God for blessing us with them. Our businesses take a second seat to them, however, we believe that the people you hang out with has an effect on who you become, we do take credit for setting that example.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

You will hear many metaphors comparing The Forge to life. Hammering steel is symbolic of going through life. The scars and dents from the hammer blows resemble the ups and downs we face throughout our lives. Of course this journey hasn’t been easy, we have had more failures than successes, we have suffered injuries ( like Ferric Choride in the eye, we’ll save that for another article). Like Rocky said ‘It doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down, what matters is how many times you get knocked down and get back up…’ something like that. We continue to hone our craft, read, practice, repeat.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

If you research the history of damascus steel فولاذ دمشقي (Arabic for damascus steel), you cannot help but become intrigued. While the modern techniques aren’t quite the same as they did it in Syria in the 19th century, the concept is similar. Our blades are created by stacking a high carbon steel 80CRV2 with a high nickel variety 15n20 and forging those together. The steel is forge welded using a coal forge (the focal point of our forge). We create random numbers of layers that, when properly prepared and etched, reveal beautiful unique patterns that appeal to
our clients and tell a story.

What’s next?

Once Jody retires from the military, we hope to offer forging/tool making classes and share our craft with others. We continue to get better and more creative so the sky is the limit in this trade. Maybe one day a producer will reach out and want to tell our story through television ;)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jlforge.com
• Instagram: Jlforge, lipstick Blacksmith, versailles barber co
• Facebook: Jlforge, lipstick Blacksmith, versailles barber co