Old Dominion Blacksmith Association

Click here to read the first ODBSA Newsletter of the new year. Due to the weather conditions, we had no event in January . So Bobby asked a few members to contribute articles to replace the Green Coal Report that usually recaps the meeting. Well he got five articles. Enthusiam is high. This is going to be a great year!

Click here to read the ODBSA Newsletter about recent goings on and last month's blacksmithing event at Sunrise Forge in Rustburg, Virginia. John Elliott was there with his truck full of tools from Blacksmith Supply. This last newsletter of 2010 has 9 pages of pictures, current news, and articles.

ODBSA's newsletter for October 2010 is available for download. Click here ODBSA Newsletter to read about last month's blacksmithing event at the Appomattox Railroad Festival and so much more. It's 10 pages packed full of pictures, current news, and several articles.

The Old Dominion Blacksmith Association will have at least 3 forge stations set up in Abbitt Park for both days of the Appomattox Railroad Festival. This is the 38th year of the festival that is expected to draw about 35,000 visitors over the two days. Over a dozen ODBSA members have signed up to take turns manning the forges to demonstrate their blacksmithing skills to the public. If you'll be at the festival or in the Central Virginia area, come on over and watch for a while. For participating members, basic tools will be available, but you are welcome to bring your own if you like. If you are not currently an ODBSA member and have an interest in joining or learn…

ODBSA's newsletter for September 2010 is available for download. Click here ODBSA Newsletter to read about last month's blacksmithing event at Bobby Floyd's Plantation Forge in Long Island, VA and other news. Lots of pictures, current news, and "The Green Coal Report" describing the demonstration by Blacksmith Billy Phelps. For even more pictures of Billy's demo and Bobby's Plantation Forge, there is a slideshow of the event on the Current News page of the Old Dominion Blacksmith Association. Then link back here to IFI.com using the VIB & Supporting Links page and leave a reply. We value your feedback.

ODBSA's newsletter for August 2010 is available for download. Click here ODBSA Newsletter to read about the August meeting and the great educational demo put on by Gerald Boggs at Buford Hodges place in Boones Mill, Virginia. Pictures of past events, current news, blacksmithing instruction, and other helpful information can be found on the website of the Old Dominion Blacksmith Association More pictures of Gerald's demo and Buford's smithy are in a slideshow of the event on the Current News page. Then link back here to IFI.com on the VIB & Supporting Links page and leave a comment. We want your feedback.

From recent post on the "Current News" page... * Bill Roy (ODBSA Information Officer) & the "I Forge Iron" Web site. We thank Bill for posting our Newsletters and other things on this Web site for us. The site is full of blacksmithing information and well worth the time to visit and/or sign up to participate. I'm adding their address to our Supporting Links Page on our Web site. Please click on the following: www.iforgeiron.com

ODBSA's newsletter for July 2010 is available for download. Just click on this link ODBSA Newsletter to read about the great demo that Danny Ward put on for us at his Horse Shoeing School and other interesting news. It is 9 pages of pictures, articles, current news, instruction from Dale, and info on our next event, Gerald Bogg's demoing at Buford Hodges in Boones Mill. And if that's not enough for you, check out the slide show of Danny's demo at the bottom of the Current News page of Old Dominion Blacksmith Association.

ODBSA's newsletter for June 2010 is available for download. Just click on this link ODBSA Newsletter to read about the great demo that Jerry Darnell put on for us at LT Skinnell's Otter Hill Forge and other interesting news. It is six full pages of pictures, articles, current news, instruction from Dale, and info on our next event at Danny Ward's Horseshoeing School. And if that's not enough for you, check out the slide show of Jerry's demo at the bottom of the Current News page of Old Dominion Blacksmith Association.

ODBSA's newsletter for May 2010 is available for download. Just click on this link ODBSA Newsletter to read about last month's event and other interesting organization news and activity. Lots of pictures, articles, current news, instruction, and info on the June event can be found on the website of the Old Dominion Blacksmith Association For even more pictures of Dale's school, there is a slideshow at the bottom of the Current News page showing members and visitors in action.

ODBSA's newsletter for April 2010 is now available for electronic download as a word document. Just click on this link ODBSA April Newsletter Lots of pictures, articles, current news, instruction, and info on the May event for the Old Dominion Blacksmith Association. Did you see the slideshow on the Current News page? Scroll to the bottom and check it out. We welcome your comments and feedback. So come on back and share. Let us know what you think.

The April event was certainly not a typical monthly blacksmithing meeting! ODBSA set up multiple forge stations and demonstrated to the public that came to see the 145th Civil War re-enactment of the meeting of Lee and Grant in Appomattox, Virginia. It was a beautiful crisp Saturday at the historic Cloverhill Village with lots of coal smoke, anvil ringing, and Q&A from the croud. For several of our members it was their first time demonstrating their blacksmithing skills. Check out the slideshow at the bottom of the Current News page. (Important Note: You may need to use Firefox to scroll all the way down to the photos. The site is currently experiencing some u…

ODBSA's newsletter for March 2010 is now available for electronic download as a word document. Just click on this link ODBSA March Newsletter It's chock full of pictures, articles, current news, and info on the April event for the Old Dominion Blacksmith Association. We welcome your comments and feedback. So come on back and share. Let us know what you think. And if you were at the March meeting in Lexington, how did you like the demo?

