[ABS Webmaster]

2nd HEARTLAND BLADESMITHING SYMPOSIUM & KNIFE SHOW

October 1st and 2nd, 2011

Offered by the American Bladesmith Society, Inc.

Hosted by Kansas Custom Knifemakers Association

at Washburn Institute of Technology

Building D702

5724 SW Huntoon Street

Topeka, Kansas 66604

Schedule

Friday, 30 Sept, 4-6 pm...............................Check In & Registration
6-9 pm...............................Demonstrators Dinner, all attendees Invited

Saturday, 1 Oct, 7-8 am…………………...Registration
8-12 am…………………...Blade Forging & Demonstrations
1-3 pm...............................Blade Forging & Demonstrations
3-4 pm…………………...Knife Show open to public
4-5 pm…………………...Auction
7-9 pm…………………...ABS Cutting Demonstrations

Sunday, 2 Oct, 8-12 am...............................Blade Forging & Demonstrations


---Bring examples of your work for the knife show & auction---
---Knife Show Table fee is included in the Registration Fee---
---Registered Tail Gate Sales & Suppliers are welcome—


For more information contact Steve Culver at 785/484-0146 or sculver@americanbladesmith.com


Demonstrators

Steve Dunn – Smiths Grove, Ky……………………………. Fun Damascus Steel

Dan Petersen - Auburn, KS ……………………………….….Handles, Guards & Fixtures

Steve Culver -Meriden, KS …………………………….. Blade Forging, Grinding & Heat Treating

Russ Andrews – Sugar Creek , MO………………………Hand Finishing

Billy Ray Hughes - Texarkana, TX................................ ..ABS Judging Criteria & Auction

James Batson -Madison, AL........................................... ..Cutting Demo

Dave Sloan- Diller, NE………………………………………Hands-on Blade Forging

Cutting Demonstrations

Participate in the Bowie Knife Cutting Demonstrations. Bring a sharp Bowie knife, 15” or less in length with a blade no longer than 10”. The handle should be pinned & with a safety lanyard.

Please Pre-Register

Get your $55 Pre-Registration Fee in early. Also plan to attend Demonstrators Dinner on Friday night.

Pre-Register through the ………………ABS Store on www.americanbladesmith.com

……………….Or by phone 419/832-0400 & Credit Card

……………….Or by mailing the attached Registration form and check

For the knife enthusiast, knife collector and knife maker from beginner to Master.

Bring Knife Collections and examples of your work for the knife show & auction.

The knife show & auction on Saturday is free to the public

The knife show table fee is included in the Registration Fee.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mail-in Registration Form
2^nd Heartland Bladesmithing Symposium & Knife Show

First and Last Name______________________________________________________________

Address________________________________________________________________________

City______________________________________

State_____________________________________Zip Code______________________________

Telephone_________________________________

HOW MANY DEMONSTRATORS DINNERS?_____________

Enclose the $55 registration fee with the mail-in form.

Please make check or money order payable to American Bladesmith Society, Inc. and mail to:

American Bladesmith Society, Inc
ABS Office
P.O. Box 160
Grand Rapids, Ohio 43522


For questions contact ABS Office Manager Cindy Sheely (419) 832-0400 or cindy@americanbladesmith.com

[ABS Webmaster]

Steve Culver spent the weekend locating, visiting, and obtaining lodging information for the Heartland Hammer-In to help make your arrangements easier. This is the information that Steve has obtained below.

Thank you Steve!


Accomodations for the Heartland Hammer-In:

All of the hotels below are within a few blocks of the event site at the Washburn Institute of Technology.


Motel 6 - Topeka West
1224 Wanamaker Road SW
Topeka, KS 66604
(785) 273-9888

Quality Inn
1240 S. W. Wanamaker Rd.
Topeka, KS, US, 66604
Phone: (785) 273-6969

Country Inn & Suites
6020 SW 10th Street
Topeka KS 66615, USA
Reservations: 1-800-596-2375

Super 8 Topeka/Wanamaker
5968 S.W. 10th Ave.
I-70/470 Exit Wanamaker Rd
Topeka, KS 66604 US
Phone: (785) 273-5100

Comfort Suites
6213 SW 10th Street
Topeka, KS, US, 66615
Phone: (785) 246-6777

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites
901 SW Robinson Ave.
Topeka, KS 66606
Hotel Reservations : 1 800 315 2621
Hotel Front Desk : (785) 228-9500

Camping:
7.1 miles from the event site. No overnight camping is allowed on the WIT campus.

Capitol City KOA
1949 SW 49th
Topeka, KS 66609
Reservations: (800) 562-4793


Directions to the event:

DIRECTIONS: From the north, US 75 Highway, merge onto I-70 W/KS-4 W/US-40 W/US-75 S, Take exit 356 for Wanamaker Rd, Turn left onto SW Wanamaker Rd, Take the 3rd left onto SW Huntoon St, Drive .7 miles to destination, on left.

From the south, US 75 Highway, merge onto I-470 W, Take exit 1B for Wanamaker Rd, Turn right onto SW Wanamaker Rd, Take the 1st right onto SW Huntoon St, Drive .7 miles to destination, on left.

