If you're in he hill country you need to google "balcones forge". It is the best group of blacksmiths in the whole world.
Blacksmithing is to iron what the Garden of Eden is to creationists. Few things are more rewarding, besides grand kids of course, than forming something useful or beautiful out of iron using nothing but a hammer and heat.
James will discover blacksmithing one of these days. It's a natural progression from creating with a welding machine to creating with fire and a hammer. He'll be a good one.