An acquaintance once mentioned that she had started taking blacksmithing classes because when (not if, when) civilization fell the skill of ironworking would be critical for rebuilding. As she described how the first task in becoming a blacksmith is to make all your own tools, I decided I’d better learn how to start a fire without matches as my own meager preparation for if (when) civilization fell. I then promptly forgot about the conversation. It came back to me as I read this profile of blacksmith Eric Clausen. He practices “the master of all trades” in Oakland, California, turning out decorative commissions to local landmarks and homes. Calla lilies, rosettes, pomegranates, figs, grapes and ginkgo leaves decorate the railings, gates and other architectural pieces he creates. Clausen’s great-grandfather was also a blacksmith, perhaps with commissions of the more traditional tool and equipment sort.