Houston
Area
Blacksmith's
Association
7418 Branch Point
Houston, TX 77095-2649
2005
Board of Directors
Richard Boswell
27923 FM 2978
Magnolia, TX
77354
281-356-5205
Tee Hines
281-356-1340
and Secretary
Dave Koenig
281-855-2869
Cathy Porter
8127 N. FM 1291
Fayetteville, TX 78940
979-249-5414
and Board Member
Les Cook
281-481-2457
James Porter
713-582-9496
Tim Bailey
713-398-4086
Mark Finstad
713-528-0452
Ed Malmgren
713-673-3286
On Line
Resources
ABANA
ABANA Demonstrator Guideline
North Texas
Blacksmiths Association
Balcones Forge
Louisiana Metalsmiths
Association
Maps
Basic Forging Process and Practice
Dave Koenig
Tudoor Forge in Magnolia
Our September meeting location is changed to Tudor Forge near Magnolia, TX. The focus of this meeting is to demonstrate and practice basic forging techniques. Beginners can get exposed to basic forging processes and the more experienced can practice skill development and coach.
If you have a portable forge, please bring it to Tudor Forge and fire it up.
Dave Koenig will demonstrate basic forging techniques as described in the Controlled Hand Forging articles which appeared in ABANA’s Hammer’s Blow articles the last few years. Rather than focusing on making something at this meeting the goal is to practice forging process. Learning forging process and improving/identifying skill levels are the ‘meat and potatoes’ of the articles.As most of you know, every ‘how to’ blacksmithing book teaches the basics. And, as with everything else, there is more than one way to do something. Some ways are more efficient than others...but which ones. The ABANA Educational Program Committee set-out to address that question. The committee includes the following people: Dan Nauman, Jay Close, Bob Fredell, Peter Ross, Tom Latané and Doug Wilson. These people know how to forge! They will also be the frist to tell you they learned a lot about forging process as they worked together writing the articles.
Dave plans to demonstrate how to forge square and round tapers, drawing down (Changing the cross section of a bar for example from half inch square to one quarter by five eighths inch.), and spreading.
Plan now to attend and bring your forge and tools for a day of fun and comraderie with hot iron in the woods. Our Training Progression will be a good source of material to review in advance.
When & Where :
SATURDAY, September 17 :
The schedule looks like this, rain or shine:
- 8:00 am : Sign in and setup
- 9:00am : HABA Meeting and Announcements
- 9:30 am : Begin Demo
- 12:00 pm : Lunch break
- 5:00 pm : Conclude
Where :
Tudor Forge on Tudor Way off 249 south of Magnolia
Directions
Take 249 NW from Houston. Travel north through the towns of Tomball, Decker Prairie and Pinehurst. At Pinehurst 249 changes to 1774. Stay on 1774. About three miles ahead on 1774 look for a Shell station on the west side of the road. One half mile past the Shell station, turn left or west on Tudor Way. There is a small white realtor office on the corner and a sign for High Meadow Ranch. You will find the forge about a mile down the road.
From the intersection of 1488 and 1774 in Magnolia, go south on 1774 about 4 miles. Look for Tudor Way just after the Country Jamboree building. If you see the Shell station you went too far.
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What to Bring
A Forge: Bring your portable forge and tools if you can.
Material: Half inch square stock....three or four pieces twenty four inches long suggested...or whatever you have.
Something for the Show-N-Tell table. Bring something you made, purchased found, etc...
Maybe a small item you made or a piece of stock for Iron-In-The-Hat.
Something for lunch unless you plan to visit a local eatery.
Safety Glasses with Side Shields: These are required at all of our working meetings. If you plan to do some forging, bring any other safety equipment you will need for the job. Gloves and hearing protection are also highly recommended.
Something To Sit On: Bringing one of your own improves your odds of having one when you need it.
A Friend: This will be rather special meeting so invite that new person you just met who expressed an interest in the craft. Let that person know what is planned for August.
NOTE: Membership renewal begins January 1, 2005. Note that joining/renewal is prorated at $10 beginning in June 2005.
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.
ABOUT TUDOR FORGE
Tudor Forge started in the driveway of Dave Koenig's home in Kay County, Oklahoma in 1979. He built a forge with a crank blower and made an anvil from oil field junk. He bought a bag of coal and after several attempts had a coal fire burning. He heated up a steel bar and began hammering on it to see what would happen. There was nothing more or less to that first attempt to change the shape of a steel bar with a hammer and anvil.
The Koenig's returned to Houston at the start of 1980 and Dave learned
that Joe Pehoski was teaching blacksmithing near Washington, TX. Dave
attended a couple of Joe's classes and joined the Artist Blacksmith's
Association of North America (ABANA). The passion for forging began.In 1982 Dave purchased some land in Montgomery, County TX and built a pole building that is now called Tudor Forge. At the time there was no electricity available within a couple of miles so the shop was built without electricity. That means all but a few pieces of wood were cut with a hand saw.
Tudor Forge became a weekend retreat. Dave joined the Texas Artist Blacksmith's Association,TABA, now Balcones Forge, attended some ABANA Conferences and continued to increase his knowledge of forging through books, ABANA publications and demonstrations.
Tudor Forge remained inactive from 1985 to 1988 when the family lived in the Middle East. The overseas assignment kept Dave away fromTudor Forge but did not stop the smithing related reading. It was also a time to see first-hand some of the old ironwork in many other parts of the world.
Once back in Houston, smoke was again pouring out of Tudor Forge on weekends. Paying jobs were really non-existant but bent iron in the form of gifts and auction items and an increasing scrap pile came out of the shop.
About 1996 Dave began smithing for the public at parks and for other non-profit organizations. This work continues today. He retired in 1997 and began devoting more and more time to the art and craft of blacksmithing. He started the Houston Area Blacksmith's Association, HABA, and served as its president until 2003. He now serves on the ABANA Board of Directors and is the Conference Chairperson for the 2004 ABANA Conference in Richmond, KY.
Tudor Forge is pretty much the same place it was 20 years ago. There is still no power at the shop and probably will never be. Tudor forge is a place to experience traditional blacksmithing. It's a place for a person to step up to a fire, heat a piece of metal and using a hammer and anvil and hand tools create something completely new. The opportunities to creatre are endless. Forging is a test of a person's skill and willingness to learn something new. Tudor Forge is a place to preserve and promote the art and craft of blacksmithing.
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