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To Preserve and Promote the Art and Craft of Blacksmithing Through Education.

Welcome to HABAIRON.ORG, the website of the Houston Area Blacksmith's Association, the Internet resource of choice for the blacksmith in and around Houston, Texas. We have the technology!

July 15, 2006

Cool Art (Forged Jewelry) for the Smith

HABA hosted HMAG members at its March meeting at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. This is HABA members’ opportunity to learn something about working with nonferrous metal. Forged jewelry and jewelry making predates the craft of blacksmithing by thousands of years.

Mike Bahm and his Forged Jewelry The second half of our joint meeting with HMAG was Saturday July 15th, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the U of Houston (indoors, air-conditioned, hence COOL!) in the Fine Arts Building, Room 122. Specific details are on our page Forged Jewelry.

HMAG volunteers Rachel Clark and Chris Gorman demonstrated solder techniques and how to bezel set stones. We are also grateful to HMAG/HABA volunteers Nitza Maor, Gina Millunzi, Karin Martin, and Dottie Wood who provided the materials for the bezels and the cabochons and solder. They also added their special tips and methods for the basic soldering techniques and provided the handouts and materials to allow everyone to practice and take home their samples as well.

HMAG also showed us how to do the ferrous/non-ferrous soldering. Tee Hines brought a bag of well made carbon steel square nails with the head of the nail at least 1/2 " in diameter to accommodate the stone's bezel. We attached our bezels with set stones to the nail heads using silver solder.

HABA Forgered Jewelry Examples

Some of the tools we learned about and used were:
  • Prong Pusher
  • Bezel Roller
  • Burnishers
  • Silver Bezel Wire
  • Silver Solder

Houston Metal Arts Guild (HMAG) of Houston. HMAG is the HABA equivalent for jewelers. HABA hosted the first meeting at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Our first meeting with HMAG was in March and is featured on our web page BIG FIRE, BIG HAMMERS...

Two web pages of photos are avaliable at


Here are some web sites for more information on the techniques, materials, and tools....


What to Bring

Bring your safety glasses and any jewelry tools you may have. A head visors with magnifying lens if you have them might be helpful for the stone setting work. Bring a sack lunch or decide to visit one of the fast food places in the area. A sack lunch would be more fun!

HABA will provide some forged nails.

HMAG will provide coffee, snacks and water.

When & Where :

Saturday, July 15 :

The schedule looks like this for Saturday morning:

  • 10:00 am : Sign in
  • 3:00 pm : Conclude


Where :

University of Houston in the Fine Arts Building, Room 122.

Directions to the Fine Arts building from I-45 South (downtown)

- exit Cullen
- turn right on Cullen
- turn left into UH Entrance 16
- after the stop sign, Fine Arts is the second building on the right (the first building is inset from the road)

Parking

Park in the parking lot across the street from the Fine Arts Building. Should you get turned around down there, ask people where the Blaffer Gallery is. The Blaffer Gallery is in the Fine Arts Building and is more well known than the Fine Arts Building.


What to Bring

Bring your safety glasses and any jewelry tools you may have. A head visors with magnifying lens if you have them might be helpful for the stone setting work. Bring a sack lunch or decide to visit one of the fast food places in the area. A sack lunch would be more fun!

HABA will provide some forged nails.

HMAG will provide coffee, snacks and water.

You do not have to be a member to attend our meetings! Bring a Guest!

Bring your Membership Dues if you want to work at a forge and are not a current Member !

Minors are welcome but must be accompanied by a responsible adult.



Notes about this Website

This website is Under Development and will continue to evolve for HABA Members.

The use any of the material from this site is at your own risk. All persons associated with this material disclaim any responsibility or liability for damages or injuries resulting from the use or application of this information. They assume no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, fitness, proper design, safety or safe use of any information presented here.

Please send all feedback/correction/omission/suggestions to your webmaster, Richard Boswell .
Enjoy!

http://www.habairon.org
http://www.habairon.com
Last updates were on July 16, 2006

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