Guild of Metalsmiths Monthly Discussion Forum

December 2001 Vol 3 issue 12
Here we are again. Pull up a chair, get your coffee, reading glasses, and writing tools. It is time to discuss the news. The Guild currently has 325 members. Your renewal date is on the mailing label as 20XX.Q (year.quarter).

Gene Olson, editor

******

Attention Please!
If your label says. 2001.4 your membership is up for renewal. Please send your $30 dues to:
The Guild of Metalsmiths
PO Box 11423
St. Paul MN 55111

How to Join
Send $30 dues with your name, address, (and if you would) phone numbers -home -shop -fax, email address, web page, a statement of interests/services up to 254 characters (letters and spaces) to the above address.(Please indicate if you want to be listed in our membership directory and which items you want listed)

Index

Call for Metalsmith Articles
Metalsmith Back Issue Service
Educational Grants
Huh, What happened to my Forum?
November Board meeting notes
Directory updates
Letters
Want Ads
ABANA Liaison Letter
Next Meeting (Dec. Elections)
Workshops
Dec. Open Forge Workshop
Jan. (The already filled beginning
blacksmithing series section
two)
Gunther Style Handled Tools
Beyond the Basics workshop

Send them to:
MARCIA MCEACHRON
2526 CALIFORNIA AVE NE
MINNEAPOLIS MN 55418
Phone: 612-706-0198
Fax number: 612-781-8435
Email: metalsmith@metalsmith.org

Please!

---Metalsmith---

--- Back Issue Service---
Back issues of The Metalsmith are available to Guild members for only $3.00 each, postage included.
Use your most recent copy of the Metalsmith's How-to index to pick out the topics that interest you most. Then, if you don't already have those Metalsmiths in your collection, get them from the Guild of Metalsmiths Back Issue Service!

To order, write the Volume and Issue number(s) on a slip of paper along with your mailing address.
Include a check for $3.00 for each issue made
out to Guild of Metalsmiths. Send it to:
Pete Stanaitis
2476 10th Ave.
Baldwin, WI. 54002

If you have any questions about the service, contact Pete at 715-698-2895 or email me at:
spaco@Baldwin-telecom.net

Grants are reviewed by the members of the board of directors, meeting in committee (occasionally applications are referred to the education committee for their review and recommendations.)
Grants are judged on two major questions.
A. Does this proposal help fill a void in the Guild educational program?
B. Is the applicant at a point in their career where they can benefit from and then share with others the class/project to be funded?
Contact any officer or board member for more information.

Huh, What happened to my Forum?

Just when you were getting used to one thing, those young whippersnappers go changing stuff on ya.

Well, whatcha think?

I decided to try printing it this way because it meant less work for the printer. The big xerox printer will automatically print, saddle staple and fold a booklet like this and have it ready to mail right off the press. The previous method of, printing full sheets that were stapled in the corner meant feeding them into a folding machine to trifold them, if they were thin enough, or hand folding all 300 plus of them if the machine balked. Then there was the business of putting on all those pieces of tape.

Let us know what you think.

ed.

Nov. 14^th, 2001, 7 PM
Home of Mary and Bob Fredell, 3500 45^th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN

The meeting was called to order by President Dave Fetrel

Present: Dave Fetrel, Mike Frattalone, Bill Hanson, Myron Hanson, Bob Johnson, Gene Olson, Bryan Steckman, guest: Dave Mariette

Approval of previous minutes:
Correction to the minutes, Mr. Steckman was asked to "investigate" the ownership status of forging equipment at Nowthen so we could determine what would need to be done to have the forges fixed. (Guild ownership of the forges was considered necessary before Guild money was put into repairs.) Nowthen ownership means they pay for the parts.

Committee Reports:

Financial Committee: Mike Frattalone As of the 14^th we have 317 members and $25,832.65 in the treasury.

Education Committee: Bob Johnson, Basics classes have been started. Forge welding class was a success though most of the students could have used more hammer control. (They needed more practice hitting what they were aiming at before taking the class) As a result the class didn't get as many projects done as last years class. January intermediate level classes are on track. Failure to fill an October fire tool class attributed to opening of hunting season.

Program Committee: February meeting will be at Arms and Armor in Minneapolis. Search for Demonstrators for next year's Fall Conference has begun.

Publicity Committee: Forum is in your mailbox and the directory has been mailed. Last month marked the first time that we emailed the forum directly to the printer and printed it directly from the big xerox printer without first printing and then scanning it in like a regular copy machine. If you were inpressed with the quality of the photos printed. That is one reason why they came out so good.
The website move is complete. Some of you may have had some email bounce back, that has been fixed. We have set up separate addresses on the website for the editors, the pres, the vpres, the treas, the webmaster, the gallery curator, and education. We have started setting up a Guild email list discussion forum, but that is still in the works.

