BALCONES FORGE
Blacksmiths of Central Texas
September 2002

Larry Crawford-President Gerald Pollard-Treasurer
Jerry Achterberg-Vice President Vince Herod-Editor Harvey Wise-Secretary

From the Prez
Thanks to Gerald Pollard for hosting an interesting and successful meeting. It was a rare opportunity to see Roy Bellows and get a little more acquainted with him and his work. Roy has been a well-known figure in Texas Blacksmithing for three decades. Hope to see more of him and his son Ezra.

I have one comment on demonstrations and I have had at least one other member having problems hearing demonstrators. It is just about impossible to talk over a forced air gas forge; even a venturi style forge can be somewhat noisy. For demonstrations you can't beat coal or coke and a crank blower. I know several members have these portable rigs and I would like to see them used for demonstrators. I think it would improve the quality of our meetings.

September's meeting will be in Llano at Pheil Forge. Hosted by Mr. Bob Pheil. Bob started his iron shop just in the last couple of years and seems to have hit the ground running. He has been keeping his anvil hot with interesting projects. I'm sure Bob will have an interesting program!

See you there,

L. C.

Meeting Info
Steel Magnolias are the name of the game for the Balcones Forge meeting on Saturday September 28, 2002.

Start time of 9:30 am.

Map:

Secretary's Report
On Aug. 31 Balcones Forge held its regular monthly meeting at Gerald Pollard's shop West of Austin. The meeting was called to order around 9:45 am by president Larry Crawford. Vince talked about membership dues changes and the Smithing Magician project that he has been trying to organize for a future club meeting. Larry Stevens proposed some changes to the Coffee situation and was named the Coffee King for the club. Dave Koenig made several announcements about upcoming events and what is up with ABANA as he is one of the board members. Gerald pollard is running for a spot on the board and all of us that voted for him wish him all the luck, it will give Texas 2 spots on the board.

Roy Bellows and his son Ezra from Fredericksburg were our demonstrators for the month. Ezra forged a couple large headed nails that were later turned into flowers for decoration. Roy talked about finishes for ironwork, also gave his formulas for paint.

We had a small turn out for our trade item this month; there were only 3. The Iron in the Hat had 4 items in it and brought in $94:00 .We had 39 people at the meeting with 8 of those being guest.

As of 9-15-02 I have not gotten anyone to nominate anybody for our Officer election that is supposed to take place at our Oct. meeting so I guess we will just play all that by ear as the time comes.

The Sept. meeting is going to be held in Llano at Bob Pheil's. Hope to see all of you there.

Harvey

Upcoming Events

SEPTEMBER 27- OCTOBER 20. State Fair of Texas, Dallas. Blacksmiths, silversmiths, weavers and quilters are invited to demonstrate. The location is the Daughters of the American Revolution House in NW corner of the Fair grounds where a tent is being set up for the demo area at the north west area. Sales are not permitted but good business contacts are easily available. This is our second year at the location. Dates are Sept. 27 - Oct. 20, (most importantly on weekends and Fridays). As of 7/8/02, three blacksmiths, a silversmith and a woodcarver are scheduled to demo. Clothing relating to the 1850 period is requested. To demonstrate and receive a free pass, contact David W. Wilson <dwwilson@flash.net> 972-727-7728. See a map and list of events on the State Fair website at www.bigtex.com.

IronFest will be May 29 - June 1, 2003, at the Grapevine Heritage Center. The 2003 conference will continue the successful format, including the open to the public, fabulous tailgate area and free demonstrations. A separate fee area will present an incredible group of demonstrators including Toby Hickman, Susan Hutchinson, David Court and Mark Pearce. More information about these blacksmiths including photos of their ironwork and biographies are available at ironfest.org. Auctioneer, David Cornett will entertain the audience at the Saturday night auction in the Heritage Center Farmers Market
Building. Please contact the Ironfest Registrar to be included on the mail list and receive a registration brochure. Contact Verl Underwood, IronFest Registrar, 613 N. Bailey, Fort Worth Texas 76107 <vaunder@aol.com>.

