Jump to content
I Forge Iron

April 2023 BAM's 31st Ozark Conference


Recommended Posts

OzarkConference2023.png.2af097a6cc2f3f849e9c41505651e10e.png

Demonstrators:

  • Nick Rossi
  • Glenn Horr
  • Lisa Elias
  • Vern Mesler

Registration form is on their website. I'm not sure if it's okay to post that link so I'll just say to use your search engine of choice for "Blacksmiths Association of Missouri" and it should come right up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

I had an absolute blast at my first ever blacksmithing conference. Long post ahead! 

I took part in a 1-day ABANA National Curriculum Level 1 class they offered on the Thursday before the conference officially started. It was led by instructor Bud Harvey and there were three other certified instructors also there to lend guidance and observe. There were only seven of us in class so we had a lot of individualized attention, which was great. We did most of the work in propane forges as that is what they keep in their mobile training station set up. However, when we got to the forge welding portion of class they pulled out a coal forge to increase the chance of success. I've used propane before in a few project classes I took a few years ago before I really got into blacksmithing as a main hobby, but this was my first time forging for real in an all-day situation using a propane forge and I gotta say, I really enjoyed the propane forge! I wouldn't mind having one of those to use in addition to my coal forge, lol!

received_966708124488242.thumb.jpeg.239c969f9403b2282bcf215bdd12d29c.jpeg

My original plan going into this was that I would take the class on Thursday and then spend all day Friday watching demonstrations and checking out the tailgates and just getting a good feel all around for the conference because it was my first time. However, I really really really wanted to just keep on working on my projects and they told us on Thursday after class that they were leaving the coal forges available for us to use while they had a beginners class on Friday and Saturday using the propane forges. So with the exception of about half an hour at the beginning of the morning (where I checked out the tailgating and bought a few supplies from vendors that I knew I didn't want to miss out on) and about half an hour around lunch time on Friday I forged using the coal forge pretty much the entire day! 

received_761719222032174.thumb.jpeg.77e0b6096b9a48b75b6662e55156fe6b.jpeg

I wandered over to check out the raffle items just before they closed everything down. I noticed there was also a sign up sheet for a forging contest that evening. One sheet for beginners and one sheet for intermediate. On a whim, completely out of my comfort zone but riding on a high from the last few days, I signed up for the beginners forging challenge. 

They held the contest after dinner. Contestants in the beginners group were a given a 6" length of 3/8" round bar. Our challenge was to draw it out square as long as possible, even throughout and no tapers. In 4 heats. There were 12 contestants and I came in 2nd! Unfortunately, in all the excitement I forgot to get my finished piece back from the judges so I don't know the exact measurements but I'm guessing it doubled at least. I received quite a few compliments on my technique and a few on my hammer grip and swing. 

On Saturday, I decided to leave all of my tools in the car so that I could really focus my time and attention on experiencing the conference in means OTHER THAN hammer in hand, lol

I immediately checked out the tailgating to see what was left and see if the price had gone down on anything or if more things had been added that I didn't notice on Friday. There were a few forges, but I decided I didn't really need another forge that my rivet forge was just fine... there were a few good sized blowers, but if I'm not getting another forge I don't really need another blower either, LOL and besides I have TwistedWillow for that, LOL!

I had picked up a pair of lightweight and springy Tom's Tongs on Friday but on Saturday I noticed a table of tongs handmade by somebody in our local blacksmithing group. This person is also at every meeting, so I've always had the opportunity to buy these tongs and I've never had the extra cash. Well I saved a lot of money just for this conference and I was not going to pass it up. I bought three pair of tongs from this guy and they are all made from mild steel so they can be reshaped to fit as needed if necessary.

Holland Anvil was there and they of course had all of their wares. But the one that got everyone excited were these little swage blocks that had slight imperfections so they were selling them for only $40! Of course, I ran over there and grabbed one for me before they ran out!

