Let's Get Wild With Bladesmith and Bone Carver Cheyenne Brown
(Image credit: Cheyenne Brown)
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When it comes to women in the bladesmithing industry, Cheyenne Brown is showing everyone that not only can she do everything the boys can do, but she can do it in a dress. She appeared in season 9, episode 5 of Forged in Fire. Today, Cheyenne owns and operates “CB Bone Works” as well as several storefronts with her partner, Dustin Rhodes. This year, they became part of the Forge a Memory family thanks to their good friend Robby Bowman.
Cheyenne talked with us about her appearance on Forged in Fire, how she got her start in bladesmithing, and gave us a sneak peek at an upcoming project!
Cheyenne’s bladesmithing origin story
BRUTE de FORGE: How did you get into forging and bladesmithing?
Cheyenne Brown: I was running around with a LARP group, and Dustin Rhodes was friends with one of them. That's how Dustin and I met. He had a yard sale at his place, and I decided to go. I asked him all kinds of questions about forging, and he said, “Well, if you want to, you can come back, and I can show you.” It went from there. Now, he's my partner in life, partner in business, and partner in crime. I have an itty-bitty copper knife that he put in a piece of cougar bone with a holster, and to this day, it’s one of my most prized possessions.
BDF: You've been hooked ever since. Roughly how long ago was that?
CB: I am addicted to it. That was back in 2019. I did Forged in Fire right at the two-year mark. If you watched my episode, you saw me burn myself on national television. That is nothing compared to what usually happens at the shop. I have so many scars! I am extremely clumsy, but they still trust me around power tools [laughing].
BDF: I can't imagine burning yourself at any given point in that line of work is difficult.
CB: Yes! Here's the thing: it's not if you're going to get burnt doing what we do; it’s when.
BDF: Are you a full-time bladesmith?
CB: I am a bit of a mix of things. It is one of my main jobs. I have two main jobs. I am a weaponsmith and blacksmith, but I'm also a custom bone, skull, and antler carver. On top of that, I'm also the Activities and Events Coordinator of three different libraries.
I am to the point where once I start getting good at one thing, I need to add more to my list. I like to be very flexible in what I can do and find different ways to expand my knowledge and craft.
Cheyenne’s skillset cuts straight to the bone
BDF: Can you tell me about your bone, skull, and antler carving business?
CB: I do a variety of carvings. I am obsessed with finding the art in life and showing not only the beauty in life but also that life has influence after it stops. So, I do a lot of handles out of animal bones and all that.
There's a very unorthodox thing that we do as well, which I can show you. These are collaborative pieces between Dustin Rhodes and me. One of them is Damascus, with human bone for the handle. It is called “Repentance,” and it has a skull with a crown of thorns carved into it. Then this one is called “Damnation.” It is a pure copper blade and copper guard with a horned skull. Both are human bones for the handles.
“I am obsessed with finding the art in life and showing not only the beauty in life but also that life has influence after it stops.”
BDF: Those are gorgeous and certainly unique. What inspired them?
(Image credit: Cheyenne Brown)
CB: These were pieces for Blade Show Atlanta. Dustin had them displayed. These are now permanent pieces. We use a lot of human bone. It is legally obtained! I promise. Most are retired medical specimens like the skeletons in classrooms or bodies donated to science. They have been professionally cleaned and everything. The bones are usually over seventy-eight years dead when we get them.
We like to do the unorthodox!
BDF: Do you have a shop?
CB: We have a home shop between St. Peter and Shobonier, Illinois, but we also have storefronts in St. Elmo. We are part of the Forge of Memory connected with Robby Bowman, and we also have axe throwing at our shop. So, we have four businesses right next to each other and one across the road.
We allow people to come in to forge and have their own experience and take it home the same day. The youngest we've had was about three years old, and the oldest person was eighty. I also have an oddity shop.
BDF: Plus, you have two kids!
