BEYOND EVERYDAY I HAND WORK
Robb Martin gives range hood an artistic makeover.
IN A FAST-PACED world where cost and quick delivery are valued over skill and craftsmanship, it is a daunting task to turn mastery of an ancient craft into a business. Hard work and ingenuity have made Thak Ironworks in Floradale a success. Owner Robb Martin, 44, credits his parents for preparing him for the challenge. “I have a Mennonite work ethic; I was a dreamer, but I worked.” These days this self-taught blacksmith’s “dreams” are a study in contrasts. On one hand, a visit to his workshop reveals a startling collection of medieval weapons, armour and helmets. No corner is vacant. Up a winding set of stairs is a combination of display space and ancient throne room. An entire suit of armour, made by Martin, stands near a long table strewn with menacing weaponry, including a knife stuck upright in the wood. Animal hides are draped over throne-like chairs.
But this is only one part of Martin’s imagination. Thak Ironworks also produces unique pieces for builders and homeowners that are functional and decorative. Ironwork railings, fireplace doors and wall hangings are all available. And three years ago, Martin was approached by a local kitchen design company to create a range hood, opening another avenue for his business.
“I combine blacksmithing with armour and sculpture for a very contemporary use,” he says. “I can come up with a very medieval thing, and come up with a product that
>> is very viable. The range hoods must be fashioned to fit the inner machinery perfectly. As for the exterior, Martin relies on his talent for sculpture and obsession for detail. “Each one is different. I’ve never done the same size twice. Even a difference in height, the presence of crown moulding, it lends itself to a lot of unique artistic expression on each given piece.” Although Martin can deal directly with the kitchen designer, he prefers to bring the homeowner out to see his studio. “They see that this guy’s crazy!” he says, laughing. “But the work is for real.” Martin quickly dismisses any suggestion that his range hoods are mundane work compared to his fantasy-based creations. “I tackle each hood as its own little sculpture.”
The material and textures provide sufficient challenge. By using hammering techniques and contrasting metals he creates visual impact.
“I really enjoy mixing those different textures. The shapes are different, the sweeping curves. It’s always very challenging to get those different shapes working together.”
Martin started his career while still a teenager. “I’ve always worked with my hands.… If I saw something in a movie or a book, I wanted to make it.” Reading history opened his eyes. “I discovered blacksmiths made the cool stuff.”
After taking a course at the Forge and Anvil, then located in St. Jacobs, Martin fashioned his first forge. He took a job there “sweeping floors” to start. Five years later, he set up his own part-time shop in the front corner of his current studio.
Originally this building was the village blacksmith’s shop, and the forge was still there. A mechanic owned it, but within eight years Martin had quit his factory job and taken over the entire building.
Thak Ironworks is designed to jolt the senses. Loud, heavy metal music plays in the background. It is a working forge, so it is dusty and filled with the expected tools of the trade, as well as his incredible collection of costume pieces available for rent or sale. Martin has carefully cultivated the atmosphere over the past 17 years.
“A lot of people think it is cool — a small percentage of the population who like what I do,” he says with a laugh. He values this
clientele whom he describes as “people into re-enactments, gamers, movie buffs…. They are willing to spend their hard-earned money to get a tangible piece of the fantasy.” The name Thak adds to the image. On his website, Martin says what’s most important about the name is what it has come to mean to customers — “a semi-mythical character, who creates for them tangible fantasy.” Along with his projects, he runs about 12 blacksmithing courses each year, as well as demonstrations at schools or museums. He also welcomes tours of his studio which he describes as his “on-going sculpture.”
“When I teach courses, I want to transfer people into a different realm. They are yanked out of their humdrum lives into a cool place,” he explains.
An avid reader, Martin describes himself as a “rogue scholar” and numerous bookshelves line the walls upstairs. Not surprisingly, he is well versed in historical fantasy. But Martin is also a reader of the classics by authors such as Hugo and Melville.
“I am reading the perspective of someone from centuries past. It’s a different world and we are still so much the same.”
Running Thak does not leave much time for reading. Martin puts in 10-hour days, six days a week, with only one full-time assistant. The work is physical and timeconsuming, and he readily admits it has been an uphill battle to build a money-making venture.
“It has been a real struggle. People don’t know what they’re paying for until they come in here and see how it comes together,” he says.
Martin explains that when he first started the business, he was married with two small children to support. Even now with his children in their early 20s he hasn’t slowed down. “It takes a very special personality to try to make their living doing this.”
Whether creating armour or range hoods, Martin is passionate when describing his creative process. “I feel everything that I do is sculpture. It is an extension in space. Everything I’m making is shaping, forming things that move and flow… I use all my artistic skill.”
His passion and attention to detail have forged an excellent working relationship with local kitchen companies. Martin includes Homestead Woodworks, Chervin Kitchen, Creative Kitchen and Bath Design, Timber Barn and Woodland Horizon in his list of clients. With about 18 range hoods so far, and two in the process, he is very busy.
The range hoods often lead to other projects. Martin has created pizza oven doors and copper cupboard doors to complement the hoods.
Martin has built Thak’s reputation with quality work and satisfied customers.
His best advertising is word of mouth. “Only so many guys do what I do. People find me.”