Meet Mike Rizzo. Mike, aka @muffin.man.metal, is a welder, bladesmith, metal artist, and the founder of Muffin Man Metalworks. Based in Connecticut, Mike started out in the heavy equipment repair and fabrication industry through an apprenticeship program in and out of high school. After serving in the Army for 4 years, he returned to the trade and developed a much deeper interest in the welding and fabricating side of it all, where it activated a creative side he didn’t even know existed. Mike started working with different types of scrap metal and building sculptures when he also became heavily influenced in blacksmithing through the History Channel’s “Forged in Fire” competition. He eventually applied to compete on the show, where he earned champion status in Season 8, Episode 1. Since then, he’s been blending all things metal work-related together to further feed his curiosity and strengthen his skills.