Old Business:

501C3 committee:
A couple questions to be resolved before the lawyer can take it. Need to meet and finish it up. (*note. Committee met, after the board meeting resolved most questions, assigned a couple tasks to be done. To my knowledge these are done and the final paperwork is in process. -ed)

Items at Nowthen:
Bryan reports that Nowthen wants to retain ownership of the forges and will find money for the repairs. Several items belonging to the Guild need to be labeled as such so as to avoid arguments later. The post vises mounts and work table trays were purchased by the Guild after the rest of the stuff was bought out by NowThen.

Metalsmith/Forum Computer equip.::
Gene has acquired an apple/pc compatible video card for Marcia's mac and Corky has donated a 21' monitor from one of his computer pallet adventures. The board approved the $40 cost for the controller card.

New Business:

Grants: No new Grant applications to review.

Video Librarian: Fred McCluskey will be quitting, several people have expressed interest in managing it for us. Dave Fetrel will handle this.

Elections: The election of officers will be held at the Dec. Meeting at the CSPS Hall in St. Paul. The slate of officers is still being developed. Myron Hanson says he will run again. That leaves two board seats and the vice president slots that need to be filled.

Next Meeting: Next Board meeting will be January 9^th, 2002 at the Fredell Home, 3500 45^th Ave S. Mpls.
Next General meeting will be Elections and Banquet at the CSPS Hall in St. Paul Dec 12th.
Feb meeting at Arms and Armor Feb 13^th, 2002

Under the old ISP any mail sent to "anything"@metalsmith.org ended up in my mailbox. We have changed that.
Now the following addresses are active and go to the people indicated.

Pres@metalsmith.org - President, currently Dave Fetrel
Vpres@metalsmith.org - Vice President
Treas@metalsmith.org - Treasurer currently Mike Frattalone
Metalsmith@metalsmith.org - Metalsmith Editor currently Marcia McEachron
Forum@metalsmith.org - Forum editor currently Gene Olson
Curator@metalsmith.org - online gallery curator (yet to volunteer)
Education@metalsmith.org - education section supervisor (yet to volunteer)

New Members:

Bagge, Sean

Benson, Martha Jo
MJB Designs
94 Haozous Rd
Santa Fe, NM 87508
Phone: 505-424-8709
Fax: 505-473-9109
Email: bensondesi@aol.com
Interests: I am a silversmith and jeweler, currently concentrating on holloware. I welcome commissions for goblets, chalises, kaddish cups, etc and conversation with other metalsmiths about special techniques for working with large pieces.

Chacich, Ron

Tangen, Alvin

Thompson, Floyd M.

Sicilano, Paul

Weaver, Greg

Welcome Back

Plezer, David and Sheila
Pelzer Iron
579 Thomas Ave
St. Paul, MN 55103
Phone: 651-767-0290
Email: PelzerIron@aol.com
Interests: I do decorative iron gates, furniture and railings. I'd like to learn to forge weld.

Address Changes:

Shaw, Lynnette

******

******From Intrepid Al, (for those who just joined, member Al Olson, decided to go south for the winter these are some emails to us from down under.)
McMurdo Station, Antarctica
Dated 12:36 Greenwich Mean Time, November 21, 2001 (thats 6:36AM here and 24 minutes till 1 AM Thanksgiving Day in New Zealand and McMurdo)

