Ryan and Kerry Forbes stand with their sons, Noah, left, Aden, front, and Jonah in the machine shop of Copper Shed Metal Works.
Ryan Forbes had never been to a machine shop and had never worked with the equipment in one when, in 2015, he got an idea.
He told his wife, Kerry, that he wanted to order copper to make key chains for family members for Christmas. Out of that humble idea, the Forbeses created what is now Copper Shed Metal Works in Masury, a growing home business with big aspirations.
“Don’t know why,” Forbes said of why he wanted to make those key chains.
“I didn’t have much of a shop or any equipment,” he said. “I had a little vise and a hammer and a cordless drill, just like any other person.”
After he made the key chains and gave them out, someone posted photos on Facebook. He got requests to make more.
“I was working 70 hours a week already,” Forbes said. “I said no, I didn’t have time. Then, someone called me and wanted me to make 40 with their business logo on them. They were like $40 a piece.”
Kerry suggested using the money from that sale to buy equipment.
“I said, ‘If I’m gonna do that, I’m gonna start a Facebook group and maybe I’ll work out in the shop a couple nights a week for fun,’” Forbes said.
Ryan Forbes sands a bottle opener at Copper Shed Metal Works.
Those couple nights a week became virtually every night of the week and within two years he was making more money from his machine work than he was from his day job.
“We thought about it for nine months and could not pull the trigger,” he said about leaving his day job behind. “It was just so scary. But, after that nine months, I had this feeling, like, if I don’t try this I’m gonna regret it forever.”
He pulled the trigger in 2018. Kerry became Copper Shed’s second full-time employee about two years ago.
The workshop now boasts three computer numerically-controlled machines to make the basic product, a fiber laser for metal etching and a dirty room of sanders, a band saw, drill presses, a powder coating machine and an electro anodizer to finish each piece. Forbes finishes all pieces by hand, having learned the processes on his own by trial-and-error.
Copper Shed produces what is known as EDC – everyday carry items.
“Mostly what I make is custom bottle openers,” he said, of copper, brass, titanium, aluminum, stainless steel and plastic, all material sourced in the United States.
He also fashions key chains, slingshots, cigar ash trays, lighter covers and carabiners, “small items but different items you wouldn’t normally get.” Many of them also function as bottle openers.
Forbes said he sells a bottle opener for an average of $80, depending on material, with a low-cost model selling for $35. A copper cigar ash tray sells for $200.
“More of the artsy side is my work,” Forbes said, noting he typically completes 20 to 30 pieces a week.
Forbes is able to charge such prices and succeed because his real commodity is himself, he said. Through videos and photos posted on the Copper Shed Facebook group, which has 12,000 members, Forbes documents the process of making his items, showing that they are not mass-produced. That connects the maker to the piece and the customer.
“It’s a niche market I found, and social media allows you to connect to those people who like to collect this stuff,” he said.
Without social media, “I don’t think it would have worked.”
The family is part of the brand. The Forbeses have three sons, Noah, 14; Jonah, 12; and Aden, 6, who show up in the videos. Jonah is starting to take an interest in the family business and makes lanyards, bracelets and other items, and sets up his own table at shows.
“Our customers have seen our sons grow up over the years,” Kerry said. “They like to see it’s all family-oriented.”
Forbes typically comes up with designs at night, sometimes while he’s asleep, and makes prototypes the next day. If the idea pans out and he wants to make more than a few pieces, buddy Nick Rodondi comes over to create a computer design program that can be run on the CNC machines. Forbes said he has learned a lot about programming the machines, but has been too busy to learn enough to go without Rodondi’s help.
The company originated in Vienna, but the family moved to Sharon Hogue Road in Masury about 3½ years ago, setting up Copper Shed in the garage.
“We moved out to Brookfield because there is no zoning,” Forbes said. “Now, we have enough land that we can grow a big building on the property if we have to.”
While Forbes said he would still be amazed at how far the business has come if it never gets any bigger, he definitely wants it to grow. The goal is to have a fully functioning machine shop with employees.
“As of right now, we are actively advertising for production work,” he said. “Maybe there’s local shops that have overflow work or a company that has small orders that a bigger company wouldn’t want to take on.”
So thankful for the success they’ve had, the Forbeses sell items specifically to raise money for charitable endeavors, such as their Thanksgiving tradition of giving away money to random people they meet while they’re out and about. They also have raised money for an animal charity, a nonprofit that serves foster kids, and donated laundry and cleaning products to apartments where many elderly live.
“We have been blessed with this business and what we do,” Forbes said.
To contact Copper Shed, call 330-727-4693, email to coppershed@yahoo.com or join the Copper Shed Facebook group.
