Forged with fire and fueled by passion, self-taught blacksmith Daniel Yoka brings old-school craft to modern KC

Blacksmith Daniel Yoka holds a custom-made sword in 3 Trails Forge. // Photo by Shea McGraw

As you draw near 3 Trails Forge, a metallic and rhythmic clang, clang, clang echoes into the streets of Independence. Entering the newly opened blacksmith studio, you hear the screech of a belt grinder as it sharpens steel to a fine point, or the roar and hiss of the forge as it heats metals to 2,000 degrees so it may be shaped. It’s a mixture of percussion, heat, and hum with blacksmith Daniel Yoka at its core, the composer of the industrial symphony.

After 23 years in the restaurant industry, Yoka was frustrated at every turn in his inability to find a kitchen knife that suited his needs. In 2018, it finally boiled over, and Yoka decided to take matters into his own hands.

Daniel Yoka strikes hot steel with a hammer to reshape it. // Photo by Shea McGraw

Inspired by the show Forged In Fire, Yoka blazed his own path, learning to blacksmith through YouTube videos and trial and error. “Welp, that didn’t work,” quickly became his personal motto as he refined his skills.

In 2024, after four years of selling his made-from-scratch tools on Etsy, Yoka visited a blacksmith studio in Branson, sparking the idea to create one of his own. After finding a location in his hometown of Independence, Yoka spent seven months forging his hobby into a career. His wife, Amanda, helped to keep them afloat with her own business, Yummies by Yoka, which was a finalist in The Pitch’s Best of KC “Best Locally Made Sweets” category in 2024.

“The whole goal for this is obviously to be able to support myself and my family considering my wife’s been carrying us for the past seven months while I’ve been sitting around the house,” Yoka says.

Now fully open, every detail of the forge Yoka has built reflects his own values—history, sustainability, and accessibility. Through traditional forging techniques, he breathes new life into a fading craft while preserving a raw, hands-on activity that most people never experience.

“That’s the best part; taking something boring like a hunk of metal and making something fun,” Yoka says. “It’s really cool, just to keep that history alive.”

Anvils act almost like monoliths to the craft’s history, as one anvil in Yoka’s studio even predates the Civil War.

Daniel Yoka places steel into a forge. // Photo by Shea McGraw

Yoka’s commitment to sustainability also runs through every project, as he uses reclaimed materials like horseshoes, railroad spikes, and even parts from old school buses, forging functional tools with items that would have otherwise been scrapped. Despite their source, Yoka assures them of their quality.

“All the things that I make—these are all 100 percent functional, not just like a novelty,” Yoka says. “Just because [knives] are commercially available does not necessarily mean they’re better.”

Yoka also emphasizes that 3 Trails Forge is a welcoming place for people of all abilities. Alongside ramps making the studio fully accessible, one anvil is rigged up to where wheelchair users could access it and still enjoy the same experience.

“Everybody at some point in their life will use a knife, whether it’s cooking, camping, hunting, whatever the case may be, and we’re accessible for people to come in without having to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on equipment,” Yoka says. “Just try it. Maybe you don’t like it, maybe you will.”

Daniel Yoka working in his fully accessible studio. // Photo by Shea McGraw

3 Trails Forge offers a variety of classes including knife-making and “Intro to Blacksmithing”, which teaches students the fundamentals so they can potentially pursue the craft on their own. He also sells jewelry and trinkets—some of which are made by his children.

Last October, Yoka put his skills to the test at a forging competition in North Platte, Nebraska, where competitors had six hours to make a 12-inch knife. Facing off against two former Forged In Fire competitors and judged by a panel of three of the show’s champions, Yoka took third place, with his knife even taking the least overall damage in the impact testing category.

Over the coming years, Yoka hopes to expand his studio with new equipment like a hydraulic forging press and power hammer, so he may continue to forge both steel and a fun, new experience in the heart of Independence.

While his tools are built for kitchens and campsites, Yoka’s got a hammer in one hand and a plan for disaster in the other.

“When the zombie apocalypse comes, I’m going to be a very valuable person,” Yoka says.

To up your own stock value when the world ends, you can book a class on the website and learn the craft yourself.