{"id":156467,"date":"2018-03-13T23:27:46","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T03:27:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=156467"},"modified":"2018-03-13T23:27:46","modified_gmt":"2018-03-14T03:27:46","slug":"new-book-explores-the-art-and-craft-of-the-modern-blacksmith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2018\/03\/13\/new-book-explores-the-art-and-craft-of-the-modern-blacksmith\/","title":{"rendered":"New book explores the art and craft of the modern blacksmith"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\u201cForging<\/a>
\u201cForging has a way of taking hold of you until it becomes a part of who you are,\u201d Robert Thomas says. \u201cIt not only links us to the millennia of blacksmiths who came before us, but in this age of Silicon Valley and computers, it’s one thing that machines can’t really do, at least easily anyway.\u201d (Pixabay photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Asked what it feels like to forge iron, Robert Thomas has to pause for a moment and compose himself before plunging into a description of what, for him, is as much a passion as a livelihood.<\/p>\n

\u201cForging has a way of taking hold of you until it becomes a part of who you are,\u201d Thomas says. \u201cIt not only links us to the millennia of blacksmiths who came before us, but in this age of Silicon Valley and computers, it’s one thing that machines can’t really do, at least easily anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe work of a blacksmith is not at all limited to Renaissance fairs,\u201d he continues. \u201cIt’s very much alive today.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his new book, \u201cThe Art and Craft of the Blacksmith: Techniques for the Modern Smith\u201d (Quarto Publishing Group USA, 2018), Thomas explains the tools of the trade, offers a history of decorative iron, and discusses techniques for anyone from the novice to the accomplished blacksmith.<\/p>\n

His love for the ancient craft is palpable as he describes the sensation of hammering heated metal until it can be moulded like clay, becoming stronger in the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cForging is completely addictive,\u201d says Thomas, who runs a studio in Charleston, South Carolina, that combines restoration work with more modern, artistic pieces. \u201cThe best thing is when I have a friend or craftsman in another discipline who comes to try it. The first time they shape hot metal, you can see it in their face. When you see that steel squish out like PlayDoh, the whole experience is ethereal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Try being a smith, he says, and \u201cyou’ll never look at metal the same way. And you’ll look at bridges differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

The permanence of the works also part of the attraction, he says. \u201cWhen we install a beautifully forged gate in front of someone’s home, we know it will last longer than absolutely anything else there.\u201d<\/p>\n

JoAnn Bentley, an administrator for the Artist Blacksmith Association of North America, says many of the organization’s estimated 4,000 members are young, and include some women.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a thriving craft and is really coming back to life these days,\u201d she says. She partly credits the television show \u201cForged in Fire\u201d on the History Channel.<\/p>\n

Thomas had tried a career in finance, but wasn’t happy there. \u201cSo at 24, I decided I had to do something different. … I knew I loved working with my hands, and I loved art, and when I tried blacksmithing I was certain it was for me,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He went on to study the craft – long known as \u201cthe master trade\u201d because of how essential it was in traditional village life – at what he calls the \u201cHarvard for blacksmiths,\u201d Hereford College of Arts, in Hereford, England. He became one of a handful of Americans inducted as a certified journeyman in Britain’s Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths, a guild that dates to the 1300s.<\/p>\n

There are places closer to home that a would-be blacksmith can study. The American College of Building Arts, in Charleston, where Thomas is based, has a program, he says, as do several other institutions across the country. But they are rare.<\/p>\n

His studio, Robert Thomas Iron Design , includes five other blacksmiths, plus a part-time engineer and designer. It’s one of only about 30 studios like it in the United States, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s great to work side by side with other blacksmiths. That amazing camaraderie of blacksmiths around the world is one of the truly great things about this field,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Thomas hopes his book conveys a sense of that community. \u201cIt’s also meant as a primer for craftspeople who may have had a taste of basic blacksmithing and want to take it to the next level,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal is to present blacksmithing in a modern, professional context and offer some perspective on how to contribute to the world of design using blacksmithing techniques to create large and small pieces of functional art,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Projects detailed in the book include bookends, a trivet, a door handle and a fireplace tool set.<\/p>\n

In addition to historical restoration work, his studio makes furniture and a range of shelf brackets, which he says is their most popular item.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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