1st AKA shop visit for 2011

[Deltashooter]

First shop-visit / hammer-in of the year. Saturday 3/12 was the first scheduled shop-visit for the AKA. It was in the new blacksmith/metal casting shop at UALR.

I have no idea how many people/students stop by to watch but there was a nice crowd that attended.

Here is part of the people inside watching Jerry Fisk demonstrating the making of damascus, which none of my photos turned out.

Lin Rhea answered questions about how to make some of the damascus patterns. Then etched a blade to show its pattern.
Murph may have better photos being he was so much closer to the power hammer.
Between everyone that attended we should have plenty of photos for our viewing enjoyment.

Oh yea forgot to mention that there were 5 Master Smiths there for the demonstrations and to answer questions.
Jim Crowell
Jerry Fisk
Ronnie Foster
John Perry
Lin Rhea

Then we all moved outside to see a forging and grinding demo.

Here is Jim Crowell drawing a point on what turned out to be a nice medium sized hidden tang hunter.

More later.
Maybe Murph and/or Dustin will jump in here and help fill in the gaps with more and better photos.

Todd

 

[murphda2]

Dang, I completely missed this. I have lots of pics to share! Let me look around for a minute.

 

[murphda2]

A meeting of the minds just before everything got started. (clockwise from left: Dustin, John Perry, M.S., Todd)

Jerry Fisk, M.S. at the power hammer

Lin Rhea, M.S. explaining the etching process

Lin's etched blade

Todd climbing like a monkey to get a good perspective of the demo in the shop

Jim Crowell, M.S. hard at work at the anvil. Jim makes forging look entirely too easy. I guess 25 yrs as a M.S. will do that.

End result of Jim's forging efforts

A few of Lin hard at work at the grinder

Jim and his Monster Camp Knife he brought for show and drool.

A meeting of the minds prior to the "Knife Rodeo" (cutting demo)

Lin cutting rope. I was pretty proud of this photo, I wish it was a bit clearer.

Of course, I have to include a pic of Lin and one of his biggies fans. Isn't she adorable?

 

[Allen Newberry]

Great photos guys. Wish I could have made it down.

 

[murphda2]

We were talkin about you at the shop visit, Allen. Todd and I were wondering where you were.

 

[Allen Newberry]

I had a blacksmithing meeting the same day, and we are trying to set up a blade forging class. Because I am involved with that I figured I needed to be there.

 

[Deltashooter]

Yes she is a sweetie

Lin making kindling

John about to cut the rope

Lin cuts a double

John lining up on the water bottles

Lin slicing through the water bottles

Jim showing off slicing through the water bottles left-handed
No wait Jim is left-handed

Lin lining up to cut the ping pong ball and empty water bottle into

Ask John Perry what the hardest part of cutting a ping pong ball into is and his answer will be “ Hitting it”

Todd