Daily Inspiration: Meet Paul Diefenderfer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Diefenderfer.

Hi Paul, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
About 20 years ago, I was walking thru an art festival in Cave Creek and was intrigued by a guy selling forged ironwork. He had a propane forge and was making items for sale.

When he pulled the glowing orange iron out of the forge and started hammering it on the anvil I knew I wanted to do this. I told him I would work for free if he would teach me. He was from out of town but told me about the local blacksmithing club. I joined and have been pounding iron ever since.

After a couple of years of blacksmithing as a hobby, I started doing it full-time.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest challenge overall for me is not over-committing my time. The excitement of a potential new project needs to be tempered by the list of projects in my queue.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I create both functional artwork (hooks, railings, gates, etc) and sculptural items. My designs tend to be simple “organic” forms. My specialty is creating artistic pieces that solve a structural need. Example: A railing that looks like a vine growing along the stairs. So far the coolest project I have done is a 100-foot long pedestrian bridge for a home in Cave Creek.

The clients wanted a “lightweight” bridge that “floated” above the wash that needed to be crossed to get from the guest parking to the front door. The wash had never been disturbed and was heavily vegetated. I hand dug the holes for the support posts and hauled in 2 tons of concrete by bucket so I would not disturb the plants or weathered rocks. The beams, walkway, and railings were then welded on a section at a time.

The end result was beautiful and looked like it had been there for ages since the plants came right up to the bottom of the bridge. A few months after completing a wayward fire trucks coasted down their driveway and onto the bridge. The first 10 feet of the 1in rebar railings and some of the decking were demolished but the bridge structure held the weight of the fire truck.

The front end of the brand new fire truck did not do so well.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
There is much in life that is beyond our control. Blocking that out and focusing on the things that I could still do is a skill that was instrumental in getting through the last couple of years.

Contact Info:

• Email: dief@desertratforge.com
• Website: desertratforge.com