Addiction Detail Chemical Co...

It all started back in 1979 when Adam's father acquired a Canadian Tire electric 'buzz-box' welder as a anniversary gift. Having a keen fascination with how things 'tick' Adam was already apt at taking things apart and sometimes putting them back together, but the welder was a whole new chapter! He could make things...structural things! After learning to make metal things stick together when he was still 6yrs old he progressed to assembling his first engine when he was 7 and then it was go time after that. 10yrs old his first truck was a 1961 Dodge D300. Next came a 1967 F100. Not many people remember what a '3-on-the-tree' is let alone drive one at 11 years old. In high school he was in the business of body work and painting cars after school. Learning the trade from a variety of professionals, various skills including old school panel beating such as sandbag, hollow block and english wheel work. In 1989 Adam opened his first official business -primarily a tire shop. Selling tires and wheels  both to the public and wholesale to other garages. Then it evolved into building engines and transmissions ... evolving further into chassis and racing components under the name Ironsmith Customs Inc.  After several very hectic years serving the racing industry Adam found himself prototyping autobody design. Some of his designs found themselves into International Prostar and Lonestar, Kenworth T660 and the limited edition Peterbilt 379 Legacy and quite a few custom cars. After working thru some serious setbacks in his life Adam went on to design a highly specialized military recovery vehicle that exceeds NATO specs, designed 19 variants of heavy duty trucks capable for on road but actually designed to excel in off road terrain. Designed affordable housing projects and subdivisions, invented a living plastic from a very common weed, and has been privileged to have invested time into an array of special people he has met throughout his life.  

I always have a project that I am working on. It is usually involves metal but could be forging or painting or shaping/forming. Could be glass, leather, stone, wood ... for me its really starting out with a thought or seeing a shape within an object and then it turns into a sort of magic that happens between my hands, the tools and the object. Its a kind of dance that happens with the object I am working on and what part or surface I want to manipulate. Curves that catch the light or how do I want that effect to realize? Sometimes its the object that reveals itself to me as I go - helping it along to be all it can be. Whether if I am cutting a stone, or forming a patterned Damascus billet - the patterns slowly but excitingly show themselves and I get to bring these forward for the world to enjoy - or at least I get to enjoy the piece. Everything made has a backstory. A knife might be from a local farmers implement or maybe saved from a old car part. Maybe the leather belt or holster came from a beloved pet cow from the same farmer and then the belt is made with forever memories built in. Do you know that the inside of a tree can tell you the weather for almost each and every year of its century+ life? I love reading a fallen dead tree's life story and I want others to know that story as I make a family heirloom piece of furniture with it. This is how I hope to bring respect for the world of things around us.

Preserving the old trades before they are forgotten. Showing respect for the ones that paved the way for us today. Bringing to light the wisdom and practicality of the generations that came before but applying them with  the advantages of modern technology. Like I said, its a dance where the steps are known but we have the advantage of adding our own kick to it.  -AS