Hammer, Anvil and Armor: Austin Leonard in the Blacksmith’s Forge
Helena Aviles | November 8, 2023
The smell of the Warren Wilson College’s (WWC) dusty blacksmith shop fills the space; it muddles with coal and copper in the air. On the heavy iron table before me are blueprints drawn in soapstone. WWC junior Austin Leonard stands over the forge, the glow of the coals casting light on his flaming red beard.
Leonard’s been doing this since high school, and it is the reason he chose to come to WWC. He sits down and removes the tattered old gloves that he refuses to replace, saying, "It adds to the aesthetic."
Leonard grew up on stories of blacksmithing, so when his grandfather offered to help him make a knife, he was eager to try it. However, he soon lost interest because his grandfather owned a mechanic shop, and making a knife was more like watching the mechanics carve it out of a block of metal.
Leonard says that from the time he was little, he was always tinkering with things. Whether it be wood or metal, he was always trying to make something. Anytime the family would go to a fair or carnival where there was a craft demonstration, Leonard sat there while the rest of the family explored. He would watch the craft demos over and over.
At one such event, he stayed so long and asked so many questions, the craftsman finally said "Would you like to just try it?"
So began his journey with blacksmithing.
When Leonard graduated high school, he knew he wanted to go somewhere he could continue developing his blacksmithing skills. He came to Warren Wilson, where he was accepted onto the blacksmithing crew in his first semester. His skills grew quickly, and soon he was making hammers, tongs and rings.
Leonard's love for "Star Wars” started at a young age, so it seemed like a natural next step to try making a Mandalorian helmet. His first attempt was a 3D-printed model. Moments after finishing it, a friend dropped it, and the helmet split right across the skull.
His second thought was to cast it out of aluminum. However, this was quickly shut down as Warren Wilson did not have the space or the funds to support an independent study of that size. A professor suggested that he try and blacksmith it.
Once Leonard finished the first helmet, he attempted a second. After that, he became more ambitious — three Mandalorian chest plates, another helmet and arm guards soon followed. The project has fondly been nicknamed The Mando Project.
In addition to this project, Leonard likes to make things for his friends in his spare time, draw blueprints and work on his dystopian fantasy book, Heartsmith. Between the WWC blacksmith shop and his grandfather's machine shop, Leonard can make almost anything. His repertoire consists of knives, swords, armor, batarangs, pirate hooks, rings, chains and, of course, hammers, of which he has made many.
Leonard is frequently inspired by fantasy and otherworldly material; even the sword he made is from “Lord of the Rings”.
Leonard will graduate from WWC in May of 2025 with a degree in sculptural arts. For his senior show, he intends to showcase his progression of Mandalorian armor. In the meantime, he wants to finish at least one full set of Mando armor, including arm and shin guards, a helmet and a chest plate. After this, he wants to pursue more of his own armor designs.
After graduation, Leonard intends to start The Creation Smith Shop. He hopes to one day have crafts such as woodworking, ceramics, fiber arts and leatherworking in addition to blacksmithing. He intends it to be a space not only for artists to make and sell their products but also for people to learn new trades.
Leonard’s work can be found in the farm store at WWC. He will also be at some of the art fairs in the future, where he sells hooks, rings and various leather items such as coasters and keychains.