The Unfortunate Closure of Nigel Tyas | Exploring Challenges Faced By Blacksmiths

We recently learned that Nigel Tyas Ironwork based in Sheffield has unfortunately closed down. While they were a competitor of ours it’s never nice to see another small business cease trading, especially in the tight-knit community of UK-based blacksmiths. There are lots of pressures facing businesses like Nigel Tyas and ours so we thought it would be good to share with you the pressures facing blacksmiths across the UK.

Energy Costs

The blacksmithing industry in the UK is a tough sector to work in for several reasons. Firstly, increasing energy costs always hit our industry hard. They affect us all but compared to offices, homes and other industries, the blacksmithing industry, with its reliance on high-temperature forges, is particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in energy prices. The process of heating wrought iron to over 1000 degrees Celsius where it can be shaped requires immense amounts of energy, often derived from electricity or gas. 

While our modern gas forge is far more efficient than the coal forges of yesteryear our gas bill is high in our peak months. With energy costs rising unpredictably even a small jump in the gas price can have a big effect on our business.

The unpredictable costs can quickly erode finally balanced profit margins and make it difficult to compete with cheaper, mass-produced alternatives. For many traditional blacksmiths, the challenge is to maintain a balance between staying financially viable, especially over the last few years with high inflation, and preserving the integrity and quality of our craft.

Skills Shortages

Another significant hurdle is the dwindling number of skilled blacksmiths. The art of blacksmithing is a craft that requires years of training and experience. However, attracting younger generations to this time-honoured profession is increasingly challenging. Many young people are drawn to careers in technology and other modern industries, leaving traditional crafts like blacksmithing with an ageing workforce and a shortage of new talent. While blacksmithing has become less physically intense over the years it’s still a very intense, physically demanding job which means people retire at a younger age.

We’re very lucky here at Made By The Forge that our team are keen to keep the art of blacksmithing alive. 

Educational institutions and apprenticeships play a critical role in passing down these skills, but they too face challenges in garnering interest and investment. Without a steady influx of new blacksmiths, it becomes harder to expand the business and drive efficiency through volume. By choosing to buy from a local UK-based blacksmith you’re helping to keep these skills alive and pass them down to the next generation of blacksmiths.

Cheaper Imports

Cheaper imports make it harder for us to compete in the marketplace. We acknowledge we live in a global world and we operate in a global marketplace, even a small business from Suffolk like us has had orders from across Europe and even the USA. However, cheaper imports from places such as China are typically all machine-made and lack the care and attention we put into each of our pieces. By buying from a small local business like ours or Nigel Tyas you help keep the craft of blacksmithing alive in the UK.

Environmental Regulations

At Made By The Forge we’ve always cared about our impact on the environment as we know that our industry can be quite carbon-intensive. As a business, we’ve always strived to reduce our impact as much as possible and offset any emissions from the business by planting a tree in our local area for every order we receive. Stricter environmental regulations are never a bad thing but there are financial impacts of meeting these requirements such as purchasing new, more energy-efficient equipment. As a small business, it’s far harder to absorb these costs, especially when these don’t apply to cheaper imports.

Market Perception and Awareness

Market perception and awareness are always an interesting challenge and extend far beyond our industry. Many people today are unaware of the benefits of handcrafted, high-quality products and instead opt for the quickest and cheapest product they can find. These products are generally mass-produced and low-quality imports that are manufactured from unsustainable products such as plastic and aren’t designed to last. Raising awareness and educating the market about the value and longevity of traditionally made items compared to mass-produced alternatives is an ongoing challenge. 

While our products might not be as cheap as some other options out there, they’re designed to last which is why we’re proud to offer a lifetime guarantee on all of our products. In the long term, our made-to-last products can end up representing far better value than cheaper options that need to be replaced. 

The Benefits of Supporting UK Blacksmiths

Choosing to buy from a UK-based blacksmith such as ourselves goes beyond just buying a new curtain pole or kitchen rack. By choosing to buy from a local blacksmith you’re helping to keep traditional skills, techniques and methods alive and pass these down to a younger generation.

As a community, we take immense pride in our work, producing bespoke, hand-forged items that are made for longevity and possess a unique character that mass-produced imports simply cannot match. At Made By The Forge we offer a lifetime guarantee on all of our products as we’re confident they’ll stand the test of time. 

While sadly, Nigel Tyas has gone out of business due to the pressures facing the blacksmithing industry you can still support artisans across the country by making a conscious decision to pay that little bit extra for something truly unique and created by someone who cares about the final product.