BAM meeting July 2014, and what you can get for a dollar!

It was a beautiful day in Nettleton, Missouri, where Phil and Margie  hosted the July meeting. 

Phil and Margie's friend, Joni Loxterman baked some fantastic cakes for the lunch dessert, including this anvil cake. 

 There were demos by Phil himself.

Plenty of chairs were set up both inside and out for the 87 attendees.

Sheri and Bob (that's "Bob the Knife") were celebrating their 46th wedding anniversary. Way to go guys.  May God bless you all with many more.

Lunch was delicious, it included BBQ beef, Phil's famous baked beans, chips, and many desserts. 

 The trade item was a back scratcher. 

As usual "Iron in the Hat" draws a lot of attention. For a dollar you get a raffle ticket and drop it in the cup for the item of your choice. 

Karen even won Nathan Robertson's  100 Bradley trip hammer in the "Iron in the Hat" raffle. She was one happy girl!!


(Just kidding Nathan!)

Thank you Phil and Margie for a great day, great food, and genuine camaraderie.

July BAM meeting at Malta Bend

The July BAM meeting was held in Malta Bend on July 13th, at Doug Clemons shop.

We arrived the evening before and helped with a few last minute details. Doug already had his shop ready to go, including lots of coolers full of ice cold drinks for the expected heat wave.

 The chairs filled up early. Total attendance was over 60.

Bernie was the demonstrator. He demoed 18th century pipe tongs, for lighting clay pipes and an 18th century skewer holder and skewer set.  Here "Striker Bob" helps Bernie out. No wait, that is "Bobby Bob"!

Don Nichols showcases his flowers with his jar vase holder.

The trade item was a camp fire poker. 

Nancy and Doug served pulled pork from Smith's Food Bank in Slater Missouri. Yum, Yum!!!

 Lunch was enjoyed by all.

After lunch, blacksmith/sewing machine repair man extraordinaire Phil worked on Osage Bluff Quilter's vintage Elna machine.

 Also after lunch, the business meeting was held.

Ned Digh presented Mike Gentzsch and Ken Jansen with the golden screw award. They had both recently received bodily injures through "interesting" circumstances and survived. 

After the meeting Phil demonstrated his refurbished, rebuilt Singer leather sewing machine. He forged all the iron work for the table and added a wooden top. 

BAM meetings are always such a great time; good fellowship, good food, and good friends.  

BAM meeting at Phil's

The BAM group met at Phil's shop in Hamilton, Missouri for their November meeting. It was a great turnout.  Over 75 blacksmiths and spouses attended. The weather was beautiful and the hosts were fabulous. 

It was one of the biggest turn outs for the trade item exchange that we have ever had. It was to be a toasting fork, at least 18 inches long.

 Note the two that are standing on a base. 

See the one holding zucchinis.   Guess you have to be a blacksmith in this group to understand why. However today these two were a present for Phil's birthday, courtesy of Karen!

One of the first demonstrators was Ken showing how to use a fly press.

 While the blacksmiths were inside . . . 

  . . . the lunch ladies were outside. (Except for some of the ladies that escaped to Missouri Star quilt shop in town.)

Lunch was Phil's awesome baked beans, chips, grilled hot dogs, toast your own marshmallows,  and lots of desserts. There were 2 chocolate sheet cakes, 2 apple kuchen  and even a chocolate zucchini cake!

The line was long, but went went quickly.

This is why a toasting fork was needed. Roast your own lunch.

Here's our great host, Margie and Phil. He was actually getting some marshmallow off of her face . . .    Right Phil!

After lunch and the business meeting, my blacksmith demonstrated basic building and management of a coal fire in the forge, as there were several new smiths there. He also demonstrated chain making.

It was a awesome day, good weather, good friends, good fellowship, and even some good tail gating going on. Thanks Margie and Phil.

BAM meeting June 2012 Hamms Prairie Mo

The meeting was hosted by Ned and Esther Digh. It is always a good time, with good friends, great fellowship, and awesome food when they host. 

Osage Bluff blacksmith was the demonstrator for the June meeting. He demoed how to make a shovel form, a pipe tomahawk, a dogwood flower, a bottle opener, and a candle holder. His friend Terry was his assistant. Here they are double striking. That is always a crowd attention getter.

It was a nice size crowd over 40 blacksmiths watching and learning. 

 Gosh, I love this blacksmith! 

Here is the dogwood flower just after being coated with beeswax.

Lunch donations were good. Esther and Ned always ask for canned meat products for their local food pantry as payment for the lunch that they serve. 

This was just the toppings for beef or chicken taco salads. I forgot to take a picture of the dessert table. You will just have to trust me that it was good. . . chocolate sheet cake, butterscotch no bake cookies, pound cake, and chocolate cake with white icing. 

The blacksmith's wives all pitch in to help, aka the "lunch ladies".

We were serenaded during lunch by this group who played great 70's style music. 

The trade item today was a shoe horn. 

Here's a close up of a few:

This was the one the Osage Bluff blacksmith made, a fire breathing dragon. 


It was a great meeting, the next one will be in July near Lesterville, Mo. Hope to see you there!

The BAM meeting was held March 17, at Hank Knickmeyer's shop in Cedar Hill.  Hank is a world famous maker of knives and pattern welded steel.  His demo for the day was "canned" damascus.  John Murray also demoed his hammer making technique.

The trade item for this meeting was a "multipurpose tool". 

Spork by Steven eikerman.

Hammer/tack puller by Pat McCarty.

Twisting wrench, many sizes to choose from.

OSB made a pair of tongs.  Not only would it hold various sizes of stock, it will open your beer or your wine bottles.

Muzzle loader shooters will recognize this tool, a pick/screw driver/flint knapper.  Made by Bob Triphohn

Bob Stormer made a knife with a bottle opener on the back side.  It was made from a horseshoe. 

George Rousis made a key ring from old wrought iron that featured three sizes of drilled holes, a bottle opener and a screw driver.  OSB was very happy to be the recipient of this item.

A lot of conversing (BS) goes on at these meetings. 

It was a beautiful sunny day, that is until just as we finished lunch. The sky opened up and it poured then!

A great meeting, Thanks Hank and Bonita!