The Fire Forged Within

CMU alumnus took the blacksmithing world by storm on national TV

Ira Houseweart’s roots in metalwork started on his grandfather’s ranch.

“As a kid, I would work with him to repair farm equipment,” he said. “We’d spend hours working on all sorts of stuff. I grew to enjoy the metalwork aspect of it.”

Decades later, Houseweart has grown and refined his skills as a blacksmith — branching out beyond welding farm equipment to making a name for himself on a national scale. He’s a two-time champion of Forged in Fire, a reality TV competition where world-class bladesmiths recreate historical edged weapons.

In his most recent appearance on Forged in Fire, Houseweart and his undefeated opponent were tasked with creating Shamshir swords. The episode aired on November 27, 2024, and showed Houseweart claiming yet another victory.

While he was more confident being on the show for the second time with a previous win in 2022 under his belt, Houseweart said he knew it would be a tough competition. He said the win felt surreal because of the fast-paced filming and that he had to keep the results a secret until the episode aired.

“It didn’t sink in right away,” he said. “It’s been a fun thing to let the public know as the episode came out.”

Expanding his Creative Horizons

Unsurprisingly, the Shamshir sword from the competition is Houseweart’s favorite project to date. But he’s also proud of the public art displayed in his town of Hotchkiss and across the western slope. He enjoys the freedom of owning his business to take on projects that are meaningful to him.

“I enjoy meeting unique clients and seeing my work show up in different places, especially in my hometown,” he said.

Houseweart’s portfolio spans from knives and swords to railings and sculptures. Every piece is unique and treated with the care of a true artist. Houseweart has expanded his work from commissioned pieces to creative metal sculptures for buyers to browse and select from. He enjoys honing his craft through new techniques or collaborating with other makers.

“I like projects with a variety of metalworking techniques or incorporating different metals, such as copper and aluminum instead of only steel,” he said.

Inspiring the Next Generation

Houseweart’s interest in metalworking started on his grandfather’s ranch, but he credits his teachers at CMU for helping him discover the possibilities of a career as a blacksmith. He originally began with welding courses, but an instructor noticed his talent and suggested he take some blacksmith courses.

“I had some really good instructors at Mesa,” Houseweart said. “I wasn’t that inspired in my standard classes. It took until I was in tech school and in front of something I was really into for me to thrive.”

After graduating in 2000, Houseweart began his career working for that same instructor until he decided to branch out on his own after seeing what was possible for other metalworkers.

“I didn’t want to work for anybody else,” he said. “I like being able to walk away when I need to spend time with my family.”

As his two daughters were growing up, Houseweart would spend time with them in his shop, much like his childhood memories with his grandfather. Both daughters are adults now, but still appreciate their father’s talent and will occasionally return to the shop for his help on a project.

To continue passing on his skills to the next generation, Houseweart also visits art classes at CMU to share his knowledge with students and demonstrate the best way to work with different metals.

“It’s important to learn skills outside of your traditional major classes,” he said. “I hope what I show these students will help them think more creatively and incorporate more metalworking into their projects.”