“I’m forever the optimist. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,” said Dan King, owner of Hammersong Architectural Metal and Design in Tupper Lake.

King has worked on the Ice Palace for the last four years, after friend Liam Ward invited him to come on as a chainsaw carver. Liam is the son of John “Doc” Ward, the “union boss” of Ice Carvers 101.

King mostly carves ice sculptures but joins in on stacking blocks when there is time. This year, however, he’s bringing more to the build.

For the first time, King is crafting the ice scrapers used in shaving and chopping Ice Palace blocks.

Joe Plumb scrapes ice blocks smooth and flat with an ice scraper at the site of the Winter Carnival Ice Palace in January 2023. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

Ice Palace coordinator Dean Baker said that the ice scrapers used to come from an Alaskan company, which manufactured the tools for use on fishing boats. Eventually, the company stopped selling to the Winter Carnival, as the construction of the Ice Palace was not their intended purpose. Around 10 years ago, Baker said, local Bill Ross made five or six scrapers, which have been used to date. Now, it’s King’s turn.

He was commissioned by longtime volunteer Bill Madden, though King said he’s not certain who put Madden to the task. Materials will be paid for, but King is donating the labor.

The scrapers will feature 8-inch-long, 6-inch-wide heads made of high-carbon tool steel, which will allow them to keep a good edge. They will feature five triangle-pointed teeth, sharpened on one side. This allows for both chopping and scraping. King said the new project will satisfy his traditional blacksmithing values of providing tools to the community.

“It’s an enjoyable level of simplicity compared to other work that I do,” King said.

King, 53, moved to Tupper Lake in 2006. He’s been practicing blacksmithing and architectural metalwork for 33 years.

A freshly cut, ready-to-sharpen scraper head. Dan King's scrapers will be used on this year's Ice Palace at the Winter Carnival in Saranac Lake. (Provided photo)

Much of his work involves making things like gates, fences and fireplace doors. King is also well established in the Tri-Lakes as a craftsman of ornate, complex metal artistry, such as the lobby chandelier at the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort in Lake Placid and an 8-foot-tall fiddlehead fern sculpture at Fiddlehead Bistro in Saranac Lake.

“The entire Tri-Lakes (region) is very good to me,” he said.

King began his journey in metalwork after college. He graduated from the University of South Florida in 1992 with a degree in painting and theater set design. While working on a theater set at Sesame Place theme park outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the person responsible for metal armatures left suddenly. King was tossed into the position and had to learn welding on the job.

He took to it quickly and went on to learn cold forging and other blacksmithing methods. After enough practice, people began asking for his work.

He started accepting commissions, which eventually allowed him to quit his salaried job and open his own business. King now has clients both locally and all over the country, as well as in several other countries. He found his calling.

Jeff Branch sharpens an ice scraper while working on the Ice Palace in January 2023. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

“I would even call it a vocation,” King said.

Today, King and his wife Jennifer continue to be active community members. He said the most enjoyable part of the Winter Carnival is the way the community pulls together to achieve a goal, no matter the circumstances.

“We really like being involved in the community in Saranac Lake,” he said.

This year’s Winter Carnival will be held Feb. 2 to 11, and the theme is “Creepy Carnival.” For more information, visit saranaclakewintercarnival.com.

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Dan King carves blocks of ice with a chainsaw for the 2022 Winter Carnival in Saranac Lake. (Provided photo)

CORRECTION: This story has been corrected. The name of Dan King’s business in Tupper Lake was incorrectly spelled in the original version. It is Hammersong Architectural Metal and Design. The Enterprise regrets the error.