About

The Spark

Where It Started

When I was young, I was an avid reader and a student of American history. I would get lost in tales of the Eastern Long Hunters and was mesmerized by the men I read about, like William Wallace, Rob Roy MacGregor, Daniel Boone, Simon Kenton, Nathanael Greene, Kit Carson and, of course, Davy Crockett.

All of these men have something in common… they needed a bladesmith or a gunsmith to become the legends they are.

That is what inspired me to become a blacksmith. I built my first forge when I was 12 years old from an old Chevy brake drum. My little brother, Charlie, was my blower. After experimenting with it for a while, and after reading several books on the subject, I built a much better one when I was 14 with an old friend and gentleman, Tom Harvell.

Mentors

Learning from the Old-Timers

Rex Harral

I later worked with a fine older gentleman named Rex Harral, a self-sufficient homesteader and craftsman. As a trade for learning from him, we struck a deal: every spring I would fork the winter manure from his barn, load it in a wagon, harness a team of draft mares and spread it over the garden and cornfield, then harrow and plow it in.

As payment, Rex taught me volumes, from basic mountain crafts and blacksmithing to forge welding, making chisels and carving knives, scorps and scrapers. We built butter churns and buckets, and hand-crafted spokes, felloes and hubs to build complete wagon wheels. We dynamited clogged water wells and so much more.

One of my fondest memories of working with Rex was drawing a bucket of water from the well after working in the heat and humidity. Drinking from a dipper, so sweet and cold, with that squeaky old pulley singing as the bucket went back down… I haven’t found a bottle of water to match it yet!

Hershel House

At 15, I was offered an amazing opportunity to learn from world-renowned master gunsmith Hershel House and his brothers, Frank and John House (visit their website).

While I learned something from all of them, Hershel truly invested his time in me, and I will always be grateful. He taught me the basics of building rifles and traditional bladesmithing, gave me a great foundation to build my skills on, and has always been willing to offer a kind word of encouragement. I also learned a whole lot about Model A and Model T Fords (which Hershel collects), single-stroke hit-and-miss engines, grist mills and moonshine. I love him for it all!

The Long Road

Never Putting Down the Hammer

Since the day I built my first forge at age 12, I have pursued the mastery of my craft. It hasn’t always paid the bills, and I’ve had to work part-time at various jobs while building my original pieces after work.

As a teenager I poured concrete, framed and roofed houses, wrote articles for outdoor magazines including Muzzleloader, and worked as a scrapper, welder and fabricator. I worked in many machine shops as a mill operator, lathe operator, CNC operator and shop foreman. I’ve driven grain and potato trucks during harvest, bought gold from pawn shops for a refinery, dug ditches, cut firewood, run traplines, and maybe even run some shine when times were tough. But I always built knives and rifles.

On Screen

From the Newspaper to the History Channel

In 2013, my wife Chelsey convinced me to contact the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and invite them to my gun shop. The shop ended up featured in a segment called “Craftsmen of the Ozarks,” along with a newspaper article about the experience.

About three months later, a gentleman who had read the article contacted me about filming some of my work for a possible History Channel show. We filmed a three-day piece that was sent to the History Channel, and they offered us our show, Iron & Fire, which was an absolute blast to film. Sadly, the first season didn’t get the ratings they were looking for, so it ended after one season. Afterward, I competed on History’s Forged in Fire in Season 5. I lost to a great young smith, but it was still quite an adventure.

Today

Casey Arms

During the last few months of filming Iron & Fire in 2015, we decided to start our business, Casey Arms. It’s been more than seven years since we made that decision, and we are still at it! I couldn’t do it without my amazing wife, secretary, leatherworker and cheerleader, Chelsey Casey.

I am very excited about what the future holds. I am always working on new and unique things. I would tell you more, but instead, watch for them on my YouTube channel. It is a true honor to have the time and ability to honor our history through this dying art. I hope you enjoy what we do, and thank you for being a fan and supporter!