Who Should Pay for the Conference Hands-on Classes? | Page 5 | For the Good of the Order | Forum

For those of you who don't know me I'm not a member of NWBA though I'm pretty active in the online blacksmithing community and for my sins was asked to join the forum.

A few years ago a smith who demos regularly at the AK state fair broached the idea we should start an AK organization. I offered to do the newsletter and help organize. The first meeting I attended was the second organiztional meeting and I foolishly left the room to go to the bathroom. When I returned I'd been elected president:banghead:I vowed to NEVER leave the room during a meeting again but got reelected a year ago at the October meeting while I was in a coma. I'd put the head banging icon here too but that's pretty much how I ended up pres for life.:cold:

So much for me, this thread deals with the real world. We just had our October 23 meeting at my shop, the first meeting at my place and it went pretty well. There were a number of new folk. You don't have to be a club member to come to meetings just to have a say in club business and we'll listen to anyone who wants to toss out ideas or discuss things.

So far we aren't large enough to hold "conferences" but it may be heading that way. What we do have to do is pay our way. Anyone is welcome at my shop, I don't need much convincing to light a fire and hit things but darn if there just aren't that many folk taking me up. On the other hand a few weeks ago I announced a little informal hammer in here but asked folk to chip in $10 ea. to cover consumables. Guys and gals came from as far away as several hundred miles and I don't think anyone put less than $20 in the kitty. There were almost as many attendees as average meeting attendance.

At a typical meeting someone volunteers to demo and there're almost always several anvils, forges and guys giving hands on lessons. Often the set ups are there so guys can try what's been demoed or just let folk take a lash at playing with fire and hitting things.

We've held two clinics and charged to attend in both instances attendance has been well above meeting attendence averages and there have been lots of first timers.

Okay, that's a pretty long ramble and not really addressing the thread question, then again I don't have a valid vote in NWBA bussiness, just an opinion. While I didn't keep notes, just remembered observations it seems to me the hands "classes" on at meetings get a lot more participation if there's a kitty. There's always a hands on option at our meetings and nobody is turned away for not dropping something in the kitty. Still, the couple pay for play events we've held have been way better attended and gotten rave reviews even though the subject matter at the latest didn't cover what was expected as well as expected.

What we do have in common with the NWBA is the desire to increase the number of folk playing with fire and hitting things. A lot of our current members are trying to make a living at smithing so I'm pretty sure educating the competition isn't a plan to make a million. For the most part only the new folk are looking to "preserve the craft for posterity", there are more folk practicing the craft today than there were a few decades ago and the ranks are growing. Truth is the old guard:dance: are in it to have semi-regular get togethers where we can swap lies, tips, tricks, problem solve and sponge whatever we can off each other. Personally I just like the presence of blacksmiths but I'm weird. We didn't organize the club for high reasons, we mostly just wanted to get together occasionally and we do. We put on a few public demos, most notably in conjunction with the Valley Art's Council's annual Art on Fire event the last weekend in June. The iron pour being the biggest draw but there's always a goo bunch hanging around watching us banging iron though we don't offer hands on participation.

So, in short, there are demos at the meetings followed by open forge sessions for as many as want to take a lash. Clinic fees are enough to cover the cost. Recently we voted unanimously to chip a little to the meeting host to cover fuel, coffee and power.

Our Association is a not for profit org, it's doing alright because we have lots of volunteers and the iron in the hats cover the overhead pretty well. We've had two public auctions and they've put enough in the bank acct to cover up front costs for clinics and such.

To expect a free ride is to not be very well in tune with traditional blacksmithing. Think apprenticeship was a free ride? know what "Indentured Servitude" is? Making "journeyman" meant literally you'd learned enough to be competition to the shop master, time to hit the road.

Who voted to start charging for the hands on at conferences? The guys responsible to keep the NWBA in existance maybe? I've also recently heard some griping from folk about ABANA conferences not being nationwide events. Seems ABANA didn't have many folk running for the board last election either.

If you want greater say in how an organization is being run, run for the board or at least show up at meetings, have your say and vote. I didn't ask to be AAB pres but if there's going to be a club somebody has to do it. Same goes for charges, if you want something you gotta pay for it one way or another. Just because a bunch of folk get together and organize something doesn't make it some kind of entitlement to later generations. What is true is an old axium: "You get what you pay for. Or conversely", "It's worth what you paid for it." Want free hands on classes? Volunteer and teach one, don't forget to bring all the tools, equipment, materials, fuel, lunch and a cool beverage.

Of course that's just my opinion; I could be wrong.

Frosty the Lucky.