Chris Day

Carl Oliver has forged a life for himself filled with pursuing what he loves. While working at his full-time job at Home Depot, he is likely thinking of his passion for fire and metal. Oliver, 48, is a self-taught blacksmith who has built a business out of his home crafting knives, swords and other weapons for clients both in Gainesville and around the country.

 

Oliver’s passion for blacksmithing began when he initially wanted to start a business making furniture out of motor parts. “I sold a knife and then I just got the fever. I enjoy doing it, it’s therapeutic,” he said. Oliver’s love for forging was something he shared with his father, who died four years ago. Every time he would finish a knife, the first person to see it was his father. “I promised before he died that I would never stop making knives and continue with my dream of doing it,” he said. “Every time I feel like giving up, I think of my dad.”

 

When not forging, the rest of his time is spent with his family. He lives with his fiancé of four-and-a-half years Heather Towne, 34, her daughter Madeline Towne, 9, and their two-year-old son Gage Oliver. Oliver said that blacksmithing can be challenging and time consuming but it’s all worthwhile. “It has its sacrifices like time with the family,” he said. “But I try to make up for it in the long run.”