Fort Walton Beach veteran began blacksmithing for his business. Now he teaches the next generation.

Nov. 26—FORT WALTON BEACH — When Lt. Col. David Sandlin retired from the Air Force after a 22-year career as an A-10 and F-16 fighter pilot and 13 years as a software contractor, it didn't take long before he was ready for something new.

And as it turned out, something new was actually something old. After forming his Traditions Workshop furniture repair and restoration business on Green Acres Road in Wright, he began teaching the art of blacksmithing.

"Part of restoration is doing the blacksmithing work, because some of the pieces we get in are antique and you can't find the hardware anymore, so we gotta make it," he said.

Sandlin teaches a beginners class on blacksmithing each Friday afternoon and some advanced classes on Saturdays. Students get hands-on experience in forging and produce individual works like practical barbecue tools. More advanced classes might produce items like Viking knives or more ornate items.

Located minutes from Hurlburt Field and a short drive from Eglin Air Force Base, Sandlin particularly would like to get service members and other veterans to come try their hand at blacksmithing.

"There's a lot of different projects going on in a traditions workshop, and I want to invite specifically the airmen and the veterans. You know, what are you doing on a Friday afternoon?" Sandlin said. "Rather than sit around the dormitory, here's a chance to actually make something. It's an opportunity to get together for classes, unit-level events up to 12 people at a time, and a chance for you to practice and learn and create something useful that perhaps you've never seen before."

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