Last week we kicked off Gravitate Pin Drops, a loose series of off-grid experiences created to step out of the city and connect through exploration. With each pin, we want to document the craft that lives there too and the hands shaping the outside world.

Through a friend of a friend, and a few dm's later, we found James. Garage door open. Steel stacked in the corner. Tools laid out and the forge firing.

WHEN DID YOU START CREATING THINGS IN YOUR GARAGE? WHAT MADE YOU START FORGING IN YOUR GARAGE?

Not that long ago. It wasn’t some big plan, I just wanted to make something with my hands. I’d always liked practical stuff, being outside, working with tools. Forging felt honest. You heat something up, you hit it, and you shape it. It’s simple in theory, but there’s loads to learn. Starting in the garage just made sense, it was the space I had, so I used it.

WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK TO IT? WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BUILD
SOMETHING WITH YOUR HANDS RIGHT NOW?

It’s the process. There’s something about
taking a raw bit of steel and turning it into something useful. You have to focus properly, you can’t half-do it. When you make something solid that’ll last years, that feels good. Especially now, when most things feel temporary. It’s satisfying knowing you’ve made something real.

WHAT’S BEEN THE HARDEST PART OF STARTING THIS? DO YOU FEEL LIKE
FORGING SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT WHO YOU ARE?

Probably just starting without really knowing what you’re doing. Tools are expensive. You mess things up. You waste material. It takes time to get confident. But that’s part of it.

I guess forging does say something about me. You’ve got to be patient. You’ve got to stick with it when it’s not working. It’s not glamorous, it’s hot, it’s loud but I like that. It feels straightforward.

WHAT WOULD THE 10-YEAR VERSION OF YOU BE MAKING?

Hopefully bigger pieces. Maybe more architectural stuff, gates, railings, things that live outside properly. Stuff that’s built to last. But still forged by hand. I’d want to keep it that way.