2012 BFC MEETINGS
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JANUARY MEETING
Demonstrator: John Medwedeff ()
Content: Forging Steel and Bronze, Design, Frabication and Finnishing of Sculptural Pieces
Location: Lightning Forge, 4757 Plum St Murray, UT 84123 (map located at the bottom)
Date & Time: January 14th 9:00-6:00 and 15th 9:00-1:00 (registration will start at 8:30)
Fee: $25.00
Note: Bring something for the Iron in the Hat or the Auction. There will be an Iron Trade for those that also bring something for either the Iron in the Hat or the Auction.

BIOGRAPHY
John Medwedeff has been producing site-specific public sculpture, sculptural fountains, architectural ironwork, and furniture for over 25 years. His work is represented in private and public collections including the John Deere Collection, the Metal Museum, the Illinois State Museum, the University School of Nashville, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
In 2009 John Medwedeff: Sculptor & Metalsmith, a one-person exhibition, was held at the University Museum at SIU Carbondale. This exhibition was curated by Nate Steinbrink. Maquettes of his recent sculpture (Wellspring and Willow) are featured in the Iron 2010: A Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Blacksmithing exhibition which began at the Metal Museum in Memphis and is now travelling to several venues.
Experiences and memories of landscapes and rivers from his youth in Tennessee and adult life in the Midwest influence the shape and form of John's work. Childhood travels to Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Egypt, Greece, Germany, India, and Alaska exposed him to a range of culture, geology, art, and architecture. At 19 he began a 3-year blacksmithing apprenticeship with Jim Wallace at the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, TN and afterwards earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from SIU Carbondale.
Concurrent with running his studio, John has curated exhibitions, taught sculpture and blacksmithing workshops at numerous craft schools, and lectured at universities and symposia across the country. His art has been featured in Ironwork Today 2 by Jeffrey Snyder (2008); Metall Design 2006, produced by the German metal arts journal Hephaistos; Direct Metal Sculpture and Ironwork Today by Dona Meilach; and the journals Sculpture, Art & Antiques, Architectural Digest, and Metalsmith. He has also written the forward for and has work included in "From Fire to Form, Sculpture from the Modern Blacksmith and Metalsmith" published in March, 2009. WTTW Chicago and WSIU Carbondale recently featured John in Arts Across Illinois and WSIU In Focus in-depth public television programs about his life and work.
He lives with his wife and son in Southern Illinois.

MARCH MEETING

Demonstrator: Mark Henderson
Content: Mark will be demonstrating his large Russian rose
Location: 275 S. 400 E. Salem, Utah 84653
Date & Time: Saturday 3rd, 9:00 AM
Fee: TBA
Note: Bring something for the Iron Trade and Iron in the Hat.

MAY MEETING

Demonstrator: Lee Pearson
Content: Bronze Sand Casting
Location: Utah Renaissance Festival. Millcreek Hollow, located at 3109 W. Pioneer Road, Marriott-Slaterville.
Date & Time: Saturday 19th, 10:00 AM
Fee: Admission will be free into the festival for BFC members current on their dues. There will be a $5.00 per person charge for the materials for the sand casting. You can bring your family or someone else that is not a BFC member but they will need to pay for their own ticket. Tickets will be $12 for adults, $2 off for senior citizens, military, federal employees or patrons in garb. Children will be $6 for 6 to 12 and 5 and under will be free.
Note: Bring something for the Iron Trade. More info about the Renaissance Festival can be found at

JULY MEETING

Demonstrators: Shane Hall and Mark Schramm
Content: Breif history about nails. Forging a nail header and nails
Location: Mt. Pleasant Relic Home and Blacksmith Shop, 150 South State Street, Mount Pleasant, UT
Date & Time: July 28th, 9:00 AM
Fee: $12
Iron Trade: Something used in the kitchen
Note: Bring a forging hammer, tongs for 1/4" and 5/8" square if you have them and safety glasses

SEPTEMBER CONFERENCE

Click here for more information about he BFC Conference

NOVEMBER MEETING

Demonstrators: Lonnie Jensen
Content: Locks
Location: 14460 N. 3100 W. Collinston, Utah
Date & Time: November 10th, 9:00 AM
Fee: $10-$20
Iron Trade: Something that can fit in your pocket
Note: Bring something for Iron in the Hat.
There will be a Pumpkin Shoot after the meeting. Bring any gun and ammo you have for the shoot. Pumpkins will be setup between 25 and 500 yards.

September 2012 Conference

Place: Lightning Forge (4757 Plum Street. Murray, UT 84123 )
Dates: 14th, 15th and 16th of September
Time: Registration will start at 8:00 am on the 14th (see full schedule below)

Dennis C. Manning

operates a horseshoeing and blacksmithing forge in rural northeastern Utah where all horseshoes and most tools are hand forged. Over the past three decades he has presented several clinics each year throughout the U.S., Canada. Recently he returned from Britain and has done clinics in Australia and Japan. Tool making has been the most popular with several groups holding multiple clinics as they built tools and their developed skills.
Mr. Manning has done extensive research on Mormon Iron Puzzle Hobbles, which has lead to a study individual pioneer blacksmiths and the blacksmithing processes of the nineteenth century. Restoring Little Giant Power Hammers is a sideline hobby.

Elmer Roush

has been operating a full time blacksmithing business since 1987 . His work has included specialized tools, 18th century style hardware, traditional and contemporary architectural work and a production line of candle holders, letter openers and fireplace tools. Today he pursues his interest in understanding how the skilled smiths of our past made the precisely forged implements for the trades.
Elmer began blacksmithing in 1970 and was self-taught for six years, after which he attended workshops at Arrowmont School of Crafts, Haystack School of Crafts and the John C. Campbell Folk School. He has also studied blacksmithing in what was Czechoslovakia under Master smith Vaclav Jaros.
Elmer has taught blacksmithing at a number of schools including Peters Valley, Touchstone, Appalachian Center for Crafts, and the John C. Campbell Folk School. He assisted in setting up the Cearta Inneona blacksmithing school in Ireland in 1999 and was head instructor and acting CEO for the school for a year.
Elmer recreates tools and implements using the time proven technologies that craftsmen from the earliest metal working period of our history would easily recognize. If a metal worker from ancient Babylon was time shifted into Elmer’s forge he would have no difficulty in recognizing most of the equipment and would surely delight in the improvements.