From the east,I-70, take exit 177 to merge onto I-470 W toward I-70/US-75/S Topeka, Take exit 1B for Wanamaker Rd, Turn right onto SW Wanamaker Rd, Take the 1st right onto SW Huntoon St Drive .7 miles to destination, on left.

From the west, I-70, take exit 355 to merge onto I-470 E/US-75 S, Take exit 1B for Huntoon St toward Wanamaker Rd, Turn left onto SW Huntoon St, Drive .8 miles to destination, on left.

[Steve Culver]

The Manager of the Quality Inn called me last night to say that she is offering attendees of the Symposium a special rate of $69.99 + tax. Tell them that you are attending the Heartland Symposium to get the special rate.

[ABS Webmaster]

The Final Schedule for the Heartland Symposium demonstrations is now available. This is an outstanding line-up of both demonstrators. Tell us if there are any specific areas that you want the demonstrators to cover during their presentations.


Final Schedule

2ND HEARTLAND BLADESMITHING SYMPOSIUM & KNIFE SHOW

Building D702, Washburn Institute of Technology, 5724 SW Huntoon Street, Topeka. KS 66604

Visit the Tail Gate Sales, Knife Suppliers, Demonstrations and the Hands on Forging.

Bring Auction Items to Auction Table. Show your Knives.
Knife Show & Auction are Open to the Public

FRIDAY, 30 September 2011

4-6 ​FORGE ---------------------------------REGISTRATION
6-9 ​CONFERENCE ROOM--------------DEMONSTRATOR'S DINNER, Everyone welcome

SATURDAY, 1 October 2011

7-8​ FORGE------------------------------REGISTRATION

8-10 FORGE -----------------------------BLADE FORGING with Steve Culver
CLASSROOM---------------------HANDLES & GUARDS with Dan Petersen
GREEN COAL--------------------HANDS ON FORGING with Dave Sloan

10-12 FORGE ----------------------------DAMASCUS STEEL with Steve Dunn
CLASSROOM---------------------HAND FINISHING with Russ Andrews
GREEN COAL--------------------HANDS ON FORGING with Jim Bevin

12-1 LUNCH

1-3 FORGE ------------------------------BLADE GRINDING with Steve Culver
CLASSROOM----------------------DAMASCUS PATTERNS with Steve Dunn
GREEN COAL---------------------HANDS ON FORGING with Russ Andrews

3-4 CONFERENCE ROOM----------KNIFE EXHIBITION & KNIFE SHOW with ALL
4-5​ CONFERENCE ROOM---------AUCTION with Colonel Billy Ray Hughes

ITEMS DONATED by ATTENDEES—See at Auction Table

PROCEEDS GO TO AMERICAN BLADESMITH SOCIETY. Donations are tax deductible.


7- 9 FORGE-----------------------------CUTTING DEMONSTRATIONS with ALL



SUNDAY, 2 October 2011


8-10 FORGE-------------------------------DAMASCUS STEEL with Steve Dunn
CLASSROOM-----------------------HANDLES & GUARDS with Dan Petersen
GREEN COAL----------------------HANDS ON FORGING with Jim Batson

10-12 FORGE-------------------------------BLADE HEAT TREATING & TESTING with Steve Culver
CLASSROOM-----------------------ABS JUDGING CRITERIA with Billy Ray Hughes


12 ​ CLOSING CEREMONY



HAVE A SAFE JOURNEY HOME
&
GOD BLESS

[BrionTomberlin]

Looking forward to it. I will definitely be there. Steve if you need any help just ask.

Brion

[Steve Culver]

We held the first Heartland Symposium at my shop last year; with 50 registered attendees. It went extremely well, but our concern for space if the attendance got any larger prompted us to look for another site for the event. The Washburn Institute of Technology has invited us to hold the Heartland Symposium on the school's campus.

The WIT campus is within a few blocks of numerous motels and also Topeka's main shopping and restaurant area. So, there is plenty to do for spouses who do not want to hang around the campus all weekend. There is ample parking around the facility and a great space for vendors to set up.

Washburn University is allowing us to use the WIT campus at no cost to the ABS. So, if you have the chance to thank any of the school's administrators during the event, it would be nice to show our appreciation.

The majority of the shop demos will be in the school's Welding Shop. The Welding Shop area includes a classroom, where some of the non- shop demos will be held. Some demos may be in the classroom of the adjoining Machine Shop.

Dr. Jim has me down for blade forging, blade grinding and blade heat-treating and testing. That's a lot to accomplish in a few hours. I guess he hasn't heard that I'm a slow worker. I know Jimmy Crowell pulls this off at hammer-ins all the time. I suppose I'll have to step it up a bit!!

For those who have previously seen a blade forging and heat treating demo, I don’t know that I have any new methods to show. But, I think I have a unique way of explaining the blade grinding process that may be helpful to some. I will be using my KMG grinder for the demo. I have modified this machine to make it capable of more precise grinding and to also perform grinds that it was not originally designed to do. I'll bring the attachments that I have built for this machine and explain their uses.

