The Trades Show
12. ANTIQUES FROM THE FUTURE: Architectural Blacksmith Jefferson Mack on a 50-year career, the art of selling, and reviving the American craftsman
Descripción
In this episode of The Trades Show, host Briana Ottoboni sits down with Jefferson Mack, a self-taught architectural blacksmith with a 50-year career, inside his San Francisco workshop. Their conversation spans nearly five decades of making — from the Eric Sloane book that planted the seed when Jefferson was a child, to a self-taught path that wound through scrap-yard forges in his mother's backyard, lighting work on rock 'n' roll tours, and a construction career that finally cracked open the leap into full-time blacksmithing. Jefferson shares the philosophy behind his signature work — what he calls "antiques from the future," forms that fuse traditional hammered texture with contemporary tension — and walks through the milestones that built his career: the four-page Restoration Hardware spread that brought him a moment of national visibility, the demonstration nights he modeled after Dale Chihuly to teach architects what blacksmithing could be, the staircases that took seven and eight years to land, and the slow, hard-won art of selling a craft most people don't realize they need. He's candid about the toll of the work — the muscle memory it takes to feel hot steel through a hammer, the seven-year apprenticeship windows that no longer exist, the cost of making at 71 — and where the trade is going as the next generation finds its way in through maker spaces, welding kits, and YouTube. Whether you're a maker, a builder, or someone trying to figure out how to sustain a creative business over the long arc, this episode is a masterclass in self-taught mastery, pricing handmade work, declaring yourself in a craft no one else is pursuing, and what it actually takes to last 50 years. The Trades Show is an interview series on location with modern artisans exploring what it means to be human: the ability to create with our hands. 🔥 Where to find Jefferson Mack: Website: https://www.mackmetal.com/ [https://www.mackmetal.com/] Instagram: @mack.jefferson [https://www.instagram.com/mack.jefferson/] ⚒️ Where to find The Trades Show: Instagram: @tradesshow [https://www.instagram.com/tradesshow/] TikTok: @tradesshow [https://www.tiktok.com/@tradesshow] YouTube: @tradesshow [https://www.youtube.com/@tradesshow] Substack: Trade Secrets [https://revivethetrades.substack.com/] Website: https://www.thetradesshowpod.com/ [https://www.thetradesshowpod.com/] ✨ Where to find your host, Briana: Instagram: @brianaaugustina [https://www.instagram.com/brianaaugustina/] Substack: https://brianaaugustina.substack.com/ [https://brianaaugustina.substack.com/] Website: https://www.brianaaugustina.com/ [https://www.brianaaugustina.com/] 🎬 In this episode: 00:00 Season Setup In SF 01:50 Meet Jefferson Mack 03:37 Origins Of A Blacksmith 11:18 Taking The Leap 17:36 Selling And Apprenticeships 30:55 Learning Paths Today 31:44 Maker Spaces and Welding 33:19 Restoration Hardware Breakthrough 42:36 Pricing Handmade Work 59:16 Finish and Produce
Empieza 7 días de prueba
$99 / mes después de la prueba. · Cancela cuando quieras.
- Podcasts solo en Podimo
- 20 horas de audiolibros al mes
- Podcast gratuitos
Todos los episodios
14 episodios
Comentarios
0Sé la primera persona en comentar
¡Regístrate ahora y únete a la comunidad de The Trades Show!