Welcome to Vulcans Thunder.
I live and work in Birmingham, Alabama. The city was founded in 1871 when it was discovered that the area contains coal, iron ore and limestone, the raw materials for making iron and steel.
I chose to name my shop for Vulcan because he was the god of metalworking and patron deity of alchemy. His symbols are the forge and anvil. He manufactured art, arms, iron, jewelry and armor for various gods and heroes, including the thunderbolts of Jupiter.
The statue of Vulcan which stands atop Red Mountain in Birmingham is the largest cast iron statue in the world.
My roots in the metal industry are deep and strong. The first of my ancestors to set foot in this country was a blacksmith from Wales who settled in Lyme, NH. My Great-Grandfather came to Birmingham as a partner in the original American Casting Company and my Grandparents owned Dimick Casting Company. My Grandfather instilled in me a love of working with metals. I was fortunate to have him with me long enough to see me working with sheet metals and pewter casting in college and I wish he were here today to see the work I am doing now. I also wish he could meet my stepdaughter Racheal who is still in high school and already working with and learning from the wonderful Metal Artists at Sloss Furnaces and Museum, a National Landmark and the only operational blast furnace left in the United States.
