Alex Bealer Blacksmith Association

This month's meeting was at Tom Davenhall's shop and concentrated on gas welding.

Before we got to the main event, Dan did a quick demo on twisting and making basket shapes. He did a 4-piece square twist, and a 7-piece round twist. There was trouble with the coal (anybody want free coal? Ask Tom D...) and then the weld failed on the first twist. Dan insisted this was a feature of the demo, citing the "Coe Doctrine" that every mistake a demonstrator makes is one you don't have to make at home.

After we finished twisting, Tom talked welding. He started with safety, giving a top five ways to avoid killing yourself or others, and then the one-man demo turned into more of a panel discussion as some of our experienced folks chipped in tips on both safety and technique. Much of the teaching was via war stories, which was great, since a story sticks with you in a way that dry words from a page never can. Some time was spent on the versatility of a welding rig for a blacksmith, and cataloging a few of the thousand ways it can make a blacksmith's life easier.

We broke for food and iron in the hat, and if anyone left hungry, it was their own fault.

After lunch, we made our way back into the shop for the hands-on portion of the program. Tom welded and brazed some pieces, and then we fired up the torches and everybody took a turn. Speaking as a first-time welder, it wasn't terribly hard or complicated, but I think it would take a lot of practice to make product that looked anything like the experienced guys were turning out. Everyone got a turn on a torch, and we finished the day with a perfect score - zero injuries.

Good meeting, and much thanks to Tom Davenhall for his hospitality and the work that he had clearly put into preparing for us and securing equipment for the workshop.