Ep 128 Pete Mattila "There is a responsibility with blacksmithing"
BlacksmitHER Radio
This week I’ve got Pete Mattila from Tasmania, which is off the southern coast of Australia. We talk about his shop by the water’s edge, his US apprentice journey, and his design process. Before we get to the interview I wanted to mention today’s sponsors, First we have the Adirondack Folk School. It’s a non-profit school located in Lake Luzerne, in upstate New York. The blacksmithing program at the Folk School includes 24 classes with an incredible line of blacksmithing instructors this year. To see the complete list of classes or to register, visit their website: ...
info_outline
Ep 127 Iron Maegan Crowley
BlacksmitHER Radio
Hello welcome to episode 127 I am continuing my series of 12 podcast interviews (one a month) focusing on Design Process, Forging Process and Tool Making. Today I have Maegan Crowley from Colorado, she started her metal business in 2006 after attaining her Master of Fine Art from Cranbrook Academy. I’d also like to thank today’s sponsor, Even Heat, they manufacture the finest heat treat ovens available, Even Heat Kiln was founded in 1948 and has steadily grown to become a major kiln manufacturer. Find your next heat treat oven at . Maegan's website -
info_outline
Ep 126 Jeffery Funk on Design, Forging Process and Tool Making
BlacksmitHER Radio
Hello welcome to episode 126, as I mentioned before in the last episode, I’ve decided to do a series of 12 podcast interviews (one a month) focusing on the guest's Design Process, Forging Process and Tool Making. We begin with Jeffery Funk who has been working iron, bronze, stainless steel, and other metals for over forty years in a small shop outside of Bigfork, Montana. In our correspondence leading up to the interview, Jeffery said “Blacksmithing can be a portal to so many fascinating realms, far beyond the iron itself.” And that is the essence of how our interview...
info_outline
Ep 125 - 2019 Show
BlacksmitHER Radio
Hello Happy New Year, welcome to 2019 and episode 125! I've decided on a different format for this year's podcast. I sat down recently and came up with 3 main topics and questions within each topic. I will ask the next 10 or so guests the same questions and hopefully dive deep into their Design Process, Forging Process and Tool Making. Those are the 3 topics I’ll be asking my guests for the bulk of this year’s podcasts. This podcast is sponsored by Evenheat, they manufacture the finest heat treat ovens available, Even Heat Kiln was founded in 1948 and has steadily...
info_outline
Ep 124 Ambrose Burne “#150mmchallenge”
BlacksmitHER Radio
This week I’ve got Ambrose Burne, a very talented artist blacksmith living in Hereford, England. He attended the Artist Blacksmith program at the Hereford College of the Arts and then opened his own forge and is a lecturer on the BA (Hons) Artist Blacksmithing program for Hereford. Today we talk about his background a bit and about the 150mm Challenge he has started. BTW Hereford College of the Arts is asking for submissions from anyone willing to take on the challenge. The exhibition submissions need to be sent to Hereford for 1st March: Measured Making...
info_outline
Episode #123 – Michael Budd
BlacksmitHER Radio
This week I’ve got Michael Budd back on the show, he’s a very talented artist blacksmith from Sligo Ireland. We talk about his trip to Tomsk Russia this past summer, where he was invited to demonstrate at a festival called “The Festival of the Ax”. What We Talked About He attended a festival, the Festival of the Ax, as a demonstrator in Tomsk Russia, so he tells us about the festival and how he got invited. There were artists from over 100 different countries and 15 blacksmiths We really go deep into introducing the craft of blacksmithing to college students and how the use of...
info_outline
Blacksmith Buzz Bulletin for Nov 2018
BlacksmitHER Radio
This is the monthly Blacksmith Buzz Bulletin. Where you get the low-down about upcoming classes and events that are happening in the following month, I’ll be telling you about classes and events happening in November 2018. If you have an event or class you would like to submit, send an email to and I will send you the details I need for the press release.
