I am attaching some photos from last year's Southern Alberta Hammer-In:

I just finished and uploaded this video preview of this year's June 13-15, 2014 Hammer-In in Tilley, Alberta, Canada to the ABS YouTube Channel.

[media] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqTRhtz1ibQ [/media]

The Southern Alberta Hammer-In is underway this weekend and Master Smith Kevin Cashen started the event with a presentation on heat treating.

Had a great time in Tilley, the Clow's were wonderful Hosts, what a great group of people to swap ideas and stories. Took the heat treating with Kevin and frame handle class with Bruce. So much to learn, wanted to be everywhere at one time. I had lots of questions and found all my answers, wrote lots of notes and been putting them to good use. I took some knives up that I heat treated and didn't think they hardened, Ed & Steve said they did. So I cleaned up the tangs and checked them on a dead flat surface and tested at RC 63 & the other after temper at RC 58. Great to be around that many great Bladesmiths at one time. Plan on being there next year. Jerry, Oh I'm the one wearing the camo with the shinny spot.

I was in contact with Jim Clow today and 65 attended the Southern Alberta Hammer-In. A big thank you to Jim Clow and the demonstrators Ed Caffrey, Bruce Bump, Kevin Cashen, Steve Kelly, and Dana Hackney for all of their hard work that made this an outstanding hammer-in. This is a group photo below:

What a great time at Jim's this year! The Alberta Hammer-In is a class act from the word "go"! I've demostrated at many over the years, but always find myself comparing all the others to the Alberta Hammer-In. I was honored to administer Jesse Bartrum's JS Performance test (which he passed with flying colors), and just enjoy all the wonderful folks in Canada. Teaching along side Steve, Kevin, Bruce, and Dana was a ball!

This was my second year at Jims "get together" and was even better than last year. Tilley is on flat green pasture for many miles and beautiful. To get there we traveled with our best buds Dana and Sandy Hackney through beautiful Northern Idaho and right into the Rocky Mountains crossing over Crows Nest. Deer, elk, buffaloes and bald eagles can be seen from the road. This gorgeous scenery is something only God can create.

Spending the entire weekend with fellow knife lovers is always a treat but Jim and Bev just know how to make you feel especially appreciated. Time with other smiths gives me so many new ideas and fills in allot of questions I had. I wish there were more time in the day there because I would have loved to sit in on the other demos. With 65 in attendance there were 3-5 demos going at once in separate rooms. There is an upstairs quiet room (trophy excess room) that Kevin Cashen used to educate folks. That right there is priceless. My frame handle took up a majority of my time and I didn't get it completely finished but I had a handful of faithful observers and we got to know each other.

I can't say enough about all the information freely flowing all weekend.

Looks like you all had a great time! I had a blast doing this event last year.

Jim and Bev put on an awesome hammer-in!!

Master Smith Kevin Cashen sent in these photos from the Alberta Hammer-In.

Jim Clow sent me the below email this week about discontinuing the Southern Alberta, Canada Hammer-In. Jim did a magnificent job organizing and conducting this hammer-in for the last five years at his shop and home. I know that he put in a lot of time and I want to thank him for all of his hard work which certainly furthered the mission of education. Thank you Jim! I appreciate everything that you did to make this a very successful educational event.

This is Jim's email:

Dan

I will not be hosting a hammer in this coming year. Need to spend more time at our business. Tough decision to make as the hammer in just kept getting bigger and better each year.

Jim

Sent from my iPhone

Jim Clow

Jay-Cee Welding

403-362-1015

Sorry to see the Hammer-In discontinued, but I also fully understand why. Jim and Bev Clow are the best hosts anyone could ever ask for, and the Hammer-In was absolutley first class all the way. Many thanks to Jim and Bev for all the hard work and time they spent so the rest of us could have fun!

I feel the same as Ed, Sorry to see it end as it was my favorite event of the year. I met so many other makers from the US and Canada and have become friends with some of them as well.

I know Jim has more than his hands full with his successful business ventures. I'm not sure how he found the time to organize such a good hammerin so Bev worked very hard in the planning as well. She was nonstop making sure we were all taken care of with some of the best food anywhere.

Thank You Jim and Bev for everything.