Perakis Ironworks Group LLC
Portland

Overview

My name is Sam Perakis, I’ve been blacksmithing for about 10 years, and I produce architectural ironwork in Portland, Maine. I moved my business from Massachusetts to Maine in May of 2024 when I agreed to take over the location of The Ball and Chain Forge when my mentor, Bob Menard, retired. I got started in blacksmithing because I wanted to learn woodworking with hand tools; I was in college and didn’t have any money for tools, so I figured I could make my own. I got on YouTube and was “self-taught” for a couple years but quickly found my local blacksmithing organization: New England Blacksmiths (NEB). After I got connected with the local community, things took off.

I’m a certified Journeyman and National Curriculum Instructor with ABANA (Artist Blacksmith Assoc. of North America) and in good standing with both ABANA and NEB. In addition to producing architectural ironwork in my own shop, I hold local blacksmithing events at my shop like anvil repair days. I also volunteer my time teaching at NEB’s Gilbert Teaching Center in Brentwood, NH as well as online with ABANA coaching the National Curriculum blacksmithing program. I’m affiliated with the Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths (SIBs) and I strongly believe in the inclusion of people of all kinds and from all walks of life into the craft.