Trade Item
Bob has chosen a meat flipper for this month's trade item. Some people might call 'em steak turners but you still have to make one to take one.

Elections
The October meeting will feature Officer elections. Be there and vote. If you don't vote; don't complain.

Albert Paley Update
Here is the latest info from Dorothy Stiegler.

Hi everyone,

Albert called me today and we talked for a long time. He is in great spirits and making wonderful progress. He is home and surrounded by things and those he loves. He is so grateful for this.

He is overwhelmed at the response from you, his friends, with the cards, messages and flowers. He said he is in awe of it all.
Over the next many months he will resume his level of previous work. He has about 75% of normal use from his left hand which is great news. With therapy, it will all return. He lives to work and he loves to work and that is his drive and direction at the moment.

I'll keep you posted from time to time and if you wish to send a card or note to Albert, send it to the Studio and send e-mails to me and I will hard copy them and send them to him for you.

Albert Paley Studio
25 North Washington Street
Rochester, New York 14614

Send e-mails to me at: anvilart@jps.net and I will print and forward them to Francis for Albert.

Thanks and forward this message along to others.

For Sale
1984 white Toyota truck for sale.
Could be great little work/welding truck with
a rebuilt engine that's still cranking!!
$2600 or best offer.
Call Kamber Sokulsky at 512/264-3340 or at 512/779-8906 for more info.

Safety First
It has been noted that many folks are not bringing safety glasses to wear while watching the demonstrations. This is NOT an option. You will be asked to move away from the demonstration if you are not wearing proper eye protection.

CD-ROM Review
Here is this month's installment for Librarian John Crouchet.

Images from ABANA

Through the efforts of our own Gerald Pollard, we have received three CD's of his digital pictures from this summer's ABANA conference in La Crosse, Wisconsin. As many of you are aware, Gerald is a gifted photographer with a talent for wiggling his way into the perfect spot for a great shot!

Whether or not you attended the conference, there is a lot in these CD's to draw your interest. These demonstrators were some of the best in the country (or world), and Gerald's images pretty much tell the tale of the demos. He has captured close-ups of the forging, the work-in-progress, and the final product. If you don't get forging ideas and inspiration from these images, you may be brain dead!

See Corrina Mensoff and Meagan Crowley forge their (weird) pipe art or their awesome three dimensional sheet metal work. Watch Ty Stiegler forge that orchid she made famous. Want a challenge? Take a look at Peter Ross forging with a machine-like precision. Tour the ABANA gallery at the Cartwright Center and see a world of new pieces you might (or in some cases, might NOT) find inspiring.

Take a look at the campus pictures and personal photos. You might see some really good-looking folks that you happen to know! And the next time you see Gerald, remember to thank him for sharing all of this with us.

These CD's are available from the Balcones Forge library. They are titled: ABANA 2002 Graphics #1, #2, and #3.

Super Quench
Our own Balcones Forge member Kamber Sokulsky is a Shaklee distributor. You can reach Kamber at 512/264-3340 or kamber@enduring.com.

Basic I Cleaner is still available to anyone needing it:

1 qt. = $10.15
1 gallon = $23.35
30 gallons = 602.80

Please contact her by phone or e-mail.

October Meeting
It looks good for the October meeting to be a workshop meeting. The project for the meeting will be assembling our version of Smithing Magicians. 24 kits are being prepared for the meeting. The folks who signed up at Gerald's and by mail should plan to be there to help put together the kit. The cost is still being finalized but should be between $35 and $40 dollars. You will need to bring the payment on the meeting day. PLEASE REMEMBER that the group does not have a checking account in it's name just yet. If you write a check it must be made out to Gerald Pollard since he is the Treasurer for the group.

Officer elections will be held at the October meeting. This is a very important issue for the membership and everyone should try to be at the meeting to voice their opinion by casting a vote.

The location will likely be the Austin Lyric Opera Scene Shop.