info_outline
Ep 122 Anna Koplik "Weaponry Flatware"
BlacksmitHER Radio
This week I’ve got Anna Koplik, a young blacksmith who is currently completing an artist residency at the Touchstone Center for Crafts in Farmington, Pennsylvania. She talks about her BFA in Jewelry and how she became interested in weaponry during college, which ended up being her intro to blacksmithing. Before we get to the interview I wanted to mention today’s sponsor is again provided on behalf of the New England Blacksmiths, an ABANA affiliate serving Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island. And also will be driving the ABANA 2020...
info_outline
**Blacksmith Buzz Bulletin** For the month of Oct 2018
BlacksmitHER Radio
This is the monthly Blacksmith Buzz Bulletin. Where you get the low-down about upcoming classes and events that are happening in the following month, I’ll be telling you about classes and events happening in October 2018. If you have an event or class you would like to submit, send an email to and I will send you the details I need for the press release. OK, I’ll go in Alphabetic order here:
info_outline
**Blacksmith Buzz Bulletin** For the month of September 2018
BlacksmitHER Radio
This is the monthly Blacksmith Buzz Bulletin. Where you get the low-down about upcoming classes and events that are happening in the following month, I’ll be telling you about classes and events happening in September 2018. If you have an event or class you would like to submit, send an email to and I will send you the details I need for the press release.
info_outlineThis is the Blacksmith Buzz Bulletin. Where you get the low-down about upcoming classes and events that are happening in the following month, I’m talking about December 2017 for this bulletin.
If you have an event or class you would like to submit, send an email to [email protected] and I will send you the details I need for the press release.
I have to apologize for not releasing this on Nov 1st, 5 days ago. I was visiting my family in Virginia Beach and before that, I attended the FABA conference in Ocala Florida watching the incredibly talented master blacksmith and sculptor Claudio Bottero who is from Italy.
- The conference began on Oct 27th and ended on the 29th and the demonstrators were Claudio Bottero, Lisa Johnson, a jewelry/metalsmithing director at an art center in Florida and Sam Salvati, a bladesmith from Maryland.
- It was so magical to watch Claudio and his son Massimiliano, aka Massy, forge an incredible human figure sitting on a throne. The whole sculpture ended up being about 5 ft tall.
- Claudio worked with strikers the whole time, using many different sized top and bottom fullers to shape the legs, head, face, arms and hands.
- In fact a lot of the fullers he was using (maybe a set of 10 sizes) were made by Dennis Dusek, who was there striking for him, along with others. Dennis has a great system for these fullers, he forges custom tongs that hold all 10 different sized inset fullers. You can private message him on Facebook or Instagram, Dennis Dusek.
- Sunday, Claudio taught a 6-hour masters class to 6 lucky students who were handpicked for the class. He taught them how to forge a hand and a finger. Anyone at the conference could watch the class, and see the progress of each of the students.
- One thing I picked up on was how Claudio always dunked his long-handled wire brush in water before he brushed the hot piece. He explained that the steam produced popped off the scale faster while brushing. I will be trying this because the end result was really clean metal.
- If you want to hear more about the conference, I’ll be having Shaun Williams, the conference coordinator, on the show soon, a little something to look forward to. But if you want some instant gratification head over to the FABA facebook page for pics and videos of the conference.
Now onto the first announcement which is a special announcement about a possible upcoming Tire Hammer Building class, this announcement is to see much interest there would be for this class. Let me tell you the scoop and then you can decide if you would like to attend it:
Tire Hammer Build class instructed by Clay Spencer
The dates would be April 19th-22nd, with a pre-work session on the weekend preceding the workshop, they are shooting for about 12-15 participants with everyone leaving with a finished hammer
Held in Troy Ohio at the SOFA facility
Approximate cost $1500
If interested contact Mike Brennan at [email protected] by November 30th
Details will be available soon on the SOFA website at https://sofablacksmiths.org/
Payment should NOT be sent at this time. Just an email to express interest.
