THE FOOTHILLS OF THE CAROLINAS BLACKSMITH GUILD

* Note: This page is under construction. "Please pardon our dust while we adjust."

NOTES OF IMPORTANCE:

SAFETY FIRST
MEETING INFORMATION - parking, what to bring, etc.
ARCHIVED ARTICLES

SAFETY FIRST AND FOREMOST

At Foothills of the Carolinas Blacksmith Guild, we want you to have fun learning and practicing the art of blacksmithing. The first thing we all have to learn and remember is the importance of steadfast safety rules for working in and around the fires and extremely hot metals. Other safety issues such as the proper handling, quenching, and testing of hot metal will be discussed at the beginning of every demonstration.

In the blacksmith shop:

First and foremost: WEAR THE PROPER CLOTHING!!!

Cotton rules! Wear long cotton jeans or pants and a cotton shirt! Remember that you are working with extremely hot metals which cause sparks to fly - sparks on synthetic fabrics can cause some "powerful burns".

Shirts MUST be tucked in.

Shoes should be leather, preferably a leather steel toed boot, but leather sneakers or tennis shoes are ok as long as the laces are not synthetic.

Ball caps and/or a welder's cap are great, but optional - again, no synthetics!

If you come to a fire at Foothills of the Carolinas Blacksmith Guild in improper or dangerous clothing, you possibly will not be allowed to work in the fire.

SAFETY GLASSES ARE A MUST!!!

A good pair of safety glasses can be purchased at Jackson Welding, Andy Oxy, Lowes, Home Depot and various other supply houses. The cost of a good pair of safety glasses should be in the neighborhood of $5.00.

There are safety glasses available at the meetings for use for first timers or, in "emergency situations", but remember FCBG requires that you purchase your own !

BREATHING MASKS are optional and a personal preference, however, they are recommended. Again, there is a small supply available but you are encouraged to purchase your own, if you choose to use them.

In the welding shop:

Welder's helmets are available on site. If you are welding or working near someone else who is welding, you are REQUIRED to use a helmet.

If you are not working on a welding project, you are requested to vacate the immediate area until the welding is completed. Remember, the arc from welding WILL burn your eyeballs and cause serious damage!

When using the drills and grinders:

Again, here SAFETY GLASSES are required.

When using the grinders, a FACE SHIELD is also required. There is one available for use on site.

A few other pointers:

Remember to STAY HYDRATED - drink lots of water- bottled water and cold drinks are available at all meetings and demonstrations.

You may want to consider a sun block product for your face and arms since you are working very close to the fire at times.

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JUST A FEW MEETING REMINDERS:
(The meeting schedule is located on the Home Page.)

Convenient parking is available. Please remember to be considerate of the Tryon Arts & Crafts facility by not blocking acces to any of their other areas.

You are required to bring your own materials. A good source for metal is Jackson Steel in Hendersonville. Their phone number is 828-692-2265. Tryon Arts & Crafts also has a small supply of these materials on site and available for your purchase at the meetings. Following is a list of basic steel needs:

Arrow Heads - 1/4 X 3/4 X 36" flat stock
J Hooks - 1/4 X 36" square stock
Leaves - 3/8 X 36" round stock

Be sure to bring your own bagged lunch. Drinks will be available on site. There are also several restaurants and fast food establishments within a short radius of the Tryon Arts & Crafts facility.

We encourage our members to bring any items that they have made for our "SHOW AND TELL" portion of our business meeting. We will have a table set up for them to be displayed.

"Tailgating" - our definition is: A time to bring excess blacksmith items to sell, such as tongs, hammers, chisels or even some of your own creations.

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OPEN FORGES AT EACH MEETING:

We will have two forges set up for newcomers. We will be concentrating on teaching the basics here. The progression is as follows, arrowhead, j-hook, leaf. You will be learning how to safely come in and out of the fire and basic hammer technique. You will also walk away with finished pieces.

Weather permitting, there can be as many as three forges open for the more experienced, if needed.

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Archived Articles

CROSS PRESENTED AT CAMP MERRY TIMES

The Guild proudly presented the cross, hand forged by Guild members, to Camp Merry Times at their dedication ceremony.

Each year, Camp Ton-A-Wandah hosts Camp Merry Times for the Friends of Santa Claus non-profit organization. Founded by Ted and Barbara Van Thullenar in 1993, Friends of Santa Claus provides emotional and financial support to children with cancer and their families. Volunteer counselors strive to make a difference in the lives of these courageous children ages 4-18, and their siblings. The camp is supported by physicians, oncology nurses and child life specialists who are on the premise round-the-clock to provide medical care.

Although other Guild members actually participate in some of the work on the cross, the Guild members who designed and completed the majority of the work on the cross were Tom Boyd, John Etnire, and Rudy Hinkle.

The first picture below is the cross on public display at Hand in Hand Gallery in Flat Rock, NC, prior to the ceremony. The second picture below features Father Patrick Stenson, accepting the cross on behalf of Camp Merry Times, from Guild Vice-President John Etnire, Guild founder George Matthews, and Guild President William "Scotty" Scott; Guild Sec/Treas. Melissa Ringler was also present for the ceremony but is not pictured here because she was the photographer for this shot. Guild members Tom Boyd and Rudy Hinkle were unable to be present at the dedication ceremony but were heralded for their participation in constructing the cross.

Please see the Albums Page for additional pictures.

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