As UMBA members are frequently asked to demonstrate blacksmithing at festivals, heritage events, etc., we have included those public events in our calendar. Feel free to stop in & meet the smith! UMBA gladly accepts invitations to demonstrate the craft of blacksmithing at public events. To schedule a demonstration please contact Joe Brannum.

UMBA has four regional events scheduled per year. These events are held the second weekend of February, May, August & November & are usually 2 day events. Locations include Baraboo & Burlington, Wisconsin, South Beloit, Illinois & Haverhill, Iowa. Additional meetings are held throughout the year & are located at member's shops & blacksmith retail sites. Event & meeting topics, directions & details are published in UMBA's newsletter & on this web-site. These seminars are given by members & guest demonstrators. UMBA members include men & women, the young & not-so-young, the hobbyist & the professional, & both the beginner & the experienced blacksmith. Newcomers & visitors are warmly invited to attend. Bring safety glasses, a chair (folding/lawn, etc.), and be prepared to take notes--you're going to learn a lot from some pretty terrific blacksmiths! For information or questions about UMBA events, please e-mail Joe Brannum.

Date	Event	Location	Demonstrator	Trade Item	Coordinators
August 2, 3 '08	Hammer In 2008	John Deere Historic Site, in Grand Detour	Roy Underhill and others	-	Terry Husted
Aug. 9, 10 ‘08	Summer Meeting	Edgerton	Robert Haverstock	Mixed Metal	Chris Hubbard Will Slagel
Nov. 8, ‘08	Fall Meeting	Centaur Forge Burlington, WI	Scholarship Paybacks	Something that Bumps In the Night	Joe Brannum Dave Brandon

Details

Aug 2, (Saturday) and 3 (Sunday), 2008 - Hammer In 2008, John Deere Historic Site, in Grand Detour, just north of Dixon, Illinois

Roy Underhill from PBS's the WoodWright's Shop will be our special guest. The theme is "The Partnership Between the Blacksmith and Woodwright". A large number of blacksmiths and other artisans will be actively demonstrating their skills to the public from 9 to 5 each day. Roy will provide demonstrations both days, with a special presentation after supper on Saturday. The Mastermyr Replica Project, a display of the 1000 year old Viking tool chest and tools will be at the event. A special auction will be held Saturday and a credit card machine will be available for the auction. Please bring lots of your handmade items for the public auction, as the proceeds go back to IVBA and UMBA, and to facilitate Roy's visit. A replica of the Mastermyr tool chest has been made by members of the committee and donated for the auction. Also, John C. Campbell Folk School has donated a free class (any subject, guaranteed seating, with room and board, good for one year) for us to raffle at the Hammer In. Tickets are available $5 each or 3 for $10, but the drawing will be Aug 3, around 5PM. If you have attended the Folk School, please bring a piece you made there for exhibit at the Display table. Also, there will be a special display of Little Giant Power Hammer to celebrate their 100th anniversary. ABANA will have a table set up. Tillers International is expected at the site. Blue Moon Press will have books available. Don't forget your tailgate items to be displayed in your demonstrating area. Make sure you bring some sort of cover for shade. Registrations are pouring in, make sure yours is in too. If you have not registered, look for a form in a previous newsletter, or online at ABANA and UMBA websites: http://www.abana.org/downloads/JD_HammerIn2008_Flyer.pdf and http://www.umbaonline.org/ and http://www.bios.niu.edu/hubbard/hammerin/hammerin.htm or by calling Terry Husted (217) 935-2483 or Email at plane4@davesworld.net. The goal of this event is focused on education of the public about blacksmithing, so please plan to be actively demonstrating your skills at the event. Thank you and look forward to hammering with you there - Hammer In 2008 Planning Committee.

Additional information about the John Deere Hammerin for August 2-3, '08

Aug. 9, 10 ‘08 - Summer Meeting at Edgerton with Robert Haverstock -

Meals and Meeting- Lunch will be 'build your own sandwich's' with cold cut lunch meat, bread, chips, dips, beans, cold drinks and fix-ins. Please bring a dish to pass. Saturday - after the Demo we will hold our board meeting, all members are welcome to sit in on this meeting. Sunday - a hot breakfast will be served starting about 7:00am at the Blacksmith shop, please let the person at the sign in table on Saturday know if you will be doing lunch or breakfast with us, we need a head count so we do not run short of food.

Demonstration - A comment from Robert - "I have been blacksmithing since the early 1990's after Joby Spencer introduced me to blacksmithing at a local steamshow, I have been hooked ever since. I grew up on a small dairy farm in central Illinois and worked in heavy industry for 25 years, and later as a toolmaker. I was and still am fascinated by how hot steel can be shaped. I found out that it is not magic, but skill, knowledge, and preparation that goes into a forging, plus a bit of your personality. I have been lucky enough to have demonstrated at BAM and PBA conferences. I thank you for asking me to demonstrate for you in 2008. My demonstration will be about flypresses and flypress work. I will address setup, lubrication and use of the fly press. I will do a lot of cold work to make a gazing ball stand. I will do several hot work demo's to show techniques and basic tooling. I will spend some time chiseling small tiles, and will touch on working copper and other thin gauge materials. If there is time, I may weld and forge a roller chain billet."

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