hey yall,
it's getting warm down here. sorry that i have to compose this blanket email to everybody, it's a time thing ya know. I try to respond to your individual emails. T minus two days to turkey day for you guys, so i might be too late to wish some of you a nice weekend. it's wednesday night for me and our thanksgiving will be on saturday. that way we get a TWO day weekend! i won't know what to do with myself....well aside from donning my formal kilt, fancy shirt, jacket, black bow tie, shiny shoes, the whole works, then perhaps a couple of predinner cocktails followed by my reserved dinner time of 1500. we have to eat in three shifts, the galley isn't big enough for all...11-12 hundred of us at once. our first of three formal holidays, might as well dress up, eh. i volunteered to help in the galley friday night. most of the galley folks know me by name since i have spent a great deal of time fixing their stuff. they like me. waffle irons with burned up internal wiring, big griddles with fried controls, a giant dishwasher that likes to leak, etc. they mistakenly believe that i belong to them sometimes. i get cookies out of it sometimes. you don't want to know what it looks like inside big restuarant type equipment. so anyway, it's spring in antarctica. some afternoons, the roads (dirt) are wet from melting snow. i haven't bothered wearing gloves for over a week and some afternoons i don't wear my parka when walking from building to building. those of you in MN will recognize this as late february weather. MN is perfect training grounds for the balmy coastline of mcmurdo sound. i wear the same thing six days a week, insulated carharrt biboveralls, poly underwear top/bottom, heavy socks and my regular leather workboots. oh, and my stocking hat. the only thing that changes is the underwear and much i use my parka. so getting ready and commuting across the road is a pretty simple affair. none of that....hmmm what should i wear today dilemma. my carharrts are filthy and conform to my person quite well by now and every pocket has something in it (flashlight, tools, pens, notebook, random parts, etc). my hat turned out to be a surprise, it's red and very thick. it has a fuzzy ball on top and a 'milwaukee power tools' logo patch on it. it's so thick that it stands straight up on my head. it's pretty warm too. my uncle gave it to me many years ago and i refused to wear it. but i found it in a box of winter stuff and figured that it could get trashed down here. it is now my identity. i am the guy with the red hat. i have had several compliments and comments on my nice hat and anyone can recognize me from half way across town. actually some poeple won't recognize me if i'm not wearing it. it's funny, you get to know people fairly well and may not see them in street clothes for weeks. speaking of weeks, they are going by very fast for me. i don't really know what's going on in the world, but don't miss it. we do get some TV channels, but i don't go down to the lounge to watch. beth emails me pretty often though. there is a
what ever it wants to do. so the powers that be have dispatched not one but two ice breakers to come on down and make it possible for our supply ship to get here in january. if it doesn't make it, i guess there will be a skeleton crew here for the next year. there's enough JP8, the fuel of choice, for that. several big tanks above town. during ship offload, the town runs 24 hours a day just to empty it and load waste. the bars close...for two weeks...or so. a shiver just went up my back. so between now and then i have to find time to open up and clean several furnaces/burners, service every air compressor in town, and service everything with electrical or moving parts in the galley. i'm getting sleepy, very sleepy. it is after 100am, time for bed. happy thanksgiving to you all, take care, and save some cranberries for me.
al

******

Oh, Yeah

Toll Welding has a great

Christmas deal for ya,

they just didn't get the ad here by press time.

Give em a call.

Thanks for your support, Toll

******
Want Ads are free to members
(and if the some nonmember is selling tools and equipment that may benefit members and the smithing community by keeping good tools in circulation, we will print those free too (anvils, forges, etc.)) Ads, (and letters) are published on a space available basis. This notice needs to ride on one stamp, so if there are too many pages some editing may be done or the ad may be pushed into the next issue.
Display advertising rate is the same as for Metalsmith. Half sheet, 4 insertions, for $50.
(Thats full page here, half page in Metalsmith)

Coming in February

The February membership meeting will be at Arms and Armor on Stinson Blvd in Minneapolis.

Artist-Blacksmith's Association of North America, Inc.
PO Box 816
Farmington, GA 30638 USA
706-310-1030 tel 706-769-7147 fax
abana@abana.org
www.abana.org

ABANA Chapter Liaison Letter November 2001

2002 ABANA CONFERENCE
JUNE 5-9, 2002, LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN.
Get a load of these family activities.
Amish country tours.
Art stained glass creations tour.
Down a scenic country road tour.
Niagara Cave tour.
Demonstrations and lectures on arts and crafts.
Museums and galleries.
River cruises.
And a whole lot more. (See the next Liaison Letter for more family activities.)
Here is a sample of the foreign demonstrators.
Smederij and Cees Pronk, Frits and Smederij Kramer from The Netherlands.
Alfred Habermann and Hand Neuschmied from Austria.
Jos Spanier from Luxembourg.
Michael Kaczmar and Alfred Bullermann from Germany.
Ousmane Samassekou from Mali.
Oleh Bonkovsky from Ukraine.

HERE IS SOME HELP THAT A LOT OF US CAN USE.

Doug Kluender, an Arizona blacksmith, is experienced in the workings of non-profit organizations. He has served with his local United Way in teaching boards of directors of non-profit organizations how they may more efficiently operate. He will meet with the board of any chapter that requests his services. He charges no fee, just cover his expenses. Further information on this offer is being sent to all chapter presidents. If you think you could use this service, encourage your president and board members to look into the offer.

A NEW SERVICE TO YOU IS ABOUT TO BEGIN.

In the past few ABANA Liaison Letters we have been talking about a new program by which chapters may share their successful activities with all chapters, so that we may learn from each other. After checking with every one imaginable (O.K., so I exaggerate a little) it is ready to go. Detailed information will be sent to chapter presidents in the near future. Talk with your president and board members and urge them to discuss using this program.

