BALCONES FORGE
Blacksmiths of Central Texas
January 2002
Larry Crawford-President
Gerald Pollard-Treasurer
Jerry Achterberg-Vice President
Vince Herod-Editor
Harvey Wise-Secretary
Well
folks, unless the all the holiday partying has caused temporary amnesia, then
you should remember that January is time for the big Robb Gunter extravaganza in
Marble Falls.
The event
will be Jan 26th & 27th, 2002 at Hammerfest Forge in Marble Falls starting
at 9:00AM. Dinner and the auction will be at the Jamin House at 6PM.
We will need the usual volunteers on Friday to set up the shop. The price
is $45.00 for Balcones Forge members. We would like to see some nifty stuff in
the auction, hopefully some handmade goodies. Tailgaters are welcome.
The
time for our Robb Gunter workshop is barreling down on us and things are
starting to "gel" for this blacksmithing event.
I would encourage all of you who are coming to pre-register so we can
have a handle on how many will be attending and we can make provisions
accordingly. We expect a big crowd
as usual, but one rumor I heard scared me a little, so I would like to know in
advance if we do have an overflow crowd.
That said, I'm looking forward to seeing you all at Hammerfest Forge in
Marble Falls on January 26.
Larry
Crawford
P.S.
Group discounts for rooms are available at Hampton Inn in Marble Falls.
Just mention that you are attending the blacksmithing event at Hammerfest
Forge.
We have
several new members in the group but we expect even more as a result of the big
goings on at the end of the month. Look
for the list of new members in next month’s edition.
As you
should know by now, we have a new treasurer. Please
remember to make any checks out to Gerald Pollard because Balcones Forge does
not have it’s own checking account just yet.
Gerald
Pollard
14309 Friendswood Lane
Austin, TX 78737-9104
rgpollard@earthlink.net
This is worth running again. Ed.
At the
last meeting, I encouraged everyone to think about what they could donate for
our auction at the Robb Gunter demo in January.
This is our biggest auction of the year, as the big annual demo brings in
the big spenders from Houston, Dallas, and the hinterlands (where big spenders
abound!). If anyone has duplicate
tools, a few unwanted antique blowers or forges, or maybe an anvil collection
that has grown too large for the garage, now is a good time to donate those
rusty old things to the auction.
Also, if
you are blessed with amazing tool-making abilities (like Bill) or have access to
a world of cool machinery (like Stretch), now is the time to come to aid of your
ABANA chapter. Books, tools, and
forged decorative pieces always sell well.
January
19 & 20, 2002: Johnny Stout hosts the 2002 winter hammer-in and knife-makers
rendezvous. See the flyer in last
month’s newsletter for all the details or call Johnny at 830-606-4067!
Tom
Leining will host the February 2002 meeting of Balcones Forge at his place in
Wimberley. He has some unusual hinges to demo and Charlie Stolte is finally
going to show us how he makes his braided wire crosses.
The
Houston Area Blacksmith's Association will host a treadle hammer workshop March
15 - 17, 2002. Clay Spencer will be
here to coach us. This workshop will be limited to about 24 people.
Les Cook will be coordinating the workshop activities for HABA.
You can get in touch with Les in two ways: 281-481-2457 and anvil@flash.net.
Little
Giant power hammer rebuilding class March 22 through 24, 2002.
Sid Suedmeier and Fred Caylor will lead this very “hands on”
workshop. The cost is only $95
dollars but you have to get yourself to Nebraska.
Space is limited and this is the only scheduled class this year.
Call 402-873-6603 for information.
APRIL
13-14, 2002 - Dancing Hammers in Plano Texas with Ward Brinegar from Santa Fe,
New Mexico. DH'02 will be at the Plano Heritage Farmstead, 1900 W. 15th, Plano,
Texas, museum@airmail.net.
Sponsored
by the North Texas Blacksmiths Association and the Plano Heritage Farmstead
Museum. Featuring blacksmithing demos, tools for sale, dancing, music, family
fun. Free, no reservation required. NTBA home page http://www.flash.net/~dwwilson/ntba/.
For more info, contact Verl Underwood, 613 N. Bailey, Ft. Worth, TX 76107-1005;
(817) 626-5909, vaunder@aol.com.
