Off First Avenue and Santa Fe Drive is a workshop filled with the sounds of hammering and the whoosh of flames. Hardy and Fuller’s blacksmithing shop provides an inclusive atmosphere to all interested in an industry that hasn’t always been welcoming. Only 5% of metal fabricators identify as women, and 3% as LGBTQ+.
The queer and BIPOC-owned Hardy and Fuller forge is a space for anyone who wants to try metalworking or continue their practice. Hardy and Fuller owner Ashe Thorne, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they pronouns, grew up welding with their dad and grandpa as their guides. They now teach others how to do the same.
“I’ve been welding since I was nine. My dad and my grandpa are hot rod people and I learned on a 1944 truck, which was really fun,” Thorne said. “I’ve been teaching people to blacksmith for about eight years. I really enjoy getting this power to people. The power of metal and fire—it so epic.”
When Thorne worked in several commercial shops, they didn’t feel welcome. They found the employees to be sexist against them as a female-presenting person and unfriendly to their queer identity. They started to have the idea in 2019 to make a space to help fix that problem. The shop opened a few years later in 2022, and it just celebrated its first anniversary. Thorne said 80% of their clientele are women or identify as LGBTQ+.
“My space is inclusive to women, BIPOC, LGBTQ, and disabled persons. I want all the people who I didn’t see, that I wanted to see in the shops, to come here,” Thorne said. “I just feel like we’re not tapping into this wealth of knowledge by having those people in these spaces. I let everyone know that you’re allowed to be here—as long as you’re nice, I’m nice.”
Hardy and Fuller hosts classes for first-timers and has an open studio available for rent for one to work on projects. The shop offers classes in blacksmithing, MIG and TIG welding, and plasma cutting that are available to all, including the option of transgender, woman and teen-specific groups.
“I am here to make sure the environment stays friendly and safe for everyone, and so far it’s been fantastic,” Thorne said.
Ron Muñoz who visits the shop regularly during open studio hours called Hardy and Fuller his happy place. His first project was making a kitchen knife from a railroad spike.
“It’s like hammer therapy,” Muñoz said. “I made a little blade on the railroad spike last time and this time I’m trying to make a matching kitchen knife.”
Inside the shop, the clangs of hammers striking metal ring out, and the forge hums in the background.
Thorne walks around giving tips to clients hard at work. Artwork and example items made by Thorne and others who have worked in the shop hang on the walls around the shop and are available for purchase.
For those who may be nervous about getting into blacksmithing, every first Friday the shop hosts a free community meet-and-greet. Thorne and their partner demonstrate blacksmithing and other metalworking methods.
“You can see that it’s not as scary or overwhelming as you’re thinking of,” Thorne said. “You can see what’s going on because it can seem a little bit scary—a lot of fire. I want people to know that I’m not over here with a flamethrower.”