About Mark Fleming

I’ve been a welder since graduating high school buying my first portable welder at 19, going in business for myself doing contract structural welding. I started dabbling in black smithing in 2016. I bumped into Jerry Fisk in Atwoods in Hope one day and struck up some conversation turns out that him and my father in law ran together in the 70’s and 80’s doing buckskinning camp etc.. that group also included Bill Bagwell, Bill Hicks and some others. Jerry invited me to his shop and from there my like for bladesmithing grew. I joined the ABS in Dec 2016 with the intentions of becoming a Master Bladesmith. I apprenticed under Jerry a little over a year and wanted my JS stamp in 2021. I enjoy making custom Bowie knives, hunting knives etc I take a lot of pride in doing the best work I can with what tools I have in my shop. It’s all hands on approach and I don’t have a lot fancy tooling. A forge, anvil, grinder and a drill press is what I use to create my custom made tools(knives). The way a knife cuts really interests and I enjoy competing in Bowie Knife cutting competitions. I am a Arkansas state champion cutter winning several competitions held thru out the state. I also have a deep passion for history involving James Black and the Bowie knife. I started researching Black in 2016 and spent the next several years compiling research dealing with the life and knives of James Black a native of Washington, AR. I found the property where James Black forged his knives just down the road from where I live and have my shop. After years of research and planning I arranged a deal for myself and Jerry to purchase the James Black property. That’s a little about me and my love for this bladesmithing journey.