Metalsmith: John Prazen

According to Prazen, his last name in German means "big, strong hands," and to be able to manipulate steel is something every metalsmith needs. Yet his big hands are capable of creating delicate chandeliers, lamps and sculptures using forging and other metal crafting techniques.

Not only is he a master metalsmith, he is also a master at using various metals to "paint" his works. He lays liquid brass, copper or other metals over his steel pieces. It's a method he and his brother perfected.

History Nuggets

• Iron replaced bronze as the metal of choice in the late 2nd and the 1st millennia B.C.

• Until the Industrial Revolution, blacksmiths handmade most of the tools and wrought-iron objects used in the world.

• Even today, traditional blacksmith's typically use a forge, or furnace, an anvil, hammers, and chisels, to cut, shape, flatten, or weld the iron into the desired object.