Bob Fredell, Chairman
Member Services Committee
3500-45 Ave. So.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 545406-2927
(612) 721-2298
fredell@frostbit.com

The Annual Banquet and
Election of Officers
When: December 12^th, 2001
6:30 potluck banquet
7:00 business meeting

Where: CSPS Hall
385 Michigan St.
St. Paul, MN
What: Election of Officers
President
Vice President
Treasurer
3 Board members
Annual Banquet
Awards Presentation
Show and tell table

This is your chance to help lead the Guild through the upcoming relocation as we search for, find and equip alternative classroom spaces. Some people have expressed strong opinions about this; if you care enough, run for office.

Open Forge Workshop

9:00am to 4:00p

Minn School of Horseshoeing
Ramsey MN

Instructor: Pete Stanaitis Phone: 715-698-2895
2476 10th Ave. email: spaco@Baldwin-telecom.net
Baldwin, Wi. 54002
Cost: $15

Class size: 8

Description: An open Forge is an opportunity for those without a place to work. Bring your own project or Pete will demonstrate a form or two for those who just want some forge time.

You need to bring: Safety Equipment: safety glasses & ear plugs/protectors are mandatory, other safety equipment may include: gloves, apron, cotton clothing, leather shoes. Bring your favorite bucket of tools.

Open Forge - December 22^nd, 2001
Mail to: Pete Stanaitis, 2476 10th Ave., Baldwin, Wi. 54002
Phone: 715-698-2895 email: spaco@Baldwin-telecom.net
Cost: $15.00 Check payable to: The Guild of Metalsmiths

Name:____________________
Address:_____________________________________________
City:__________________
State:______ZIP:_____

Phone:______________________

Tool Making Workshop
Gunther Style Handled Tools

Class will be held at the MInnesota School of Horseshoeing in Ramsey Mn.

The instructors will be Bryan Steckman and John Karpen
3312 Noble Ave. N.
Golden Valley, Mn. 55422

If you have any questions you may reach Bryan Steckman at
763-521-6917 hm.
763-551-5332 wk.

(back side of Open Forge coupon)

Tool Making Workshop- Gunther Style Handled Tools

Sat. Jan. 12, 2002
Cost: $30

Class size: 7

Class Description: In this class participants will make three handled tools (a round punch, square punch and a chisel). These tools will have wrapped metal handles on them and should prove to be a welcome addition to your tool box. Completion of the "Basics" class is recommended.

Stock will be provided for the three tools.

You need to Bring: Participants must have their own safety glasses, ear plugs and a good hammer or two. Cotton clothing and suitable footwear (ie. leather shoes) are also required.

Bring a lunch or eat at one of the local establishments.

To reserve a spot in this workshop send your check for $30 payable to "The Guild of Metalsmiths" to Bryan.

cut here

Sat. Jan. 12, 2002 from 9am to 430 pm
Mail to: Bryan Steckman, 3312 Noble Ave. N., Golden Valley, Mn. 55422
763-521-6917 hm. 763-551-5332 wk.
Cost: $30.00 Check payable to: The Guild of Metalsmiths

Name:____________________
Address:_____________________________________________
City:__________________
State:______ZIP:_____

Phone:______________________

Beyond the Basics
A two day workshop

When: 9AM - 4PM,
1-26-02 and 1-27-02

Where: Mn School of Horseshoeing

Instructor: Various Instructors

Workshop Manager: Bob Johnson
1302 Osceola Ave
St. Paul, Mn 55105

Phone: 651-699-3919

(Back side of Tool Making Workshop coupon)

Beyond the Basics - a two day workshop

Cost $40.00

Class size 8

Description We will work to improve hammer skills, and learn new processes as in the Study Guide. This will include some traditional joinery, assembly, and tool making.

You need to Bring: Participants must have their own safety glasses, ear plugs and a good hammer or two your favorite bucket of tools. Measuring and marking devices. Cotton clothing and suitable footwear (ie. leather shoes) are also required.

Bring a lunch or eat at one of the local establishments.

To reserve a spot in this workshop send your check for $40 payable to "The Guild of Metalsmiths" to Bob Johnson.

cut here

Beyond the Basics - two days

Sat. Jan. 26^th and Sun 27^th , 2002 from 9 am to 4 pm
Mail to: Bob Johnson, 1302 Osceola Ave St. Paul, Mn 55105
Phone: 651-699-3919
Cost: $40.00 Check payable to: The Guild of Metalsmiths

Name:____________________
Address:_____________________________________________
City:__________________
State:______ZIP:_____

Phone:______________________