MScov Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 Hello, I know this may be a long shot, but my husband has expressed a lot of interest in blacksmithing, particularly sword smithing, and as a surprise for our anniversary, I was wondering if there is anyone out there who would be willing to have him around as an observer/apprentice and help him see if it is something he would like to really do in the future, before investing in all the tools. We can pay for this - reasonable cost - of course. It is important to be somewhere in proximity to Salina KS. Thanks! Monica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 Check to see if the American Bladesmith Society is offering any courses near you; americanbladesmith.com Also for general blacksmithing which is pretty much a prerequisite check for an ABANA affiliate within driving distance. For swordmaking for a good swordsmith reasonable cost should be about what you'd expect to pay a Doctor per hour. I once assembled a complete beginner's kit for less than US$25: Forge, blower, anvil and basic tools---the fancy stuff is nice but we've been hammering out stuff ever since we left the stone age. There is a nice Youtube video of a kukri maker using a sledgehammer head as his anvil and a hole in the ground as his forge... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 The ABS has the Mid-America Bladesmithing Symposium coming up the last weekend in August near Dayton, Ohio. There will be dozens of Master Smiths attending and conducting seminars. http://www.americanbladesmith.com/index.php?section=events&subsection=show_events_details&events_id=22 The local affiliate of ABANA is the Saltfork Craftsman group which covers Oklahoma, they have a conference in October, and local meetings monthly. http://www.saltforkcraftsmen.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin Rondeau Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 There's also Central States Metal Artisans which meets every Monday night starting at 6 PM in Haysville. It's free to come observe but if you/he really want to dive in they prefer you become a member. The dues are $20 (per year!), so it's pretty reasonable. The first Saturday of the month is the bigger members' meeting. I've been to several Monday nights and they're very welcoming and generous with knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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