Dancing
Hammers Hours:
Saturday,
April 13, Blacksmithing Demonstration 9 am - 5 pm, Auction and barnyard dance
with live music 7 pm - ?
Sunday
April 14, Blacksmithing Demonstration 9 am - 1 pm.
Call John
Forsman at 281-300-5184 for more details.
Below is information on how to get a new video featuring our friend Bill Epps. Bill has demoed twice for Balcones Forge and is the Smith at both the Texas Ren Fest and Scarborough Faire. Ed.
Sorry for
the bandwidth but I wanted to let everyone know that Bill Epps and I have teamed
up and produced a videotape on how he produces forged animal heads. You can read
more about the tape at www.teachingtapes.net .
We will
be producing other tapes in the future and I would really like to know what you
guys would be interested in seeing in future tapes.
Please
send me an email with your suggestions.
Thanks,
Ron Hardy
Report
from West (TX)
This
article was written by Dave Koenig for the HABA newsletter.
I swiped the article but I took the pictures. Ed.
DECEMBER
HABA MEETING SUMMARY
This
meeting was nothing short of an opportunity to take a look into the past. Ray and Clarice Snokhous opened the doors of the family
blacksmith shop in West, TX to the public for the first time since 1983.
Ray did
Some work
to the shop structure and rewired the lights and motors but most of the tools
and odds and ends remained where they were when his father passed away on
February 7 1983. The shop was open
for business the previous seventy years.
Ray
opened the shop doors right at 10:00 to a small group of smiths.
What a sight it was to look the length of the shop and see everything
frozen in time.
There was
a thin coating of old leaves over almost everything.
The pathways through everything were obvious. The patina on the iron confirmed that very little changed
since 1983. The new wiring, lights,
two by fours and tin on the roof showed Ray spent some time getting ready for us
yet not changing the feel of the shop.
The first
walk through the shop overloaded the senses and imagination.
Questions
raced through the brain. What was
that used for? Wonder why the
forges are so big? What was that
tool used for? Look at that old
swage block. What did the big line
shaft operate? Wonder why all those
old handled tool heads are still laying next to that anvil.
This is a big shop! What was
this part of the shop used for…and on and on and on…
When you
got to the end and started back again nothing seemed to change. The view looking from the back of the shop to the front was
almost like looking at a different shop. There was so much to look at and wonder
about that was missed the on the first pass. One noticeable change was more people were coming in with the
same look that must have been on your face a few minutes earlier.
The shop was pretty quiet until people made at least a few passes through
the shop. Then the greetings and
conversations started in earnest. Hundreds of pictures were taken
throughout the day.
Sometime
around 10:30 Ray started the tour outside at the back of the shop. For the next hour or so Ray guided the group from one part of
the shop to another. He answered
questions and told stories …one right after another…. about life in a
blacksmith shop in West, TX.
At
the risk of over simplifying it became clear that there was nothing easy about
earning a living keeping the draft animals and equipment needed for an
agricultural community in running order. In a lot of ways it became obvious
nothing changed.
Ray's
stories ranged from his experiences in the shop like the times he and a friend
would drive horseshoe nails in the front door threshold for something to do.
It was a good idea because the nails are still visible and the threshold
is still there. There were many stories about his father and how he
worked…. long and hard. There was
a story about the acetylene generator exploding….again….and this time his
father was blown out of the shop! Or
the times when an ornery mule would object to getting shod until a fist to the
jaw below the ear would make the job go more smoothly.
We should
have had a tape recorder and mike strapped to Ray!
Later in
the morning a boyhood friend of Ray's, Mr. Willie Rejcek demonstrated how to
sharpen a cultivator point. (a big
thanks to Larry Hoff for providing the forge and tools.)
Willie still sharpens points for farmers in the area using a Little Giant
hammer. Willie's wife also brought
out four iron sculptures Willie made depicting life in his family.
One was smithing. The others were kolachi making, dominoes and sausage making.
A little
later and after a guided tour of the equipment around the front of the shop, Ray
took us all across the street and treated us to a Czech lunch. Before a lunch of two different kinds of custom made sausage,
sauerkraut, Czech potatoes, and a delicious piece of apple strudel was served,
we all gave Ray and Clarice a big thank you for sharing their piece of Texas
history with the rest of us.
