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Kim at his cabin
in 1973
Kim with the Master Blacksmith
Marty Reisig
Take a look at his beautiful Shop
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Kim ThomasMetalworker |
Kim Thomas started blacksmithing in 1985
spurred
on by the desire to make muzzle loading long rifle's
using the traditional
methods used 200 years ago.
Encouraged and guided by other smiths he started
out making simple items
for trade at rendezvous'.
Kim then joined the Artist-Blacksmiths’ Association
of North America
(ABANA)
where he met and learned from master smiths
from around the world.
It’s here he learned the art of forging Damascus,
or pattern welded steel.
His passion for working with metal has lead him
into all forms of blacksmithing such as
knife making, ornamental, repousse’, medieval,early American, and
even contemporary.
Kim Thomas’s work has appeared in
Back Woodsman,
Blade, Anvils Ring, and Knives 95, 96, 97, 98 & 99.
In 1995 he was chosen as one of the top 200
craftsmen in the United States
by Early American Life
and was featured in their August issue.
He was chosen again in 1997 by Early
American Homes.
And a third time in 2005 by Early American Life
He demonstrated several years at the Cuyahoga
Valley Folk Festival
in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
His work has
been displayed at the Wayne Center for the Arts.
In 1996 Kim’s video FORGING DAMASCUS was chosen
by his peers
as the BEST INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO at the
biennial conference of the
Artist-Blacksmiths’ Association of North America.
(ABANA)
He taught Blacksmithing classes for several years at The Log Cabin Sports shop and
has taught the last three years at Touchstone Center for Crafts
in Pennsylvania.
Recently Kim's work has turned to restorations of original masterwork.
Most notably the works of the Master of Ornamental Iron
Samuel Yellin of Philadelphia
Kim was a founding member of the
Western Reserve
Artists and Blacksmiths Association
and in 2001 was awarded their lifetime achievement of
BLACKSMITH of the YEAR. |
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