Entry No. 34 — the Detroit file — filed under: bladesmithing
Hemker Blacksmithing LLC
A custom cutlery and bladesmithing forge run by Forged in Fire Champion Eric Hemker. The shop offers hands-on weekend classes teaching the science and physical art of forging, grinding, and finishing high-quality blades.
The story
Out in Armada, past the outer edges of Macomb County where the suburban strip malls give way to gravel roads and tree lines, Eric Hemker spends his days moving high-carbon steel from open flame to anvil. Hemker isn't running a theatrical tourist stunt—he grew up in Quincy, Michigan obsessed with metalwork before eventually proving his craft on national television, winning Season 8, Episode 22 of History Channel's Forged in Fire and taking top honors at the NESM Battle of the Bladesmiths.
His shop on Wolcott Road operates as a custom cutlery studio and an intensive, hands-on instructional forge. Rather than sitting back and watching an artisan demo, you are handed safety equipment, a hammer, and a glowing bar of steel. Hemker teaches the brutal mechanics of heat-treating, thermal cycles, bevel grinding, and edge geometry—turning raw industrial stock into balanced, functional kitchen cutlery and custom blades.
There is zero pretense here. You are dealing with thermal physics, heavy machinery, and high-speed belt grinders in an environment that smells like hot iron, scale, and quench oil. You leave with an actual custom blade made by your own hands and a deep, aching appreciation for what human beings used to do before mass manufacturing.
What it's like
Leave anything flammable or synthetic at home; you need cotton, denim, and tough boots because sparks and forge scale do not play nice with polyester. Expect a loud, hot, dirty room where you'll spend hours cycling between a scorching forge, an anvil, and high-grit belt sanders. Your forearms will burn, your ear protection will stay on, and by the end of the weekend you'll understand why grinding a clean blade bevel is far harder than it looks on screen.
The move: Sign up for the Beginner Bladesmithing class to spend a weekend together heating steel, hammering out a custom knife blank, and grinding it down to a razor-sharp, personalized kitchen tool.
- 📍 Armada
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 69310 Wolcott Rd, Armada, MI 48005
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Stahls Motor and Music Experience — Pair a weekend of heavy hammer blows and high heat with a quieter afternoon admiring mechanical engineering, self-playing orchestrions, and vintage auto iron down in Chesterfield.
- The Anatomy of Death Museum — Follow up the creation of hand-forged steel edge tools with a gruesome look at antique embalming gear and human skulls in Mount Clemens.
- The Halo — Take a quick roadside breather after working high-carbon steel to stare at Macomb County's most baffling 35-foot yellow metal ring sitting in the median of Hall Road.
Good to know
Who leads the classes at Hemker Blacksmithing?
Eric Hemker, a Quincy, Michigan native, full-time bladesmith, and winner of Forged in Fire (Season 8, Episode 22) as well as the NESM Battle of the Bladesmiths.
Where is the forge located?
At 69310 Wolcott Rd, Armada, MI 48005 in rural Macomb County.
Do I need prior metalworking experience to sign up?
No, the beginner bladesmithing classes are structured to walk first-timers through every step, from basic stock removal and hammer technique to thermal quenching and final sharpening.
What should I wear to a workshop?
Natural fiber clothing (100% cotton or heavy denim), closed-toe leather boots, and clothes you don't mind coating in metal dust and soot.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · voyagemichigan.com · Instagram
last checked: 2026-07-21