Teaching college students to make Viking axes and Celtic leaf swords might seem unconventional, but that’s the point (pardon the pun) of the “Cast in Steel” competition. Sponsored through a partnership between the Steel Founders’ Society of America (SFSA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) Innovation Capability and Modernization (ICAM) office, the annual competition is designed to spark college students’ interest in advanced steel manufacturing.
“We’re not trying to convince young people that they want to learn how to make castings. Instead, we do a ‘Forged in Fire’ style competition where they get to make an African spear point or Bowie knife,” said Raymond Monroe, SFSA executive vice president, amateur blacksmith and member of the DOD’s Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel.
Each year, hundreds of university students embrace the challenge of using modern casting processes to design and produce a functioning steel tool. And thanks to Raymond’s unparalleled networking skills, Ben Abbott and David Baker of the History Channel’s “Forged in Fire” are frequent judges of the “Cast in Steel” competition.
The theme for the 2021 contest was Thor’s hammer, and, as part of his research, Raymond purchased several top-of-line, modern hammers to test and evaluate. When he picked up Estwing’s Sure Strike 32-oz. Blacksmith Hammer, he knew he had found something exceptional.
“I was really impressed with the Estwing hammer. As a blacksmith, you consider most of your hammers to be consumable items. The handle’s going to break, or you’re going to lose it or something. But the Estwing is a superb hammer. It’s really well-made, well-balanced, and it’s a nice weight,” he said.
“At two pounds, the Estwing blacksmith hammer is the perfect weight and something most people can handle.”
Raymond first got involved in blacksmithing when a friend suggested he take a class with a master blacksmith at the Amana Colonies in Iowa.
“My oldest son was 11 at the time, and I took him with me. The two-day class was phenomenal,” he said. “Then, my four other kids decided blacksmithing should be part of their homeschooling curriculum. So, we went back two times more so the blacksmith could teach them all.”
When Raymond’s wife bought him a small forge she found in an antique shop, that cemented his 30-year hobby as an amateur blacksmith. Raymond also shares his love of crafting steel by doing blacksmithing demonstrations for scouts and other youth groups.
“Working with young people, you need a hammer that matches the weight they need, because, if you don’t, it becomes too difficult for them to manipulate,” he said. “At two pounds, the Estwing blacksmith hammer is the perfect weight and something most people can handle.”
Although Estwing’s Sure Strike Blacksmith Hammer might not possess the same magical properties as Thor’s hammer Mjölnir, this man of steel thinks it’s the next best thing. (Yes, we mixed our metaphors. Deal with it.)
Check out videos from the 2021 “Cast in Steel” competition, including Raymond’s own version of Thor’s Hammer (bottom of page).
The “Cast in Steel” 2025 competition will challenge university students to use modern casting tools to design and produce a sword for George Washington. Teams can create a replica of one of Washington’s actual swords or design one based on historical accounts of his known preferences and needs.
One new element of the 2025 competition… SFSA and the DOD plan to document it as a made for TV series to be shown on a major streaming service.
