TOP OF THE ANVIL Presidents Message Our meeting in July went well and we had lots of new faces that I enjoyed meeting for the first time. I d like to thank Peter Hafen for letting us host the meeting at the historical blacksmith shop in Mt. Pleasant and Mark Schramm for showing us how to forge nails. We had four forges going throughout the day and a lot of hammers swinging. We started out covering some history of nails, made a nail header from 5/8 square and then hammered out some nails. We also completed the nail stump for Lee that Lonnie stopped by and gave to him. Lee was very thankful for the nail stump and our donations to help him out at this time. There s a lot of preparation going on for this year s conference and none of it could be done without the help of the other club officers and our members. I m very excited for this year s conference and the top demonstrators that we have coming. This is also a monumental year for BFC as this is our 20 year anniversary! Is started in 1992 when Paul Venema received a list of ABANA members in our surrounding area. With the aid of this list Paul contacted smiths to see if interest could be generated to assemble a local blacksmith group. An invitation announced the first meeting on October 10 th 1992. By the end of the meeting the group was given the name of Bonneville Forge Council. Officers were elected naming Paul Venema President, Paul Di Francesco as Vice President and Dannie Phillips secretary/ treasurer. Hope to see you all there. Keep the fire hot, Shane Hall
BONNEVILLE FORGE COUNCIL BONNEVILLE FORGE COUNCIL (BFC) is a not for profit organization chartered with the State of Utah and is dedicated to promoting and expanding the horizons of architectural, artistic and practical blacksmithing while preserving the rich heritage of this craft. The BFC Officers and members assume no responsibility or liability for injuries or damage caused as a result of the use of any information, materials, design, techniques, etc. contained in this newsletter or through information provided at meetings or demonstrations. Membership/Address Changes Membership is available to any individual or organization. Annual membership dues are $20. Direct all matters of membership and address changes to BFC Treasurer Lonnie Jensen, 14460 North 3100 West, Collinston, Utah 84306. Newsletter Submissions Submit articles, pictures and any other materials to Editor Bob O Brien, preferably by email, bigob53@msn.com, or by mail, 9466 South Angus Drive, South Jordan, Utah 84095. Material may be edited or rejected by the editor. Material submitted must be your own work, not plagiarized. By submitting material, you agree to allow BFC to edit, print or post on the BFC website. You also give permission for the material to be reprinted on other blacksmith publications. Copyright The creator may retain copyright for the work. If we print copyrighted work, consent of the copyright holder will be obtained before publication. President Shane Hall 125 S. 500 E. Salem, Utah 84653 shanedhall@gmail.com 801 400 4990 Vice President Lee Pearson 3991 2nd St Ogden, UT 80144 vikcelt@yahoo.com Treasurer Lonnie Jensen 14460 N. 3100 W. Collinston, Utah 84306 435-730-3511 Cell 435-458-3291 Home ldblacksmith1@yahoo.com Librarian Randy Baird 3417 Oquirlane Rd. Magna Utah 84044 801-589-7446 randybaird5@gmail.com Marketing Manager Shiela Baird 3417 Oquirlane Rd. Magna Utah 84044 801-589-7446 randybaird5@gmail.com NewsLetter Bob O Brien 9466 South Angus Dr. South Jordan, Utah 84095 801 910 1393 bigob53@msn.com
September Conference Place: Lightning Forge. Murray, Utah Dates: 14th, 15th and 16th of September Dennis C. Manning Dennis C. Manning operates a horseshoeing and blacksmithing forge in rural northeastern Utah where all horseshoes and most tools are hand forged. Over the past three decades he has presented several clinics each year throughout the U.S., Canada. Recently he returned from Britain and has done clinics in Australia and Japan. Tool making has been the most popular with several groups holding multiple clinics as they built tools and their developed skills. Mr. Manning has done extensive research on Mormon Iron Puzzle Hobbles, which has lead to a study individual pioneer blacksmiths and the blacksmithing processes of the nineteenth century. Restoring Little Giant Power Hammers is a sideline hobby.
