George Cramer - Village Blacksmith

George Cramer began working with metal before the age 14. It was at his parent's company that he was first exposed to welding, metal fabrication, mechanical repair, and metal art. It was not long before he became interested in the origins of metal work  - how, and who, would think about fusing metals together with an electric arc?

His curiosity eventually led him  to the art and craft of Blacksmithing. George took his very first Blacksmithing  class in 2003 at Peter's Valley School of Craft  in Layton, NJ. PV is an old farm town that had been converted into a entire craft village. His first (of many) blacksmithing classes was under Scott Lankton. Over the years George continued to improve his craft and added to his knowledge with instruction and mentorship from many acclaimed smiths such as: Dr.Jim Batson M.S.,Lee Sauder,  Dick Sargentand Joe Szilaski M.S. to name a few.

George completed six years honorable service in the U.S.Navy as a Hull Technician. He was trained in advanced X-ray quality welding and fabrication on pipe, plate and sheet metal utilizing a diverse array of ferrous and non ferrous alloys. He also carried out heavy structural welding, cutting and repair functions, brazing, light machining, heavy machinery repair, salvage, search and rescue operations, gas free engineering and atmospheric testing, CBR defense measures, Firefighting and casualty control.

After leaving the Navy in 2009, George worked at a technical college as a welding instructor. He shifted his metal business from part time to full time with the creation of the Village Blacksmith in 2015.