E-Mail News - of the Appalachian Area Chapter of Blacksmiths.
Volume 2, Issue 7. July 8, 2007
The fine print: SEE END OF THIS DOCUMENT
THIS ISSUE:
1 News
a. Clinch River Joint Meeting Date
b. New AACB Newsletter Editor
2 Steering Committee
3 Teaching Workshop – is Coming Together
4 2007 AACB Meeting Dates – Calendar
5 AACB Website – Up to Date and Current
6 AACB Library
7 Safety
8 Power Hammer for Sale
News
Summer is here, so arrange a car pool ride and get to the Clinch River Joint Meeting on July 21.
The Clinch River Blacksmith joint meeting will be July 21, 2007 at 9:30 am Eastern time and will be held at same location as last year. For directions and other specifics about the meeting (demonstrator, etc.), scroll down to the Calendar section, below.
It was a great meeting last year and promises to be so once again this year. I hope to see you there.
New AACB Newsletter Editor – Our search has found a new Newsletter Editor – Danny Parsons has agreed to give it a try. We will get out his contact information as soon as possible. Part of the deal I made with Danny is that I will put out one issue to “catch up” the back dated news, minutes and so forth and then he will start with a clean slate, so to speak. So in the near future you should receive an issue of the newsletter that will cover many months (the better part of a year) of news, minutes, ads, explanations, articles and so forth. Danny will then pick up from there.
It seems that there are those that were hesitant to follow Dave Smucker’s excellent publishing, and I understand that, but we must move forward and endeavor to persevere. Danny is one to help us persevere and to excel.
Anyone have any articles? (Thanks for yours. Kit)
Steering Committee
I have made no progress on this effort, but I promise – I will.
I will set up a meeting in the near future (hopefully) with the volunteers and Officers – trying to find a date that MOST can accommodate, and then I will send invitations to all the other local forges to see who else may be willing and able to participate in the discussions, as well.
This will be an opportunity for you to be able to actively participate in the workings of the AACB.
Teaching Workshop
The dates for the workshop are tentatively October 27th and 28th – a Saturday and a Sunday. The teacher is to be Lorelei Sims. She is the author of the recently released book The Backyard Blacksmith. She plans on teaching everyone a project of her design, sufficiently complex as to take the weekend for most to complete. I am told it is a piece she normally sells for several hundred dollars. I have a copy of her book and it is a fine piece of work and I know that the AACB Library has had a copy of her book donated to it for the use of members. Check it out.
2007 AACB Meeting Dates – Calendar
Here are dates that local forges are planning to host regional meetings and dates for other significant events.
The Clinch River Blacksmith joint meeting will be July 21, 2007 at 9:30 am Eastern time. The July 21 meeting will be held at same location as last year. That address is House Mountain Baptist Church, 8621 Washington Pike, Corryton,TN. 37721. Richard Suffridge is the local contact and his phone number is 865-281-9868. Here are the directions to the meeting location:
Directions from South or West : Interstate 40 and 75 join west of Knoxville, continue on 40/75
eastern direction, take the 640 By-Pass around Knoxville, take Exit 8 and turn left at the light,
now your on Washington Pike, turn right at Target Dept. Store, still on Washington Pike,
continue until 8621 address, church on the left.
Directions from the East: I-40 or I-81 traveling west take the 640 By-Pass then Exit 8, turn right, then left just pass Food City onto Mill Road, at the light turn Right onto Washington Pike, keep going until 8621, on the left.
The demonstrator will be Metal Sculptor Preston Farabow. Preston produced the Solar Sundial at the I-40 rest stop near Cookeville, at the TN. welcome center. Lunch will be provided and Iron in the Hat will be held.
FGBA will host the September meeting on Sep 22, 2007. At Lebanon – see the details elsewhere in this newsletter.
The meeting at John C. Campbell Folk School will be on November 3, 2007 this coming year.
And, the December Christmas meeting is scheduled for December 1st. A family Program is being planned. Other details are being worked out – I will include them as soon as they are finalized.
Don’t forget the AFC Conference at Tannehill State Park in Alabama the weekend after Labor Day. I will be there – the next Madison (Southeast Regional Blacksmith) Conference Board meeting will be there.
Let me know of other important meeting or event dates as soon as you know them.
AACB Website – Up to Date and Current
Everyone needs to remember the AACB website. The address is www.appalachiablacksmiths.com. The website is being kept VERY up to date and all the information on upcoming meetings and forms and news are posted as soon as the information is available. Go and check it out.
AACB Library
No one has stepped forward as a volunteer to be our Librarian yet. Any volunteers?
In the interim, I will try to serve as a Librarian – as we do have some library assets. Lots of old newsletters, and at least one book are in the collection. I now have a couple of DVD’s that Kent Hepworth has filmed at a Conference and at a Regional Meeting, I believe (I have not viewed them yet). Kent has provided a copy for inclusion in the Library and they will be available for use by the membership. He says that if the Librarian prefers, we can copy them and provide them to members at a reasonable cost that it would be OK with him. If I can figure out how to copy a DVD that is what I will probably do – copy and provide to interested members at a reasonable cost.
One more question – does anyone know where any of the AACB Library assets are located. I know where some are, but not all. Let me know, please. Thanks.
Safety
I will repeat last month’s encouragement about the heat, and add one more:
It is that time of year where the heat will work on you, while you work. It takes a conscious awareness to keep cool and hydrated during the heat of summer. So stay aware and act prudently so you are able to work all day, every day.
Secondly, please, please, please, please, think about all that you do and how you do it. Just doing something the same way you have always done it does not make it safe. At work so many people have lost time and other accidents just because they took a shortcut to save time, and the odds of having an accident caught up with them. They may have done things the same way for years, but all they were doing was playing roulette.
I encourage you to be safe in ALL things.
Power Hammer for Sale
A gentleman called me last month and has a power hammer for sale and asked me to spread the word. Here are the specifics:
Mayer Brothers 100# Power Hammer
Manufactured in 1917
Located in Monterey (Ohio, I believe)
Seller can load – weight is approximately 3500 pounds
It is ready to use with a 2 HP 220 Volt (single phase) motor and new dies (I think he said combination dies.
Asking $4,000
If interested contact:
Tom Goodman
Home phone: 419-354-3456
Forge On,
Mitch Latsch
President,
Appalachian Area Chapter of Blacksmiths
July 8, 2007
THE FINE PRINT:
If you have received this e-mail with your name in the “To” list, it is because you have been identified as the contact for your local forge.
Others that wish to receive these periodic e-mails from the Chapter, should provide their name, e-mail address and Local Chapter affiliation to me and I will add their name to the "cc" list. Any that would like to be removed form the cc: list should send me a short e-mail (politely) requesting me to cease and desist, or something similar.
NOTE: The LATEST Issues of this newsletter are to be maintained on our new website for your information and use. The LINK to our site is: http://appalachiablacksmiths.com and pick “Newsletter” from the menu – pick the “E-Mail News” button with the latest date. I plan to keep the latest three issues posted.
Another Note: If you have moved, or change your address, please contact the Treasurer (Lonnie Farmer) to make the change so that we save postage by not sending the hardcopy newsletters to the wrong address. Thanks.