ODBSA March Meeting: Germinal Ironworks, Lexington, Virginia Demonstrators: Lee Sauder, Shel Browder, Steve Mankowski, Michael McCauthy, and Darrell Makewitz Subject: Bloomery Smelting. Watch Lee and his team use the traditional historic method of producing iron by smelting using charcoal in a small hand made furnace. Then watch them use this bloomery iron to forge items. To better appreciate the demo of this process, go to some of following Web sites and read up ahead of time; www.iron.wlu.edu, www.leesauder.com, www.warehamforge.ca, and www.hammerinhand.com This event will not be open to the public because space is very limited, so please sign up by March 6th.…

ODBSA's newsletter for February 2010 is hot of the presses er.. I mean its available for electronic download as a word document. Just click on this link ODBSA February Newsletter Check out the pictures, articles, current news, and info on upcoming events for the Old Dominion Blacksmith Association. We welcome your comments and feedback. So come on back and share. Let us know what you think. And if you were at the Feburary meeting, how did you like the demo?

Hey, all you Old Dominion Members! Tell us when and where you will be doing your next Blacksmithing demonstration. Maybe we'll come take pictures and post them here on IFI for the whole world to see. With a little publicity, you might even become famous!

The Art of Forged Leaf (BLK042410) The Art of Forged Leaf (BLK042410) Gerald Boggs April 24-25 9am-4:30pm Non-members $178/ Members $143 Never felt the vibration of hammer on hot steel? Discover the craft and art of blacksmithing by learning the skills and techniques of forging leaves. Beginning to intermediate students will learn the art of creating leaf-design metalwork at the Jacksonville Center forge. Start by making a fire and learning to use the anvil. Before long, students will be forging their first leaves, discovering along the way blacksmithing techniques such as “drawing out,” “necking,” “spreading,” and “swaging.” Develop a feel for the anvil and ha…

The ODBSA Newsletter for January 2010 is 12 pages packed full of articles, photos, news, and a special tribute. The Green Coal Report has lots of pictures of the fabrication project demo'd by Jerry Funderburk at his shop in Evington. Anyone may read the newsletter by going to the website Old Dominion Blacksmith Association You will find the Newsletter download button near the top of the "Current News" page. And after you read through it, be sure to come on back and leave a comment or opinion. We'd like to hear from you.

Last Saturday, 1/23/2010, six of our ODBSA members went on a field trip to visit member Marshall Ecker's Old Farm Forge. He has been an avid antique tool collector for many years. In addition to blacksmithing tools, he has a large number of old goosewing broadaxes. To see pictures of Marshall's shop and his antiques go to the ODBSA website and scroll to the bottom of the "Current News" page. When you click on the first photo the slideshow will automatically start. Be sure to come on back to IFI and leave a comment.

O.D.B.S.A. Member and Officer (producer) Jay Abbound passed on Thursday 1/21/10 Single car accident,no details. Monday 1/25/10 at 6pm(eastern time) I will ring my anvil 21 times for our fallen friend and fellow blacksmith. Join me if you can. Thank You, David Hinshaw

ODBSA February Meeting at David Tucciarone's Sunrise Forge, Rustburg, Virginia Demonstrator: Fred Crist Subject: Presenting a touch of class: “Contemporary Sculpture Through Blacksmithing" John Elliott of Blacksmith Supply will be there with his truck of blacksmithing wares. Please visit the schedule of events page on our website for times, directions, and details. Old Dominion Blacksmith Association

On behalf of the ~30 members in attendance, THANK YOU Jeremy Funderburk for giving ODBSA the opportunity to visit your fabrication shop, Evington Iron Works, on Saturday. Your demo was fantastic and a great way to start the New Year for Old Dominion Blacksmith Association. We found it to be a great learning experience, and it's nice to see your business doing so well. Let us know when you're ready to sell Grandpa's old anvil.

So, ODBSA Members... What do you think now that you've seen Jerry's demo and shop? Is a fabricating shop really the modern day blacksmithing shop?

2010 - Old Dominion Blacksmith Association Event Schedule (2nd Saturday of the month) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ January 9th............Jeremy Funderburk.................Evington Iron Works...........................Evington February 13th........Fred Crist...............................Sunrise Forge.....................................Rustburg March 13th............Lee Sauder.............................Germinal Ironworks............................Lexington April 10th...............Richard Bartelt........................Clover Hill Village(145th Lee-Grant).…

Welcome to the sub-forum for Old Dominion Blacksmith Association. Use this forum to tell us about the events, hammers ins, meetings, etc for your group. Later post photos so we can see what we missed by not being there. Welcome to IForgeIron.