Dennis Manning clinician Tool clinic in Maryland Clinic at Cornell
Elmer Roush Elmer Roush has been operating a full time blacksmithing business since 1987. His work has included specialized tools, 18th century style hardware, traditional and contemporary architectural work and a production line of candle holders, letter openers and fireplace tools. Today he pursues his interest in understanding how the skilled smiths of our past made the precisely forged implements for the trades. Elmer began blacksmithing in 1970 and was self-taught for six years, after which he attended workshops at Arrowmont School of Crafts, Haystack School of Crafts and the John C. Campbell Folk School. He has also studied blacksmithing in what was Czechoslovakia under Master smith Vaclav Jaros. Elmer has taught blacksmithing at a number of schools including Peters Valley, Touchstone, Appalachian Center for Crafts, and the John C. Campbell Folk School. He assisted in setting up the Cearta Inneona blacksmithing school in Ireland in 1999 and was head instructor and acting CEO for the school for a year. Elmer has demonstrated widely at local and state blacksmithing conferences across America and made a trip to the yearly blacksmiths gathering near Brisbane in Australia in 2001 to teach and demonstrate. He was a studio monitor at the Haystack School of Crafts and a resident artist at the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina for eight years up to 2002. Elmer recreates tools and implements using the time proven technologies that craftsmen from the earliest metal working period of our history would easily recognize. If a metal worker from ancient Babylon was time shifted into Elmer s forge he would have no difficulty in recognizing most of the equipment and would surely delight in the improvements. By breathing new life into these old metal craftsmen s techniques Elmer is helping to preserve our metal working heritage that modern society is so dependent upon but yet has largely taken for granted and forgotten. Besides his products appealing to preservation and re-enactment groups and societies, there are interior designers, architects and home builders who will also want to enhance and enrich their environments with these outstanding items and by so doing introduce intriguing and beautiful historical artifacts to a new generation who would otherwise only get access to them in museum showcases.
From the July Meeting Peter Hafen in the Mt Pleasant blacksmith shop. Sheila Baird works on her nails Peter Hafen s portable smithy
BONNEVILLE FORGE COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP AND SEPTEMBER 14, 15 and 16, 2012 CONFERENCE REGISTRATION Name Phone Home Phone cell Phone Work Address City State Zip E-Mail Fax BFC September Conference $75.00... $ BFC Dues (September 2012 through August 2013) $20.00... $ Dinner (Saturday) $12.00 (Included with early registration post marked by SEP. 1, 2012)...... $ *New Member Referral Discount -$10.00... $ Name of New Member Total Payment $ Make Check Payable to BFC or Bonneville Forge Council c/olonnie Jensen, 14460 N. 3100 W. Collinston, Utah 84306 PH.435-458-3291 A Liability Waiver Must Be Filled Out And Signed At The Conference For All Attending **See www.bfcsmiths.com/memberships for information about Family Memberships BONNEVILLE FORGE COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FOR RENEWAL IF NOT ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE Name Phone Home Phone Cell Phone Work Address City State Zip E-Mail Fax BFC Dues (September 2012 through August 2013) $20.00... $ **See www.bfcsmiths.com/memberships for information about Family Memberships. Make Check Payable to BFC or Bonneville Forge Council c/o Lonnie Jensen, 14460 N. 3100 W. Collinston, Utah 84306 PH.435-458-3291
Preregistration is strongly Encouraged! With it we can provide a more efficient, enjoyable conference and financially stay within our means. Without it we are shooting in the dark! Our Traditional Saturday Dinner is much easier when you preregister. It makes planning much easier and insures that there will be plenty of food for everyone! To encourage preregistration any registrations received with your prepayment, postmarked by September 1st will receive a free $12.00 conference dinner. Iron in the Hat and Auction These help keep us solvent. The generosities you express with your donations of the items that are drawn and auctioned off generate the revenue to keep Bonneville Forge Council going. If you are going to participate in the Iron Trade please also bring something for Iron in the Hat and/or Auction. Tailgating Bonneville Forge Council encourages Tailgating for it members. In turn tailgaters are expected to donate items to the Iron in the Hat or Auction. Message from Charles Freshman: In case you hadn't heard, Mark Aspery missed the RMS conference due to his accident on the way to the conference. A number of our members (including Paul & Christen Di Francisco and Gaylan Veater Mark Henderson & Ken VanMoorhem) have been helpful and supportive to Mark and his wife while Mark was recovering in Provo hospital. Mark mentioned to Gaylan if it had to happen it couldn t have been at a better place so close his Utah friends. Bonneville Forge Council Bob O Brien 9466 South Angus Dr. South Jordan, Utah