Forge & Nail is a Contemporary Blacksmith Shop located in the historic logging town of Sedro-Woolley, WA. We specialize in custom designs from forged metal. 

Historically the blacksmith’s craft was supreme. The blacksmith made all of the tools, hardware, nails, cookware and shoed the horses. Blacksmiths were also artists, creating beautiful architectural commissions including gates, railings and lighting.

Forge & Nail takes this charge into the modern era. Silas Maddox brings extensive experience in both building and mechanics to his blacksmith craft. While artistic ironwork, and tool making are his passion, like the blacksmiths of old, he can provide a wide variety of quality metal working services.

Our Story

Forge & Nail was started in 2011 by Silas Maddox. The culmination of working several years as a journeyman traveling the country and studying blacksmithing, it was time to venture out on his own. In 2013 Silas and his partner Carla were able to buy a home and shop in downtown Sedro Woolley, Wa. It is here that Forge & Nail produces one of a kind forged architectural commissions and production hand forged items.

Silas Maddox, Blacksmith

Silas, has long had an interest in both mechanics and building. The son of two carpenters, he grew up working in his father's cabinet shop and exploring his mother's job sites. As a child Silas' love of mechanics was fostered while working on cars with his dad. This love of automobiles would continue, leading to jobs in the automotive industry for several years.

Thinking that he wanted to build racecars for a living, Silas worked towards going to automotive design school. This path led him to an industrial welding program at Bellingham Technical College where is interest in metal working was born. In 2001 Silas began studying automotive design at Western Washington University's Vehicle Research Institute. After about a year in the VRI, Silas started volunteering at a small non-profit bicycle cooperative in Bellingham. Six months later he would drop out of the VRI to pursue a life of bicycles and creative metal working.

Silas spent four years helping to build and run the Hub Community Bike Shop, a non-profit organization that works closely with homeless and low income populations. He saw this project from its early stages as a shoe string, volunteer run venture to a respected institution with a paid staff.

While working at the Hub, Silas built himself a small blacksmith shop at his house and with the help of a couple mentors began teaching himself the ancient craft of blacksmithing. For nearly five years Silas applied his previous metal working knowledge and pursued his love of forging to make functional metal work and art. 

Meanwhile Silas had returned to school and graduated in 2007 from Fairhaven College in Bellingham, WA with an interdisciplinary concentration called: Political Economy and Community Development. He studied political and economic theory, social organization, community currency systems and craft in a modern society.

After graduation, Silas left Bellingham to work as journeyman blacksmith traveling the country learning this craft by working for many different experts and gleaning what they have to offer. In the interest of widening his knowledge, Silas went to work for award winning Green Builder, Martha Rose Construction, in late 2008.

As a project manager for Martha Rose Construction, Silas combined his technical expertise with his abilities to work with people and to problem-solve. Some of the many hats that he wore in this position included field supervision, researching green building products and web site design. This experience compliments Silas' blacksmithing work by giving him the tools to understand the whole building process and not just the final stages of ornamental ironwork.

Silas is driven by the idea that our civilization must return to creating items of beauty, durability and long-term value. In the interest of furthering this vision Silas spent a year at the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, pursuing an MBA in Sustainable Business.

Forge & Nail is the fruition of this journey.