Dan Hurtado: Talent tempered through fire

Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Monticello is a town rich in hidden talent. Writers, painters and musicians alike enjoy expressing themselves through their craft in a number of ways in the quiet beauty of the town. Every now and again, one of our talented creators gets a chance at national stardom, and find themselves suddenly in the eye of millions. Such is true for Monticello's Dan Hurtado, whose talents led him to shine in the spotlight in 2017 on popular History Channel competition series, Forged in Fire. Forged in Fire showcases talented bladesmiths from across America as they compete in a three-round elimination contest to forge bladed weapons using their experience, creativity and skill.
While he describes his experience on the show as amazing, Hurtado reveals that his placement on the show was largely accidental. “I applied to compete on Forged in Fire in an effort to get my family to quit pestering me about it,” he stated, “I figured that my application would go into the rejection pile and that would be the end of it.”
That was not, however, the end of it. Just a few short weeks after applying online, a casting agent reached out to Hurtado and asked for a phone interview. After that came an online video interview and tour of his shop, and in a couple of weeks, a History Channel producer called and said, “We want you on the show. Can you fly to New York in a week?” Hurtado said that after that, things quickly became real. When asked how the experience was being on the show, Hurtado said, “Competing on the show was amazing. The other competitors and I were overwhelmed and riding a wave of adrenaline... [We] never had the sense of competing against one another, and became very close during that time, and cheered each other on as we did our work.”
Hurtado earned second place by a razor-thin margin, and while he was disappointed at his loss, he believed it was God's will that someone else should win. “The winner, a young Japanese-American bladesmith named Teiji “Neil” Kamimura has used the notoriety from the show to advance the causes of Veterans Support and Suicide Prevention,” says Hurtado, “I would have enjoyed a win, but I am glad that Neil took the victory. It was meant to be.”
Hurtado is a blacksmith, which is someone who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend and cut the metal into an intended form. This unconventional trade appeals to Hurtado due to the complexity of the craft. “One of the things that drew me to metalwork is that it involves so much more than getting the material to the desired shape. The type of metal, the processes used in shaping it, the rates of heating and cooling, these all have a big effect on the behavior of the finished product. I've always enjoyed studying science and (after a scenic tour of college) settled on engineering. The physics and chemistry of metallurgy play a big role in what I do, and they were a major attraction.”
For Hurtado, the most challenging aspect of his metal working is what he describes as “mass-management”; knowing how much material you will need to start a project that, in the beginning, looks nothing like what the finished product will look like. He strives to do everything he can to not waste materials, and admits that it does take a great deal of planning and practice and is a skill that he is still learning.
While his body of work shows clear talent and craftsmanship, Hurtado doesn't really think of his pieces as “art,” mentioning that he sees them as creative projects, and enjoys figuring out the techniques required to execute them. Many of the items and things he has made he gives away as gifts to family and friends. “I like the idea of making something functional that will become part of a family's story,” he says, “I have sold a few pieces, and have done a few projects on commission, but I really prefer to just make things that are interesting to me or that I plan to give away as a gift. I like to think about the recipient when I am making something and to pour the relationship into the piece. That's when I'm happiest and I do my best work.”
Hurtado's body of work is extensive, and features not just metalworking, but wood-turning projects as well. A few years ago, he purchased a lathe with the intention of using it to make handles for the knives he forges, but the device quickly enabled him to facilitate other endeavors, and it wasn't long before Hurtado began turning wooden bowls of various sizes, eventually moving up to more complex projects such as pens and bottle stoppers. One of his recent projects, a set of fireplace tools created as a Christmas gift is an excellent example of one of the creative ways he blends these two unique skills to create amazing pieces for others. Hurtado says he feels most connected to a project when it holds significant purpose and meaning to whomever he is making it for. “I once made matching knives for a set of brothers from a plow from their family farm.” Hurtado remembers, “I also made a set of knives from old railroad spikes for a group of railway builders. My favorite project was actually from wood, a set of chessmen that I turned from a tree that my grandfather had planted. He was an avid player. Projects like that are very special.”
While he has just recently finished a long-term project, a multilayered knife made of Damascus steel, Hurtado is taking some time to clean and re-tool his shop. He does suspect, however, that he does still have time for a few more projects before the end of the year.
Hurtado grew up in Monticello, and graduated from Aucilla Christian Academy in 1988 before moving to Tallahassee. His parents, Art Hurtado and Susan Crocker grew up in Monticello, and many of their immediate family lives in town. Hurtado's grandfather, Uncas Crocker, was a veterinarian who had a practice in Monticello shortly after WWII, and his grandmother, aged 102, still calls the area home. Hurtado and his wife Heather have been married since 1998 and have two amazing kids, Seth and Ivy. Hurtado is very glad to still live so close to his hometown and his family, saying, “Monticello was very patient with me as a young man, and I always hope to make her proud.”