Smokey Mountain Hammer In

[Scott Roush]

So I went to my first Hammer In last week at Haywood Community college near the Smokey Mountains National Park.   You folks that are burning to learn... go to a hammer in!!!!  I learned so much last week that I'm about to bust. I went in Mossanimal and came out Lin and Karl. Absolutely not. But I'm at least on a better path now. The problem is time.  I need more time to put everything I learned into action.  

I spent a lot of time picking the brains of Jason Knight and Burt Foster. I also spent a lot of time watching them forge... they were both in a competition to forge a knife from bar stock to finish in 2 hours. They both made incredible Brute De Forge syle bowie/choppers. Very humbling to watch them do such quality work in so little time.

They also had coal forges set up and I got to spend a lot of time with a hammer and a bunch of great folk to help out.

I also met Tippit. The ugliest man I've ever seen. Just kidding!  Nice to meet you and your impressive Brute de Forge.

Anyway... I also got a chance to help make a damascus billet with the New Jersey 'Steel Baron' and I lost the pictures... Very disappointing. It was very informative to watch a piece of slag fly into a guy's palm and stick. Glad it wasn't me. The real take home message here though was this: I need a power hammer.

Here are a few of the pictures that made it home... The Smokey's were in rare form:

 

If you ever get to Asheville, make sure you go to the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest... one of the last virgin stands of hemlocks and tulip poplars left.  Many trees as big as that one...  

 

 

 

 

Jason Knight doing a forging demo...
 


The forging classroom at Haywood:
 

The Masters... Who can name these fellas?

 

[Lin Rhea]

The picture is a little small, but I am pretty sure I can tell you a couple. Around the white table, L to R Greg Neely in the black jacket, Jim Rodebaugh brown jacket, Cant tell who the next two are. Next is Jason Knight. The guy on this end of the table, I think is Dr Jim Batson, but since he's looking the other way, I could be wrong. Again, I reserve the right to be wrong about some of them. Lin

[kbaknife]

Glad you got to meet Aldo - he's my main man.
And I had a nice email exchange with Burt just today.
You hit it right and I'm glad you had the chance to meet a bunch or great guys.
That Battle of the Bladesmiths was a long time coming and I'm sorry I missed it.
You no doubt had the chance to meet Bill Wiggins as well. He was one of the promoters and an acquaintance of mine as well.
I get my 1084 from Aldo and my 1095 from Bill.
Don't ever miss the chance to hit a hammer-in if there's one close enough.
Just meeting the people is enough reason to go.

[Steve Nuckels]

Scott, glad you could go, I know you had a great time!

You are a talented photographer!  I enjoyed the pictures!

The third master from the left may be Mr. A.G. Barnes!  Not sure, but I know he attended.

Steve
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Potomac Forge
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IN GOD WE TRUST

[Scott Roush]

Aldo was great... we spent a lot of time talking and he invited me to help with his damascus making. I will be getting 1084 from him from now on.

I'm going to another one this august... the one in Troy, Ohio.  Where do my parents live? Troy, Ohio.  I'm gonna try to do some lessons with the SOFA smiths while I'm there.

You got it Lin... the two you didn't get, I didn't get a chance to meet.

Karl... Burt had a stainless/high carbon laminated chopper that was one of the most beautiful knives I've seen.  I can't wait to learn more about that process.

I saw Bill quite a bit... but he was a whirlwind and I never really got a chance to chat.

Another thing that was great about this event.. for me at least... was a kid who was there working on sheaths. I learned enough in 10 minutes watching him work to completely overhaul the way I will make sheaths from now on...

[Scott Roush]

The third guy from the left was from the north and a city guy... I can't remember his name... I just remember one of his quotes 'I think all of you guys are crazy. Knives aren't meant to be used. They are meant to be cuddled' Or something like that.  He was NOT a hunter.  The bald guy next to him was a herpetologist as well as a bladesmith. I can't remember his name either....

[LAR43]

Aldo's one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet.
AND . . . his 1084 is top shelf!!

Larry

[Scott Roush]

Yeah... he was great.

Another thing about this hammer in that really made it amazing... Jason Knight's seminar on design... very hard to summarize his ideas but great insight into how to draw out your ideas and how to become inspired, etc.

[kbaknife]

Scott, that's kind of a bummer - I've been going to the Troy Hammer-in for the last four years and has become one of my favorites.
The SOFA blacksmiths have one heck of a set-up for facilities and it's one of the nicest I've ever been to.
But this year I have my Boundary Waters Canoe Area trip scheduled the same week, so I'll miss it and won't get to meet you.
Maybe some other time.

[Lin Rhea]

The Herpetologist is probably Terry Vanderventer from Mississippi. Lin

[Scott Roush]

that's it... he was from Mississippi.

Too bad Karl.... I'm jealous of your BWCA trip though... one more year and my son will be old enough to go.  I plan to make a Boundary Water's set of knives and hatchet I can take when I'm able to start going again.  Have fun!

[tippit]

I've been in Aiken all week and not near a computer.  The GSMBS was another great show.  I was very impressed with Jason Knight.  He is a great teacher with some refreshing ideas.  Come to find out he lives 1 1/2 hour south of me here in Aiken and he gives private lessons and compltely devote the enire day to what ever you wnt to learn.  I'm definitely going to take him up on that!  

Also spent time with Jack Fuller MS.  It's just amazing how helpful everyone is with tips & tricks they use.  This was my second year and both times my knife making has taken a huge jump...tippit