Home - New Mexico Artist Blacksmith Association

Hello All NMABA members and any visitors,

Here is some information about our upcoming and previous NMABA demonstrations:

Member Blacksmith Starting Gear Sale: Moving sale and requesting help with getting rid of large items before a member relocates. Please see the For Sale page of the website and spread the word if you know of people looking for a starter setup.

UPCOMING EVENT:

November First Skill Workshop - 11/02/2024

The New Mexico Artist Blacksmith Association (NMABA) skill workshops start next month. We have talked about it for a while and it is time we get things going.

Starting the first Saturday of November (11/2/2024), NMABA will host blacksmithing workshops focusing on skill development and improvement. The major focus will be working through the Artist-Blacksmith’s Association of North America (ABANA) National Curriculum Level 1 (https://abana.org/education/national-curriculum/level-i/). The National Curriculum offers a step-by-step progression through fundamental blacksmithing skills.

We do NOT have a ABANA certified instructor to lead us through this process, even though we have members working on becoming certified who will be coaching participants through the progression.

Some of our members have completed the Level 1 Curriculum for credit and some for their own development. We are outlining a plan that will start on 11/2 with 1.1 Safety Understanding, 1.3 Hammers and Blows (Half Face Blow Sample), and 1.4 Tapers (square, octagon, round, chisel tip & diamond) and continue every other month into 2026.

We are exploring topics and workshops for participants not interested in the National Curriculum. At this point we are investigating introduction and self-contained projects that will allow participants a chance to try blacksmithing for the first time. However, this is still under development and can vary based on the smith leading the class and the level of participants.

Should participants want to partake in a beginner's blacksmithing lesson not attributed to the ABANA curriculum activities, we will need to have an RSVP for awareness and setup.

The workshops will have a participation fee to cover overhead, tool/equipment maintenance, fuel, and materials cost.

Every participant will need to complete the safety paperwork, including the necessary waivers, and attend in the appropriate clothing (closed toed shoes, natural fibers such as cotton or wool, and agreeance to wear all personal protection equipment as advised by the coach).

Note the fee for the first class is going to be $40 (ABANA curriculum or non-ABANA participation). Prices can change based on materials and support, please understand and let us know if you have any suggestions and/or input. This could suggest that a full curriculum could cost around $500 over the course of all workshop lessons for the ABANA curriculum.

Please RSVP by emailing the NMABA club at nm.artist.blacksmiths@gmail.com so we can be prepared to support attendance, detailing whether your interest is in the ABANA curriculum or a beginner's blacksmithing lesson.

The workshops will NOT conflict with our regular meetings. That means that we will have a meeting the first Saturday of EVERY month, alternating between regular meetings/demonstrations and skill workshops. The meetings/demonstrations will continue as tradition, including iron in the hat, potluck, etc. They are normally free but can change based on the demonstrator/topic etc. Please make sure to check our website for regular updates and information.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you on the first Saturday of the month.

Check the event calendar section for more details and directions.

PAST MEETINGS:

10/05/2024 @ Wholesale Timber & Viga - Beginners Meeting focused on giving new smiths a chance to hand forge art.

09/05/2024-09/15/2024 @ Expo NM -2024 State Fair with Multiple Members Demonstrating and Selling Wares

08/03/2024 @ Wholesale Timber & Viga - Multiple members demonstrating how to craft your own "handiest" tools.

06/01/2024 @ Christopher Thomson Ironworks - Makings of Public Sculptures by Christopher Thomson

04/06/2024 @ Wholesale Timber & Viga - Flower demo by Geoff McIntosh

02/03/2024 @ Pace Iron Works - Wall hook demo by Jim Treadwell

12/02/2023 Robb Gunter A33 punch & chisels tools demonstration with open forges

Meetings are held regularly on the first Saturday of every other month. Most meetings begin at 9am and feature a fantastic pot-luck lunch, demonstrations given by either members or special guests, and a chance to connect with the local blacksmithing community.

We are a not-for-profit corporation organized exclusively for educational purposes, such as encouraging and facilitating the establishment of training programs for aspiring smiths; disseminating information about sources of material and equipment; exposing the art of blacksmithing for architects, interior designers, other interested groups and the general public; promoting friendship, social activities, and the sharing of knowledge among blacksmiths everywhere.

Visitors are welcome at our meetings and here online. Please note that most of the content available at our web-site is for members only. For example, meeting reports that take place at public locations are available to everyone, meeting reports for happenings at members' shops are available only to members, as is the membership directory and other content. We lost our access to the 4-H facility a while back, so recently there have been few public meetings. We have about 50 active members, and about half or a little less show up for each meeting.