About

The blacksmith’s shop was once the cornerstone of many village communities and provided the necessities needed for everyday life. Today we try to honor the past and do everything we can to not only to learn more about our craft, but to pass it on to the next generation. We have a wide range of tools, some well over 150 years old, and use them alongside modern plasma cutting and welding equipment.

On June 25th, 2012, the trade name Darkmoon Metals was registered with the office of the town clerk in the city of Norwalk, CT. We started off as a small home-based business, focused on metal fabricated art and odd jobs of all sorts. We soon started posting online videos, talking about various topics and providing short demonstrations on different aspects of metal fabrication and welding. On April 24th, 2013 we formed Darkmoon Metals, LLC.

The downside of creating a limited liability Corporation within the state of Connecticut was the number of fees that we incurred early on. The level of production we were doing did not warrant the creation of an LLC. This is one of those hard lessons learned. The business is started strong and quickly gained interest in our targeted market. The simple truth is that we were not generating enough of an income to grow the business and to financially support two people who are counting on it to survive.

This caused a lot of stress to all parties involved and eventually led to the two primary business partners parting ways. The trade name of Darkmoon Metals was officially abandoned on February 1st, 2019, and the LLC was dissolved. Since most of the tools or hand-me-downs through the generations of Jeff’s family he decided to keep the home fires burning and continue his journey in the life of a metal worker.

The crescent moon and anvil logo was created early on and has become somewhat recognizable within the communities this business is meant to serve. The name Darkmoon was meant to honor the history of the blacksmith. In the old days when tempering a sword, you would either do it under a new moon or in a darkened forge. This would allow the master to see the true temperature of the steel before quenching. It took years of experience and a keen eye to properly quench a sword or knife under these conditions.

On February 1st 2019 Jeff went to city hall and registered a new trade name, Darkmoon Forge. Shortly after with the help of his local bank manager he had an EIN number and was officially a sole proprietorship with a DBA.

Today the shop is still located in the same two-car garage as when I started. My goal is simple: to help you make your concepts a reality and to stay well within your budget while maintaining a high level of quality. From designing props and sets for a play or short film, to making custom signage and promotional items for your business, I look for the most cost effective and creative ways to get your job done.

Jeffrey Santo

I first became interested in metalwork and welding at a young age, watching my father doing various car restorations and auto body work. At the age of fourteen I made half barrel stoves for my scout troop, my father set me up on the MIG welder and since then I was hooked. Being all self-taught up until 2010 I decided to go to school for TIG welding and to strengthen his other skills in MIG, Stick, Gas welding and Brazing. I attended Lincoln Technical Institute for Welding, during my time there I received 13 certificates of achievement as well as basic OSHA related training for the welding and fabrication industry.

I have worked in variety of fields, everything from management to aerospace manufacturing. A few of my friends pointed out that if he worked half as hard for myself as I had for other people in the past I’d have a good shot of becoming a success. I am truly looking forward to the day when Darkmoon will be able to support itself and expand, mainly to the point of hiring others to join what has become a passion of both art and creativity.

Contact Jeffrey

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