This will be my first time to be at Troy and I am honored to be asked to instruct the forging and grinding. Forging and Grinding is the foundation of bladesmithing. I invite all who would like to see it to be there and I encourage you to bring a blade that you might want me to look at.

If you have any questions about the demonstration, please feel free to ask.

|quoted:

This will be my first time to be at Troy and I am honored to be asked to instruct the forging and grinding. Forging and Grinding is the foundation of bladesmithing. I invite all who would like to see it to be there and I encourage you to bring a blade that you might want me to look at.

If you have any questions about the demonstration, please feel free to ask.

Lin, you are going to enjoy yourself. It's a well equipped facility and the SOFA guys a great to work with. I'm going to demo setting up a cutting edge, sharpening and cutting. Who knows, maybe we can get Lin to help out and maybe offer some tips as well. Never hurts listening to a past world champion cutter!!

I'm looking forward to it!! It's always a great hammer-in to attend.

Thank you Bill. I know it will be enjoyable. I'll be glad to help where ever I can. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

If you guys are having trouble in particular areas of the forging proces, please mention it here and I'll be ready to help when we all get there. I intend to give the dropped choil area particular attention, not only in the forging but also in grinding.

I'm also wanting to see Butch forge that axe head. As I look at the list of instructors and the classes, I'm wanting to see it all. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

We have an addition to the Mid America schedule, Master Smith Steve Dunn will be demonstrating engraving on Friday and Saturday. Here is a detailed schedule for the weekend.

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Anytime Friday, Saturday or Sunday

Visit the Tail Gate Sales, Knife Suppliers, Demonstrations and the Hands on Forging

Laura Hostetler and family are willing, thank goodness; to cook for us so we have food on site. They are so good to us all and the food is excellent. They will make homemade ice cream on Saturday night also.

Thursday, AUGUST 22, 2013

AREA

3-6 pm FORGE A Check in and registration

6:30 pm The Caroline, 5 South Market Street, Troy, Ohio 45373 Demonstrators dinner

Everyone welcome to meet the Demonstrators

Friday, AUGUST 23, 2013

8-10 am FORGE A - LIN RHEA – BLADE FORGING

EXHIBITION HALL JOE KEESLAR – WIRE INLAY

SHOP B GREEN COAL – BILL WIGGINS

10-12 am FORGE A - JERRY RADOS – TURKISH TWIST DAMASCUS

EXHIBITION HALL STEVE DUNN – ENGRAVING

SHOP B GREEN COAL – LON HUMPHREY

12-1 pm Lunch break

1-3 pm FORGE A - LIN RHEA – BLADE GRINDING

EXHIBITION HALL - JIM BATSON – WOODHEAD BOWIES

SHOP B GREEN COAL – JOE KEESLAR

3-5 pm FORGE A - JERRY RADOS – TURKISH TWIST DAMASCUS

EXHIBITION HALL - B.R. HUGHES & JOE KEESLAR – MJ & JS JUDGING STANDARDS

SHOP B GREEN COAL – STEVE DUNN

6 pm DINNER ON YOUR OWN

7-9 pm EXHIBITION HALL - LON HUMPHREY – INTERNET MARKETING

Saturday, AUGUST 24, 2013

Bring Auction Items to Auction Table

Show your Knives

Knife Show & Auction are free to the Public

8-10 am FORGE A - JERRY RADOS – TURKISH TWIST DAMASCUS

EXHIBITION HALL - JOE KEESLAR – FILE WORK

SHOP B GREEN COAL – BUTCH SHEELY

10-12am FORGE A - LIN RHEA – HEAT TREATING

EXHIBITION HALL - STEVE DUNN – ENGRAVING

SHOP B GREEN COAL – BILL WIGGINS

12-1 pm Lunch break

1-3 pm EXHIBITION HALL KNIFE SHOW

3-5 pm EXHIBITION HALL AUCTION WITH AUCTIONEER COL. BILLY RAY HUGHES

5-7 pm DINNER BREAK

7-9 pm EXHIBITION HALL BILL WIGGINS - EDGE GEOMETRY, SHARPENING AND CUTTING

Homemade ice cream will be available (Bill Wiggins demo and homemade ice cream, life doesn’t get better than that!)

Sunday, AUGUST 25, 2013

8-10 am FORGE A - BUTCH SHEELY – BELT AXE FORGING

EXHIBITION HALL - JIM BATSON – FRAME HANDLES

10-12 am EXHIBITION HALL - ROUND TABLE WITH ALL DEMONSTRATORS QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION.

_______________________________________________________________

You can also download and print or save to your device the Final Schedule by clicking on the attachment below:

9th MID AMERICA BLADESMITHING SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE.pdf

Missed the last couple of years but really looking forward to this years lineup. Also looking foward to making new aquaintances and renew a few old . See you there.

This is always a great event. SOFA is a great host and the facilities are great as well. There is quite a diverse group of demonstrators as well where there is truly something for everyone at every level.

I strongly encourage people to take Lin up on his offer to help you with areas that are causing you problems. Bring them up on the forum so Lin can be prepared and can incorporate it into his demo.

I hope I can make it this year!