[ABS Webmaster]

Last year the Heartland Bladesmithing Symposium was the first ABS Hammer-In in Kansas with some great demonstrations and this year Jim Batson and Steve Culver have planned to present even more at the new site at Washburn Institute of Technology in Topeka.

Below are some video clips that I filmed at last year's Heartland Bladesmithing Symposium:

[Dan Petersen]

All,

I hope a number of you can make it to the Heartland Bladesmithing Symposium. As one of the older master smiths, I get to do the handles and guards workshop. This is a workshop I have wanted to do for quite awhile and it has give me a chance to put together a really useful presentation. I have been spending some time putting the demo together. It involves some photos of knives and their handle construction in a powerpoint and actual demonstration pieces to show the process. I have even been trying to put a task breakdown together on a handout listing all the steps. Given enough time I would like to cover hidden tang handle construction and frame handle construction. Hopefully, there will be lots of visual aids to convey the processes involved. Handle construction to my way of viewing things is both a design (esthetic)and a technical construction process. I look forward to your participation and feedback.

Dan Petersen

[BrionTomberlin]

Sounds great,Steve and Dan, I look forward to it. I hope I am able to see both of the presentations. I will see you there.

Brion

[ABS Webmaster]

The proof for the T-Shirt for the 2011 Heartland Bladesmithing Symposium is pictured below:

[BrionTomberlin]

I like the look of that shirt. I will have to get one before they sell out this time. Looking forward to it.
Brion

[Steve Culver]

Uncle Al Lawrence, of Riverside Machine Shop, will be coming to the Heartland Symposium with his knifemaking tools and materials!! Be sure to visit Al and pick up all of your knifemaking supplies!

Thanks Al!!!

[ABS Webmaster]

There is a lot of interest in the 2nd Heartland Bladesmithing Symposium set for this weekend of October 1st and 2nd. Yesterday, Master Smiths Steve Culver and Dan Petersen were invited guests on the Topeka TV Station WIBW show "13 News @4pm" and discussed the upcoming Heartland Bladesmithing Symposium with WIBW TV news anchor Ralph Hipp.

Congratulations and thank you to Steve and Dan.

[ABS Webmaster]

The demonstrations at the Heartland were outstanding and I learned some new techniques. It was great to get together with both new and old friends in the ABS. The facilities and staff at Washburn Technical College were outstanding and their Culinary Arts Department prepared a delicious dinner for the Friday night Demonstrators Dinner.

Thank you to Steve Culver who was the ABS Heartland Hammer-In coordinator and to the Kansas Custom Knife Makers Association for all of the work in making this a successful event.

[Steve Culver]

Thanks to everyone who attended the Symposium!!! I hope that you all had a good time and that you were able to learn a lot. I felt that it went very well.

As some of you know, I was waiting all weekend for our Daughter to call saying that she was in labor to deliver our 11th Grandchild. As I was driving home from the Symposium, I called Mary and found out that I had missed a text from the Daughter Sunday morning that she was going to the hospital. We unloaded all of the equipment as quickly as possible and immediately headed to Tulsa. Didn’t get to the hospital in time for the delivery, but got there soon after. We have a beautiful baby Granddaughter.

I’m still in Tulsa visiting the Daughter’s family. I’ve got more to post about the Symposium and will do so when I get home.

Thanks to again to all; and a special thanks to everyone who help load the equipment after the event!!!

[Jeff_Clover]

Thanks Steve and all the presenters/demonstrators!!! I thought it was a great show, though being a newcomer I felt like my head was going to explode and my fingertips were wearing off taking notes on my iPod! So much to learn!

Congrats on the new granddaughter!

[BrionTomberlin]

Well congratulations Steve and Mary on your new granddaughter. Also thank you for the great weekend. It was a lot of fun and I am looking forward to the next one. You all did a good job.
Brion

[Gary Mulkey]

Congratulations, Steve! Both for the healthy granddaughter & for hosting such a successful weekend. A big thank you to the ABS & all involved for another very well done hammer-in. It was great seeing old friends and meeting new ones.

Gary

[Steve Culver]

We're back home from Tulsa now and I'm playing catch-up. Still got to wrap up the paperwork from the Symposium and get the shop re-assembled. Thanks for the congratulations on the Granddaughter!!!

Again, I want to thank everyone who attended the Symposium! I hope that you all had a great time and were able to learn a lot.

From the feedback that I have received, it appears that the Symposium was very successful. Everyone agreed that the Washburn Tech. Campus was a great site for the event. I'll be working with Washburn to schedule next year's Heartland Symposium at the WIT campus. I'll post up the date as soon as I get it confirmed.

The auction went very well and brought in needed moneys to pay for putting on the event. Thanks to all who made purchases and most especially those who donated items for the auction.

We had eight cutters competing in the Cutting Demonstration. The winner of the contest and the coveted Teddy Bear Award, was Dwight Schoneweis. David Sloan took second place. Myself and Dan Petersen tied for third place.

There were a lot of photos and video taken at the Symposium. I expect that we can get some of these posted soon.

Thanks again to all!!!!

[jim sowers]

Thanks you guys for putting this on. I have wearing my fingertips off trying to practice all the things I learned at the symposium. It was really a great event.
-Jim