(Image credit: Cheyenne Brown)
CB: Yes, I have two special needs little ones. They both have autism, so I'm an advocate for special needs and autism and showing that it's not a disability; it's a superpower because they’re able to look at the world in a different way!
BDF: Do the kids enjoy forging?
So, my daughter is still a little finicky about it, but my son is addicted to it. Anytime we have the forge going, he sneaks into Forge a Memory and says, “When am I jumping in?” He's ornery, but he's doing really well! We found forging is extremely therapeutic. It also works for a lot of people living with PTSD because it keeps their minds and their hands busy.
“You can be full of hate and grab this piece of metal that a lot of people would think is trash, and you’re able to pound it and put all that energy into that blade or that project.”
The best way to put it for forging is you can be as angry as ever; you can be full of hate and grab this piece of metal that a lot of people would think is trash, and you're able to pound it and put all that energy into that blade or that project. Whatever it is, you're forging something beautiful. To be honest, a lot of us have our baggage, and through forging, we have found a way that can benefit not only us but our families and friends as well.
Cheyenne’s Signature Style
BDF: I love that. Would you say that your blades have a signature style?
(Image credit: Cheyenne Brown)
CB: Absolutely. Right now, I'm into forging articulated necklaces that are copper snakes and have scales forged into them. I am obsessed with the details of my projects. My blades are bone-handled and typically have a carving on them.
BDF: Where do you draw your inspiration?
CB: My children and I were in a bad situation once, and we were not able to show our full potential. We got away from that bad situation, and I kept telling them that no matter what, if you put your mind to something and work as hard as possible, you can do that. That’s why I went on Forged in Fire, and one of the reasons I keep going is to show my kids and myself that nothing can stop me. The only person stopping you from being able to progress in the world is you, and that's why I keep going after this. A lot of people don’t think that a woman who is one hundred three pounds and five foot three and three quarters can stand up with the big dogs. Now people are coming in trying to swing my hammer, and they're going, “Can I have the ball peen, instead?” I use a three-and-a-half-pound sledgehammer when I forge. I started with a smaller hammer because I did not have the muscle tone, and I worked up to it. Now, I can't use the small ones.
“The only person stopping you from being able to progress in the world is you.”
BDF: Are you self-taught? I know you said Dustin taught you some forging.
CB: Dustin taught me as much as he knew, and now, we are learning and teaching different things together. With the snake necklace process, for example, I am to the point that I try something, and if it works, it works. If not, I know what I need to improve on. You'll never stop learning, though.
BDF: Was there a part of the process that you found more challenging than others?
CB: I have a self-esteem issue. I don’t think that a lot of my stuff is going to be good enough. So, especially in the beginning, I did not have the confidence to say, “Hey, this is my work. Check it out!” But now I can say, “I did that!”
BDF: What is it forging that you love so much?
CB: Honestly, the blacksmith and weapon-smithing community is a family. It may not be by blood, and there may be thousands of miles between us, but we are still a giant family. We are together, united not only in the support but also in the artistry in it. Even a single piece of steel, if you have the same exact cut, the same exact size, and you have two different people forging those at the same exact time, they will always be different. So, each person has their style. You will see certain styles from Dustin and me, but I have my style at the same time. It’s like you're able to see their origin in their work.
Cheyenne joins the Forge a Memory Family
BDF: How did you get into the Forge a Memory family?
CB: We joined, I believe, in February or March of this year, but honestly, we've been close with Robby for a long time. He's family. Last year, we taught a metal smelting class for some of his workers, and he was talking to us about the Forge a Memory. At the time, we didn’t have the space yet. Then, this past year, we bought those businesses, were getting that set up, and decided it was the right time to start our own Forge a Memory.
It's great because some people want to learn but don't have the resources. They don't have the room to have a power hammer, an anvil, or a forge. Maybe they live in an apartment and can't have a raging fire like that. So, at Forge a Memory, they have the opportunity and experience that will last a lifetime.