Brian

|quoted:

This is always a great event. SOFA is a great host and the facilities are great as well. There is quite a diverse group of demonstrators as well where there is truly something for everyone at every level.

I strongly encourage people to take Lin up on his offer to help you with areas that are causing you problems. Bring them up on the forum so Lin can be prepared and can incorporate it into his demo.

I hope I can make it this year!

Brian

Hope you can make it Brian. Got some catching up to do.

It doesn’t seem possible that the 9th Mid America Bladesmithing Symposium and Knife Show is upon us again, but it is and will take place at the Miami County Fairgrounds, Troy, Ohio, August 23, 24 and 25th, 2013. We want to extend this invitation to you.

We have an excellent line up of demonstrators this year. Master Smith, Lin Rhea will be coming in from Arkansas teaching blade forging, grinding and heat treating. This is an excellent opportunity to learn from a master, no matter your present level of Bladesmith, you will learn a lot. If you are in to Damascus, Jerry Rados is demonstrating his Turkish Twist Damascus. Master Smith, Joe Keeslar, from Almo will be teaching you to add file work to enhance your next blade as well as learning engraving from Master Smith Steve Dunn. Master Smith James Batson will be demonstrating Woodhead Bowies and frame handles. If you crave the Journeyman status or Master status, B. R. Hughes and Joe Keeslar will be presenting on judging standards. Butch Sheely will be doing a demo on a belt axe if you crave a little change from knives, a little something different.

Our evening session for Friday night will be a presentation by Journeyman Smith Lon Humphrey on internet marketing. Saturday evening we will have a demonstration from Journeyman smith Bill Wiggins on edge geometry, sharpening your blades and cutting. Ice cream will be served and we will be making sure Bill gets some.

If you have never attended the Mid American, I think you will enjoy the experience. The facility at the Miami County Fairgrounds is great. The Southern Ohio Forge and Anvil organization, SOFA, is our host. Sofa also hosts the Quad State Round-up every September, which draws close to 1,000 blacksmiths and bladesmiths, so they are very experienced with large hammer-ins. This makes the ABS Mid American an easy task for them and they take very good care of us.

There are two main forging stations; each with either coal or gas forges. Each station also has its own air hammer. The area for green coal, or hands on forging, has a number of coal forges with all of the hand tools required. The classroom sessions are in a large air conditioned hall, we also use this same building for the knife show, auction and the cutting demonstration. It is always a dilemma to choose what to watch or participate in each day, demonstration, classroom or hands on, but what a great dilemma to have. You see the great line up of demonstrators, some familiar some new, so I think we will enjoy learning all the techniques and ideas.

We will start our weekend on Thursday with registration time and the optional demonstrator’s dinner. Let the office know if you are able to attend so we can give an estimate to the restaurant. All are welcome and we will introduce the demonstrators and guests and enjoy a meal together.

The Auction and knife show on Saturday afternoon, August 24, is the only time that we are open to the public. We have done what we can to advertise and bring in the public so we have a better possibility of having buyers for the knife show.

Please be sure to bring items for our auction. Any items made by the demonstrators at the event, blades, etc. will be in the auction. Please be generous in your participation as it is what keeps the cost of registration down and allows us to bring in great artists. We thank all who donate and buy.

Come prepared to have an energy filled weekend of learning. This will be your opportunity to learn from Masters, Journeyman and very talented piers. We all will have a chance to learn from each other as we enjoy this weekend.

Here is a list of vendors who plan on attending the 9th Mid American Bladesmithing Symposium.

Hawkins Knife Supply

Preferred Abrasives

Ron Richerson

Alaskan Fossil Ivory

Woodlab

We are very lucky to have such great access to our supplies.

Also, we will have Laura Hostetler and family serving breakfast and lunch and homemade ice cream Saturday night again this year, we will be able to enjoy good food and not go out for it. Thanks Laura and family.

Wow what a line up!

Looking forward to it!

See you all in Troy.

Russell

The 2013 Mid America Hammer-In was very successful and BR Hughes called me and reported 92 enthusiastic attendees attending this year for some great demonstrations.

Master Smith Lin Rhea took the time to take and send us some photos from the event. Thank you Lin! See below:

Jerry Rados forging

Turkish Twist Damascus

Butch Sheely at the anvil

Butch Sheely

at the forge for his Belt Axe forging demonstration

Just wanted to say this was yet another great hammer-in. Top shelf demonstrators!!!

It was nice visiting with everyone.

Can't wait till next year

What a great hammer-in!

An excellent group of demonstrators! I'm sure everyone went home with new ideas on forging and bladesmithing.

A large group in attendance! A lot of first time folks!

The great food on site by Laura and her family was very much appreciated, Thank You!

I thought the wide screen, two camera setup was great. You could see every detail of the demo. If that could be expanded to all demos would be great.

My thanks to Butch and everyone involved, a great job, well done!

A lot of new friendships forged, and old ones rekindled.

What a great week-end!

Russell

This was my first hammer-in and what an experience!!! The people and facilities were wonderful. I came away with my brain running over the limit due to all the demonstrations and talking with the demonstrators. So many ideas--so little time to do them when I got home. To all the guys in SOFA...thank you for a wonderful event. ...Teddy