This is the "Chairman's Corner" for Spring 2012 by Jim Batson, ABS President and has a lot of information for our ABS members.

Chairman’s Corner - Spring 2012

On Friday, January 27th the New Year for the ABS started off with a Big Bang in San Antonio with the most successful” 2012 American Bladesmith Society All Forged Blade Expo”. Eight new Journeyman Smiths earned their stamps. A lot of knives were sold, the attendance was great. The Seminars were very enlightening and well attended.

Everyone had fun at the Banquet and Tim Ryan was good as ever at the auction. This Expo did not happen by accident it happened by the skill and perseverance of the Expo chairman, Harvey Dean and the rest of the Expo committee:

· Steve & Gwenn Dunn took care of the auction

· Larry Fuegen took care of advertising

· Tim Hancock organized the seminars

· Josh Smith took care of the email and web correspondence

· Harvey & Deborah Dean-- coordinating and registration, updated webpage

· Dan Cassidy helped out with YouTube, ABS Website, and ABS Forum

· Bill Wiggins was treasurer.

We are all looking forward to the up-and-coming Blade Show in Atlanta which starts on Friday, the 8^th of June. The ABS Journeyman and Master Stamp Judging will start promptly at 8 AM on Friday in rooms 103 and 109, respectively. Don’t be late. If you want to be judged make sure you notify Dan Cassidy, the ABS Webmaster by 8 May. The Bill Moran and Antique Master and Journeyman Knife Judging will be in room 109 at 10 AM.

The Awards Banquet will start at 7:30 PM on Friday night. The Banquet tickets are $45 each for a $75 Fillet with all the trimmings. There will be an auction by Tim Ryan after the Awards Presentation, to make up for the full price of the Dinner. Please feel free to bring items for the Banquet Auction. This will be a true Awards Banquet. The Stamp Awards and other ABS awards will be presented. The financial report and board meeting report will be presented in the next issue of the American Bladesmith and on the ABS Website. Colonel Tim Ryan will provide the entertainment for the night.

The ABS has survived financially through the years from the benevolence of its Smiths. Each year 3 Smiths are drawn from a hat to make a Master Smith Folder, a Master Smith Knife of the year and a Journeyman Knife of the Year. The Smiths chosen to make these knives this year were:

Master Smith Folder------------------------- Joseph Szilaski

Master Smith Knife of the Year ----------- Jon Christensen,

Journeyman Knife of the Year-------------Karl B Anderson

In addition in the past, the Master Smiths on the Board of Directors made a Director’s Knife. Three directors, Dr Dan Petersen, E. Jay Hendrickson and Harvey Dean, have each made a knife to be auctioned at the Blade Show on Saturday at 10 AM in room 103. The TOMB knife was made and donated by Red St Cyr. These knives can be viewed on the ABS website. They will be presented for auction over the Website and the auction will be continued and finished at the Blade Show. Many thanks are given to the makers of these fine knives for their skill and dedication to the ABS and to Dr. Dan Petersen and Dan Cassidy for their efforts in making this a success.

The Hammer-In action has started with the Smoky Mountain Bladesmithing Symposium at Haywood Community College in Clyde, NC. The ABS School classes are filling up, the Hammer-Ins are scheduled. We, the ABS, are in for another big year of preserving the Art and Craft of Bladesmithing.

We have had requests to include the roster of Apprentice Smiths on the ABS Website. I have initiated action to do so. It may take some time and the Apprentice Smiths may have to help. The roster would be under Bladesmiths on the ABS Website along with Master Smiths and Journeyman Smiths.

The ABS has started a Membership Drive to increase the ABS Membership. Please participate. We need your help.

See You at the Blade Show,

Jim Batson

ABS President