By Joshua Williams

What do you get when you cross an anvil, a hammer and a TPA student? You get Logan LaFever, a junior high student known for work in metallurgy. I had the opportunity to visit Logan’s workshop and interviewed him about forging metal and swords.

I asked Logan how long it takes to make a sword, to which he replied, “Well it should take about a day or so.” The process to make a sword is first to obtain the metal, usually from donations. Then, Logan places the metal in the forge to heat it up. Once it is hot he places the piece of metal on the anvil and shapes it with his hammer. When he finishes he may put a counter weight on the handle to make it easy to maneuver. He also might put a nice hand guard on the sword, and at last places the sword in cool water to harden the metal. Seems like a lot of work for one day!

I also asked Logan about what sort of metal he uses. For his first sword he used various strips of iron, but he soon adapted and improved his technique. “For my second sword I used a piece of a fence, and for my third sword I used a piece of a sliding door, and that is my best job so far.”

I then asked Logan, how long it would take to make a very detailed sword. “About two weeks for it to look professional.” Two weeks is totally worth it!

So then I wondered what inspired him to start working with metal. “I started for the enjoyment of making something others could not.” I think it is very cool that when others try to fit in, he doesn’t feel the need to do that; he is satisfied with the work he does.

At that point I wondered, how did he get the tools to make this stuff? “My uncle knew of someone getting rid of his old anvil, and my father and I built the forge.”

Logan is pretty lucky, and maybe he was meant to be a metal worker all along. So there you have it, Logan LaFever — TPA’s Metal Worker.