BDF: You also participate in the Forged in Fire Grudge Matches that Robby hosts, correct?
(Image credit: Cheyenne Brown)
CB: Absolutely! I'm usually the one wearing a dress that jumps up and challenges the guys. I wear a dress because it's funny. People are not expecting the little woman wearing a dress to be the one jumping up there forging against the big guys. It's entertaining! But also, it’s a male-dominated field, right? Women who forge often face this stigma where we are overlooked. It happens all the time at shows. For example, we may be at our booth with our significant other, who maybe doesn’t forge, and customers are asking them about this stuff and not believing we did it. So, the dress is for entertainment purposes, and it makes a statement.
Cheyenne’s path to Forged in Fire
BDF: How did you get on Forged in Fire?
CB: Dustin was on first; since then, three people have come out of his shop who went on Forged in Fire: Dustin, John Nicholaides, and me. At my two-year mark, I saw that they were having open enrollment, and I made a joke that I was going to enroll. So, I did it as a joke. I did not have the confidence in myself or think that I'd be able to be allowed on. Then, I got a message not even a week after I applied. They said they wanted to interview me and I was like, “Oh, crap.” I wasn't expecting it. I was not prepared at all. Suddenly, I was on set!
BDF: And they handed you tent stakes!
CB: Yeah! Plus, I had to make a sawback machete out of them. No big deal! I nearly glued myself to the handle. I tried to grab the rebar out of the forge without gloves. Then, the grinders were set up for tall people because the other guys were bigger than me!
It was fun, though. I do it again! It was a fantastic experience. I did have to go during the COVID era, and we did have to wear masks and practice social distancing, but I do it again in a heartbeat.
BDF: Was that your first time doing Canister Damascus?
CB: So, I had done Damascus before. I did a billet of Damascus, but I did not do a billet to blade all one go before. I ended up making my blade a lot heavier than what they wanted. I thought for a chopper, you'd want to have some weight behind it. Then they gave us the weight parameter, and I said, “Uh-oh.”
BDF: Do you have any special projects or events we should watch for?
(Image credit: Cheyenne Brown)
CB: I have a billet right now that I have to forge out, cut, and restack, but it is a bar of meteorite, 1095 powder, fossil Damascus, and Viking relic blade. It's a piece of Viking steel that I cleaned up. I got all the oxidization off it and put it into a billet. So, I'm going to be forging that. I did a canister with it, and there's also recycled Damascus in it, so there will be a whole bunch of trippy patterns through it. I am now making sure that I have all the faults and any air bubbles out of it. I have cut and restacked it about six times now. I am thinking about making a kris sword out of it.
BDF: Very cool! If I remember right, you helped Jodi Anderson forge one of those once.
CB: Yeah, I taught her how to forge her very first one! I have found that a lot of people don't like doing them because of the curves and all that, but I'm a sucker for recurves and the kris blades. I believe we were at Turtle Island Preserve when I taught her how to make them. We go there at least once a year and teach copper forging classes.
BDF: How did you get involved with Turtle Island?
CB: We got connected with Eustace Conway through Robby Bowman. It’s so beautiful there. There are no phones because the signal is not there, and you're in the middle of a mountain valley that is just beautiful. It's heavenly.
BDF: Do you have any advice for aspiring bladesmiths or women looking to enter the field of smithing?
CB: For aspiring bladesmiths, honestly, don't give up and don't get cocky. No matter how good your work is, there's always room for improvement. There may be a time when you start to think, “Hey, mine’s better than yours.” That may be true, but we're all interconnected, and it's about giving each other advice and being able to push each other forward. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions.
For the women, honestly, go kick butt at it! We're already showing them that the little ones pack a punch. If I could forge in a kilt or a skirt in front of over one hundred people, they can, too!
To see Cheyenne in action, check out the “Blades Gone Wild” Season 9 Episode 5 of Forged in Fire. Want to learn more? Follow her Facebook page, CB's Bone Works or connect with her on Instagram.
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