Kootenay Blacksmiths Association

Steve Fontanini from Jackson's Hole, Wyoming - one of our recent demonstrators

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Welcome to the Kootenay Blacksmiths' Association website !

WHO ARE WE?

The KBA was formed in 1995 by a group of people interested in various aspects of blacksmithing.

The KBA is a regional group, and an affiliate of the Artist Blacksmith Assiociation of North America (ABANA), the world's largest organization of blacksmiths.

Originally composed of members living in the Kootenay Lake region of south-east British Columbia, Canada, the group now has about 45 members ranging from Vancouver Island to Alberta.

Our members range from full-time professional smiths, part-time smiths, and hobbyists. Membership is open to all!

We meet officially twice a year, in the spring and fall, and occasionally a one-day hammer-in will take place among members living close together.

ABOUT THIS WEBSITE

This new website (February 2011) has been created to replace the original one started in 2007. The original site was created with a free web-building tool that was part of the hosting package, and I soon run out of space. It was time to move on.

This website will not replace the newsletter, which will still be mailed or emailed to paid up KBA members. The newsletter will have club news - minutes of meetings, for example, what's new, projects to try, additions to our library, and the regular newsletter content. This website, in contrast, is for the whole world to see (should they wish!), and will have pages on the highlights of demonstrations, a buy and sell, a resource of where to find things (coming) and, especially, a showcase of our members' work. I have heard that a couple of our members have landed jobs because they were found on our website. I hope there will be more of that. I also hope that this website will attract new members.

I welcome your feedback and suggestions,

John Smith (johnsmith@bluebell.ca)

THE GOALS OF THE KBA

to share our knowledge of the craft with each other.
encourage young people interested in the craft.
to bring in demonstrators skilled in specific techniques to teach us.
to develop a library of books, magazines, and videos related to blacksmithing and some other metal arts.
to provide scholarships to student members studying blacksmithing in a recognized craft school.
to publish a bi-annual newsletter with news, a calendar of events, tips and techniques, and other content of interest to the membership.

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