New book explores the art and craft of the modern blacksmith

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.

“Forging has a way of taking hold of you until it becomes a part of who you are,” Thomas says. “It 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.”

“The work of a blacksmith is not at all limited to Renaissance fairs,” he continues. “It’s very much alive today.”

In his new book, “The Art and Craft of the Blacksmith: Techniques for the Modern Smith” (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.

His love for the ancient craft is palpable as he describes the sensation of hammering heated metal until it can be molded like clay, becoming stronger in the process.

“Forging is completely addictive,” says Thomas, who runs a studio in Charleston, South Carolina, that combines restoration work with more modern, artistic pieces. “The 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

KENNY CONDRA — ROBERT THOMAS VIA AP This undated photo shows Robert Thomas standing next to a completed gate commission for a historic property in Pittsburgh, Pa.

SULLY SULLIVAN — ROBERT THOMAS VIA AP Thomas, left, working with Matt Garton to make a custom blacksmith tool at the RTID studio in North Charleston, S.C.