Kim Thomas Brazier

Linda and I had an ordeal getting home from the Fort Frederick trade fair, and so lost most of yesterday to collecting baggage in Little Rock and other related issues. The good news is that we retrieved the bag, and it had not been messed with. That's good since there were some things in there that I had to send home in a checked bag.

The Fort Frederick Fair was great. Barely rained a little through Saturday. We didn't get to go back on Sunday. Saw lots of old friends, met several new ones, and saw lots of great stuff for sale. I'll be showing some of that in the days to come.

I met Kim Thomas and Pat Livengood this year. They use the business name of Masters in Wrought Iron (you can google that name). One of the other sutlers at the trade fair urged me to stop at their tent and check out their work. I'm glad that I did, because I met two nice guys who do excellent blacksmithing work. And, it turns out, that over ten years ago we published one of Kim's tips in our "Gather 'Round the Stove" column. Neither of us could remember what it was about.

The item in their tent that really captured my attention was this small brazier that Kim created based on images of original French braziers. It's a beautiful piece, small and fairly compact, and perfect for a small tea kettle or similar sized kettle. Kim and Pat make all kinds of utensils and do a nice job on them. I'm planning to write a review of some of Kim and Pat's work in a future issue of MUZZLELOADER.

Bill