Dave
Koenig also took this opportunity to present Bob Collier with a Bill Bastas
forging hammer in recognition of Bob being HABA's first lifetime member.
It took a while to catch up with Bob because he and Cathy spent most of
2001 getting settled in a new home.
Toward
the end of the meal the head count around the table at the café was about 45
people. The majority was smiths
from each of the four Texas blacksmithing organizations, the Houston Area
Blacksmith's Association, Balcones Forge, East Texas Blacksmith Alliance and the
North Texas Blacksmiths Association.
Towards
the end of the delicious lunch Ray and Clarice came around the table and served
everyone a sample of slivovice. It
was a perfect ending to a delicious lunch and yet another example of the warm
hospitality extended to everyone by our most gracious hosts.
The lunch
ended about 2:30 and people started home to the Houston, San Antonio, Austin,
Dallas-Fort Worth areas in the rain. A
few hardy travelers took some additional time to visit The Homestead Heritage
Traditional Crafts Village. It is
located just NW of Elm Mott about 10 miles south of West.
A beautiful gallery there showcases all kinds of crafts with a focus in
iron, wood and clay. Most or all of
the work is done there.
During
the first half of 2002, classes are offered in Agricultural Skills, Crafts and
Skill of the Kitchen, The Making of Yarns, Fabric & Clothing, Traditional
Workshop Crafts, and Woodworking. For
more information contact the Center for Essential Education, Box 869, Elm Mott,
TX 76640 or 254-790-1480.
The
restored sign in front of the shop.
Our
host, Ray Snokhous, shows a small pair of shears from his father’s shop.
The main anvil is still ready for work
Robb Gunter
is coming to Marble Falls!!
Blacksmith
for Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque, NM) - Industrial forgings and
custom tool making.
-Developed, along with Karl Schuler, the Recuperative Gas Forge - plans are
available from ABANA
- Operated the FORGERY SCHOOL OF BLACKSMITHING for over 12 years offering
basic, intermediate and advanced classes.
- Produced a 5 hour basic blacksmithing course (which we have in our library) on
video patterned after the basic
course from the Forgery School of Blacksmithing.
- Proprietor of Forgeco Architectural Metals since 1993 doing custom
architectural ironwork
for private and commercial clients.
- Current Commission: A private residence in Scottsdale, Arizona. - 6
Railings, hardware for 52 doors, 10 chandeliers, 22 wall sconces, 6 fireplaces,
and other misc. details.
He and his two sons have been working on this commission for 20 months.
Robb
is also the master of “Junkyard Steel”.
When:
Saturday & Sunday, January 26 & 27, 2002.
Registration at 8AM,
Demo starts at 9. A short lunch 12-1 (Bring a sack lunch if you like, we will
have sodas and coffee). Fast food is close by.
Demo continues 1-5. Supper at 6 at the Jammin House Restaurant in Marble
Falls. After supper there will be an open discussion with Robb and the Iron–in–the–hat auction. Sunday 8-12,
finish up and he's back to New Mexico.
Where:
Marble Falls, Tx. Larry Crawford's Hammerfest
Forge. (830) 693-1391
How
to get there:
It's on the north end of Marble Falls just off Hwy 281. Going north, turn right
on Commerce between the funeral home and Johnson Ford car lot and look for a row
of warehouse buildings on your right across the street from the Jehovah Witness
church. Parking in available along Commerce St.
How
much: $45
seminar fee plus $10 Balcones Forge dues (if you are not already a member, no
reduced fee for partial attendance). .
Where
to send it:
Make checks payable to Gerald Pollard, mail to Gerald Pollard,
14309 Friendswood Lane, Austin, Tx 78737, 512-301-4368,
email: rgpollard@earthlink.net
Where
to stay:
Hampton Inn on the Lake, Hwy. 281 @ First St. (830) 693-3637
Ramada Limited, 1206
Hwy 281 North, (830) 693-5731,
800-2-Ramada
Best
Western, 1403 Hwy 281 North, (830) 693-5122, (800) 528-1234
Cow
Creek Lakeside Lodge & RV, Hwy 1431 East, (512) 267-3652
More info: Contact
Jerry Achterberg (210) 661-3293, treefarm@swbell.net
R.S.V.P.-
A.S.A.P – it may be S.R.O. and you may be S.O.L.