A Chronicle of my journey into Blacksmithing

Ah fire! The things we can do with it: cook barbeque, heat metal, or simply poke at it. Poking at a fire seems to be enjoyed by older folks, suggesting that this pastime requires much life experience. I am not there yet, but am proud to say that I have reached the second stage: pounding away on hot, nearly molten steel, forming things of beauty.

On these pages, I will document my journey into this ancient craft.

Blacksmiths seem to be full of contradictions.

• A blacksmith working on a regular basis has arms as big as Popeye's, as such, they could deck a person in a single blow. Yet, blacksmiths are some of the kindest people I have every met.
• The predominant blacksmithing organization is the Artist Blacksmith's Association of North America. Who would think of a blacksmith as an artist? If you don't think of blacksmiths as artists have a look at any fence or hinge not made by a machine, that'll change your mind. It is well worth the membership as you get two magazines. If you live in Indiana, you may also wish to become a member of the Indiana Blacksmithing Association. It is a great way to meet good people. You also get the monthly newsletter, which has ads for good quality tools for a reasonable price.

Below are my blacksmithing projects in chronological order. Click on the images for more information and close-ups.

2005	2005	2005
2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006
2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007
2008	2008	2008	2008	2008	2008	2008	2008	2008	2008
2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009
2010	2010	2010	2010	2010	2010	2010	2010	2010
2011	2011	2011	2011
2012	2012	2012	2012	2012	2012
2013	2013
2014
2015
2018
2022
2023	2023	2023

Accomplishments

• I was named the 2007 Rookie Blacksmith of the Year by the Indiana Blacksmithing Association.
• Ken Dettmer and I came in 2nd in the 2008 IBA Blacksmithing Conference forging competition.
• Ken Dettmer and I came in 3rd in the 2009 IBA Blacksmithing Conference forging competition.
• My trivet earned me 3rd place in the 2009 IBA Blacksmithing Conference Show-and-Tell.
• Ken Dettmer and I came in 2nd in the 2010 IBA Blacksmithing Conference forging competition.
• Ken Dettmer and I came in 1st in the 2011 IBA Blacksmithing Conference forging competition.
• Ken Dettmer and I came in 3rd in the 2012 SOFA Blacksmithing Conference forging competition.
• My chandelier tied for second place in the 2014 IBA Conference exhibition.

Contributions to Blacksmithing

• Old Powerhammer, Schoenberg, Germany
• A metal daisy, published in the Nov. 2006 issue of the IBA newsletter.
• A metal water lily
• The Horse Chestnut Gate at St. Mary's, Luebeck, Germany
• A window gate in the shape of the sun in front of a window in Savannah, Georgia USA
• The Weathervane in the First Statehouse, Corydon, Indiana USA, published in the Sep. 2008 issue of the IBA newsletter.
• A sconce that I built based on one I saw in the church in Eichede, Germany. This article was published in the April 2009 issue of the IBA newsletter.
• A report on a workshop I took from the Campbell School. This article was published in the February 2009 issue of the IBA newsletter.
• A 3D snowflake. This article was published in the December 2009 issue of the IBA newsletter. The article was reprinted in the November/December 2010 issue of the BAM newsletter as well as the November 2011 issue of the Central States Metal Artisans newsletter.
• A write-up of some innovative tools Jim Claar makes. An excerpt of this article, translated into German, was published in the Nov/Dec Issue of Hephaistos, a European metalworker magazine. The entire article was published in the Fall 2009 issue of ABANA's Hammer's Blow, as well as the January 2010 issue of the Forge Fire.
• Construction notes on building the Jim Claar anvil vise, published in the January 2011 issue of the IBA newsletter.
• Construction notes on building the Patrick Pelgrom tongs, published in the May 2011 issue of the IBA newsletter. This article was reprinted in the Sep/Oct 2011 Bituminous Bits. A translated version was published in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Hephaistos.
• Construction notes on forging a butterfly. This article was published in the March 2012 edition of the IBA newsletter.
• Construction notes on an innovative Vise Jaw Spacer that I developed. This article was published in the March/April 2012 issue of the Bituminous Bits. It was also published in the June 2012 issue of the IBA newsletter.
• Construction notes on a fairly universal set of tongs that I developed. This article was published in the May/June 2012 issue of the Bituminous Bits. It was also published in the July 2012 issue of the IBA newsletter and a version translated into German was published in the Nov./Dec. 2012 issue of Hephaistos.
• Together with Kenneth Dettmer, construction notes on building the Ken Dettmer forge. Here is the second part. They were published in the September/October 2012 issues of the IBA newsletter as well as the Sep/Oct issue of the Bituminous Bits.
• Construction notes on modifing V-bit tongs so that they can easily pick-up materials off the floor. This article was published in the January 2013 issue of the IBA newsletter.
• Construction notes on tongs as seen in a wood-cut from 1597. A german translation of this article appeared in the May/June 2013 issue of Hephaistos
• An article about Jim Claar's new 1500lbs powerhammer. This article was published in the Dec. 2013 issue of the IBA newsletter. The article references a video I took of the hammer.
• I wrote an article for the January 2014 IBA newsletter, remembering my blacksmithing buddy Don Neuenschwander
• A photo of my chandelier was published in the June/July 2014 IBA newsletter. A write-up and several photos detailing my chandelier were published in the June/July 2015 issue of Hephaistos.

Service

• From 2010 to 2012, I served on the board of the IBA.
• February 18, 2012: Ken Dettmer and I gave a demonstration at the monthly IBA meeting. We demonstrated how to forge a butterfly. We developed the materials as we went along.
• August 18, 2013: At the monthly IBA meeting, I demonstrated how to make some fairly universal tongs.
• February 16, 2013: Ken Dettmer and I gave a demonstration at the monthly IBA meeting. We further developed some tongs I saw in a woodcut dating to 1597.
• I gave a half-day demonstration at the 33rd annual Indiana Blacksmithing Conference, June 1, 2013.

Membership

• Artist-Blacksmith's Association of North America (ABANA)