NWBA President Bill Apple
Hello Blacksmiths,
Summer is about gone as we move into Fall. Western States Blacksmith Conference was a great time, for those that couldn’t make it you missed a really fantastic event. Thanks to all of you who helped in any way: from our great demonstrators for a great show, to all of the members that lent a hand along the way. It takes all of us to make these things happen. Membership participation is the only way we can keep all of this going.
By the time you get this we will already be moved back into the MentoringCenter. My hope is to get back on track with our monthly hammer-ins. Mark Manley will be our lead-off demonstrator, with induction forge and tool making as his demo. At Mark’s request I will be demonstrating how I put a hammer handle in, as a follow up on what to do after you make the tool. Immediately after the demonstration we will have a membership meeting and nominations for Board of Directors. Open forge will begin after the meeting and nominations. I hope to see some new faces. I really like to see the boy scouts there, they have a passion going on that only a young person has. I guess I like to see anyone of any age fi nding their path in blacksmithing.
The time to get started blacksmithing is now. The schedule of demonstrators will be posted on our website and sent to you in our monthly email announcements. Lisa Geertsen will be our demonstrator for October, she will be showing techniques of forging pre-cut steel shapes. The demonstration will be followed as usual by open forge time. A board meeting will be convened at 2 o’clock in the building next door, while the open forge is going on. Come and check it out, all current NWBA members are welcome to be at the board meeting.
Its not too early to start looking at the Spring Conference. The conference will be in May next year, more to come on that later. As it stands now, there will be no Fall conference in 2014. This is a big step moving forward. If you have any questions on this talk to any board member. There will be a hammer-in every month after January, so we will have more going on than we have ever had. The fourth Saturday of every month in LongviewWashington, mark your calendars.
Feel free to call me if you have any questions.
Keep Hammering,
Bill Apple