I also picked up a few tshirts. One for winter which has a cross stitch screenprint. And one that says "Get it hot. Hit it hard." which I found out was an innuendo when I showed my wife. I truly did not know that when I bought it and was mortified when she told me. It will be relegated to a forging shirt, lol

I had signed up to volunteer working in the art gallery for the 1:00 to 5:00 shift so I didn't spend too much more time perusing the tailgating section once I decided there wasn't much else I really needed. Instead, I went and checked out some of the demonstrators. They had three demonstrators. One was Lisa Elias, who did very delicate forms using mostly localized torch work and welding. She was making lamps and wall sconces during the demonstration. They were very beautiful and I really loved the look of it, but there really wasn't much technique to it that I needed to sit around and watch. So I went and checked out Glenn Horr, who was carving animal heads using an air hammer. That was exciting! I stayed over there for about an hour watching him and chatting it up with a few other people sitting nearby. The only demonstrator I did not go and check out was Nick Rossi. I had saved that one for last knowing that of everything, knives was the one that I had the least interest in. I'm sure future conferences will also have a knife demonstrator so I'm sure I'll eventually see one, LOL

When the demonstrators started putting up their things for the lunch break, I knew I only had about an hour left before I had to report in for my shift. I grabbed a quick lunch from the food truck then went back inside to peruse the tailgating again and make sure that there wasn't anything I really just had to have. I noticed an old forge next to the auction items so I went to check it out. It was a fixer upper Buffalo 0 from the 1800s complete with original belt driven blower. It was a silent auction and the high bid was $65 so I jotted my name down for $70. 

I also kept walking by this big fire pot that was being sold for, if I recall correctly, $150? With a note that any offers would be entertained. I also knew the guy that was sitting at the table, so I started talking to him about it. He said he would be there until after the banquet. So I decided to test fate, and see if it was still there after I finished my shift at the art gallery. Well, as I'm walking away Bud Harvey comes up and says, "I saw you were looking at that fire pot. Are you thinking you want one?" and I told him yes, that I was considering it. He asked me to follow him. He proceeded to lead me to his car and show me the fire pot that he had gotten a great deal on that same day. And then he wanted to pass that deal on to me. So a very long story coming to an end, lol, I came home with a big fire pot that I bought from Bud Harvey for only $40! Now I just need to make the table and stand to go with it, and buy (and possibly refurbish) a blower from TwistedWillow!

received_618936393462746.thumb.jpeg.69235c9be835a98092936f14cb86f16e.jpeg

Oh, but wait, what about that Buffalo I bid on? I thought surely someone would bid again but just in case, I took measurements. Should have done that BEFORE putting my name down. It won't fit in my wife's hatchback opening so I was really hoping someone would outbid me. 

I checked in at the art gallery and I must say, talk about inspiration! There were so many beautiful things and some of them were marked for the auction! 

After the banquet, they had the auction. Another first for me and whoa. Very exciting. Maybe a little too exciting, lol. My anxiety was spiraling so I edged my way over to stand in the doorway away from the crowd. They announced the winner of the Buffalo before the live auction started. It was me. Uh oh. I started talking to a guy I knew from a few of the Kansas meetings about my dilemma and he offered to haul it home for me as long as I could wait a week or so for him to bring it over. Problem solved! Sort of. Now I have a full on restoration project on my hands, lol

But seriously, it'll be fun and I'm looking forward to it. Here's a pic of A Buffalo 0, but not mine:

received_185724507704611.jpeg.664a5facefe052ec264644fbf00929cc.jpeg

I also won one of the lamps made by the demonstrator, Lisa Elias!

orca-image-639428137.thumb.jpeg.dbd83575ef58e73ef383ef6d77e5b5b0.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Get involved in the conference did we Shaina? Nice haul and really cool to meet and see so many people. It's good just hanging out with blacksmiths, we're generally a helpful bunch and like to talk.

Frosty The Lucky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Blacksmith's Mail" tends to work very well.  I once hauled a pallet of industrial shop lights from Quad-State for a smith near Phoenix AZ. Put up at their place for a couple of Estrella Wars later.  One of my minions picked up a 165# HB on their way rom CA for  me.  Tried to hide it in my shop; like I wouldn't notice a spare anvil....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...