There are a few things you can say about the husband and wife tandem of Joseph and Crystal Hollingworth, owners of Chariot of Fire Metal Works in Beallsville. And all of them positive.
The Hollingworth’s are big on family, and no, not just because they have eight children. They are supportive of both veterans and the country in general. They also love the Lord.
All these are evident in their work at Chariot of Fire, from the attention to detail and quality workmanship in the pieces and projects they work on to incorporating some of their beliefs into their work.
Simply calling the Hollingworth’s creations metal signs is a slight oversimplification, and a bit of an injustice, to the care they put into each piece.
There are patriotic pieces incorporating the flag, or honoring veterans, or touting the second amendment. There are Christian-based pieces, complete with Bible verses to go with the visual imagery of the pieces.
There are also outdoor scenes and even collegiate pieces for sports fanatics.
But what Chariot of Fire can create is not limited to signage.
Joseph is a South Texas native and first moved into the Beallsville area when his work on the pipeline brought him to this part of the country for the first time ever.
He fabricated a large working grill in the shape of a six shooter that wound up being auctioned off. He soon received requests for other pieces and decided to start offering signs and also fire pits out of his home-based shop.
“We’ve been here since 2017 when we came up with the Rover Pipeline,” Joseph said. “I’ve been a welder on the pipeline for 20 years, like my dad was before me.
“We were staying at this RV park down the road when a pastor and his wife asked us to rent this property as they were moving to Arizona. We were staying in the travel trailer and thought this would be a great idea.”
Eventually, that couple asked the Hollingworth’s if they wanted to purchase the property, which they did. So, the house in Texas was sold, and the family of 10 became permanent residents of Monroe County.
The fire pit’s created at Chariot of Fire feature six differently-designed sides, custom built to the customer’s liking. 
Hollingworth displays a few items that recently came off the cutting table, prior to finalization.
All Started With a Gun
“I had an opportunity to build some people some grills and barbeque pits,” Hollingworth said. “One I built, they auctioned off for the (Pipeliners Union) women of 798. I built this huge gun.”
Hollingworth also had a large piece of pipe from doing work that he hand-cut different pieces out of from things his kids drew and created.
The wheels started turning, and the Hollingworth’s began making their own creations, along with taking custom orders.
After all, while pipeline work is seasonal, Chariot of Fire can be a year-round source of income, one that the family looks at more as a labor of love than a job.
“Pipeline is seasonable, and working through the slow periods, plus COVID, we thought why not start doing fire pits,” Hollingworth admitted.
They also went out and purchased a cutting table to save time on hand-cutting each piece. It also allowed for more intricate designs.
Crystal can take someone’s custom design or idea, digitize it, and the machine does the work.
From there, Joseph does the fine tuning of each piece, and they both work to add color when requested.
“The color will depend on how much heat you use,” Joseph noted.
The fire pits themselves can be customized in a number of ways. The hexagon-shaped pits are crafted as individual sections and then welded together, meaning customers can choose six different scenes for each side of the pit.
Chariot of Fire also can also fabricate a top for the pit for those that wish to use it for cooking as well as a fire ring.
Want to add a rotisserie spit? They can do that too.
“Pretty much, whatever you come up with, let me know and we can make it work.”|
Business hanging logos are an option 
A table bracket 
Some items available from Jesus Loves Me Boutique,.
Other Projects
Coming from Texas, Hollingworth noted how his fellow Texans go all out in designing entryways to their respective properties. And it’s not just for people that own giant ranches either.
It’s not as common here, but that is another option Chariot of Fire provides. They recently purchased a sand blaster from BadBoy Blasters in Canton.
“Now that we have that separate blaster, we can start installing gates,” Crystal said. “We can cut big gates on the table, make the designs, and then assemble on site.”
The Hollingworths have also made home and address signs to be fixed on homes and mailboxes. They make brackets and even railings for steps with intricate designs. When they say, “If you think of it, we’ll make it,” they mean it.
They also make furniture. Joseph recently crafted a 9½-foot table, along with stools, end tables, and a number of other items.
But it’s not just the adults getting into the act for the Hollingworths.
Crystal assists some of her children with their business, the Jesus Loves Me Boutique.
The boutique offers custom-made jewelry and home décor items, many of which can be seen on their Facebook page, linked above.
For more information on Chariot of Fire, visit it online or on Facebook. Both locations have a number of photos depicting the assortment of items available.
