Teenage blacksmith Ben Perkins forges social media following

Ben Perkins is forging a reputation as an up-and-coming blacksmith after asking for an anvil for his 16th birthday.

The Guildford student, now 17, is self-taught and has gained a huge following on social media after building a working forge at the end of his garden.

He makes a variety of objects, but the most popular has been a whale-shaped bottle opener he created using scrap metal.

A picture of it on Reddit earlier this year earned him tens of thousands of upvotes and a full order book.

Video Journalist: Ben Moore

18 April 2021