NRBA members attended the ABANA Bi-Annual National Conference, this time located in Rapid City, South Dakota, July, 2012

Demonstrations:

Internationally noted blacksmith, Claudio Bottero, traveled from Italy with his son to lead a team of a dozen fine young American blacksmiths in the forging of a monumental iron sculpture.

Claudio grooving a bar of 1 1/4" x 4"

Members of the team straightening a component on log sections to reduce scarring.

Claudio punching a hole through the bar the hard way---with the help of two strikers.

   Truing up a punched hole with a flatter and two more strikers.

Force-fitting the two main components of the sculpture.

Splitting a rivet head.

Claudio forging one of the vertical spines on a power hammer.

Staking a vertical rib sideways with a round-head punch; the team taking up the recoil with multiple sledgehammers.

Sculpture detail, above and below.                                                                                                                       The completed project.

Claudio Bottero and his Team

Swedish Door Project, completed in Tent 1 during the conference by Tom Latane, Tina Chisena, Carl Close, Michael McCarthy and Pete Renzetti.

   Jill Turman demonstrating forging art nouveau forms

Smelting iron from ore by Lee Sauder, Steve Mankowski and Shel Browder

A member of the Punzo family of coppersmiths from Mexico, raising a vessel from a heavy piece of copper plate.

Around the Conference Grounds:

Part of the Tailgating Area

   A committed blacksmith

Hand built model engines and power hammers.

ABANA Gallery 2012

Rocking chair.

Wedged pedestal table base.

Marcus Engler - Firetool Set                                                                                                                                 Steve Fontanini - Totem

Jeffrey Funk - Ice axe driven through stone.

Jeffrey Funk - Reticulated Sculpture

NRBA Members Attending:

Marcus Engler, John Kimball and Frank Donahue

The critical eye of NRBA member Jeffrey Funk

Betty Ellis

  Wil Wilkins

Ann Hallowell in Gallery rocking chair

And, hundreds of more photos of ABANA 2012 by Morris Hallowell at:  Photobucket

Northern Rockies Blacksmith Association.   Joel Machler, Treasurer, 5121 Foster Lane, Belgrade, MT 59714  j.machler@hotmail.com

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