Warren Wylupski, Del Ray Metalworks
Have you ever watched something that has inspired you to pick up a new hobby or project?
For many people this year, it was attempting to bake Swiss rolls after watching The Great British Bake Off, or ridding their home of clutter and things that weren’t “sparking joy” after seeing Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. Oftentimes, this inspiration does not lead to much of anything outside a few burnt cakes.
For Warren Wylupski of Del Ray Metalworks, his televised inspiration led him to start what is now a growing business. Specifically, it was the History Channel show Forged in Fire, about blacksmiths recreating blade weapons, that inspired him to try out the craft.
Wylupski got his first opportunity to try blacksmithing when he took a weekend hatchet-making class with a friend a couple of years ago, just for fun.
“That was pretty cool. It didn’t turn out the way I hoped it would have turned out,” Wylupski said matter-of-factly, but he was not willing to give up so easily.
Eager to learn more when he got back from the weekend workshop, he found a place in Arlington where he could take more blacksmithing classes — and he hasn’t stopped learning since then.
The blacksmithing classes lead to welding classes and purchasing supplies to work on projects at home.
Wylupski never considered himself artistic.
I wouldn't be able to just take some metal and then twist it off and … make something look really pretty,” he said. “I don't have that capacity — but replicating and fabricating, I think I do pretty well.”
He was able to craft a radiator cover for his house based on a design his wife described. He found that his interests didn’t lie with creating weapons like on Forged in Fire.
"I've made a couple knives, but it's not really my forte,” Wylupski explained. “My interest was like, someone wanted six identical hooks. Making six identical anything was kind of hard to do, but I was able to do it. So that was pretty cool.”
He describes himself as a rustic black-smith, meaning he focuses on repurposing materials. Like turning railroad spikes into bottle openers or horseshoes into door knockers.
Even when he started selling hooks and door knockers at Art on the Avenue in Del Ray last year, he didn’t plan on turning his work into a business.
“We made out pretty well during Art on the Avenue. But then when I went to file my sales tax, I had to get my city license and found out I couldn't do the work in my house,” Wylupski said. He got a membership at The Garden at Building Momentum in Alexandria’s West End to use as his workspace, and keeping the business going was the next step. “If I'm going to go through all that, I might as well try to keep this up as a business.”
He started signing up for more artisan fairs and looking to create not just projects he finds fun, but figuring out items people will really find useful, such as custom wine racks. And he is even planning as far ahead as Valentine’s Day.
“I thought I could make a bunch of metal flowers now, and kind of perfect my technique for those and have them ready for [the] virtual Art on the Avenue coming up, or from the holidays, and then we're rolling into Valentine's Day,” Wylupski said.
One of his most popular items is a railroad stake bottle opener, which he created to participate in the Makers Market at Port City Brewery last November.
He does all of this around his day job as a contractor for U.S. Department of Energy, spending evenings and the weekends at the workspace in The Garden. He plans on learning more techniques and growing his range with both metalworking and welding.
If you're looking for a gift for your rustic-obsessed friend, or for a new fun bottle opener for the holidays, head to Wylupski’s Etsy shop at etsy.com/shop/delraymetalworks. Some larger pieces, such as wine racks, take longer to make, so be sure to order early or ask Wylupski for a time estimate.
