Blacksmith Association of Missouri meets to trade tools, tips

Ken Jansen of Moscow Mills gives a demonstration at the Blacksmith Association of Missouri meeting on March 21, which was held at Doug Clemons' farm shop near Malta Bend. Jansen, who is president of the association, was showing how he makes leaves, which he then sells as key chains. (Marcia Gorrell/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

"We have people from all over," said Doug Clemons, adding that people were there from as far away as Kansas and Iowa.

Clemons, who hosted the gathering in his farm shop, said the members get together every other month at someone's shop, where they share ideas and demonstrate new techniques at the forge.

Each meeting, members of the Blacksmith Association of Missouri bring an item they have made to trade with other members. This month the category was barbecue utensils. (Marcia Gorrell/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

BAM was founded in 1984 and Clemons, a farmer, joined about 11 years ago after seeing a demonstration at the Missouri State Fair, where the group has a booth every year.

"Our main mission is education. We give a lot of scholarships to people to learn more about this," he said.

The club, which promotes "traditional blacksmithing," has more than 600 members from many states and countries, including Israel.

"There are a lot of artists in the club (who) use iron as another media," said Clemons, who explained the "umbrella" organization is the Artist Blacksmith Association of North America (ABANA).

Ken Jansen of Moscow Mills gave a demonstration on Saturday, showing the crowd how to make a veined leaf, which he said he turns into key chains to sell.

Currently president of BAM, Jansen has been a member since 1998. He was a metal worker in the U.S. Navy for four years and said he always had an interest in blacksmithing and was actually doing some before he found out about BAM.

"I've been fascinated with this since I was a kid," he said. "I started doing it before I joined BAM. I found a local farrier. He hooked me up with an old anvil and I had a propane torch and I'd fiddle in my garage."

Then he bought a coal forge but burned in it "whatever I could find," he said. "It never worked very good and I couldn't figure out what the problem was."

Another blacksmith told him about BAM and put him in touch with someone from the group who could help him find the correct coal to burn in his forge.

After a few years, he started doing demonstrations at local craft shows. Jansen, who works as a field service technician for a book-binding manufacturer, has built a large shop near his home where he makes items to sell.

"Anything that a blacksmith would have made, I try to do it," he said, adding he makes his own hammers and blacksmithing tools. He also just finished a set of pot hangers for a fireplace and is working on several other projects.

He also travels across the country to gatherings of other blacksmith organizations.

"Just last weekend I was down in Lafayette, Louisiana, at the 'Banging on the Bayou' conference," sponsored by the Louisiana Artists Metalsmith Association.

"I try to go as many as I can. I don't go to near as many as I want to," he admitted. "I have to work and support a family."

BAM will be holding its annual conference in Sedalia at the Missouri State Fairgrounds from April 30 to May 3.

"There will be 300 to 400 people there from all over the country," said Jansen. "They'll be from as far east as you can go to as far west as you can go."

Contact Marcia Gorrell at marshallag@socket.net

On the Net:
www.bamsite.org