2022 Dates will be June 2,3,4 and 5
The Jim Seery Memorial 33rd Annual Hammer-In blacksmith event.
March 31st, 2022
Hello
Smiths! I hope this finds you well and ready for a better year of hammering hot iron! I have spoken to Rusty May, our host for over 30 years, and once again we are welcome. As per usual, set up can begin on Thursday, June 2 and we will run until Sunday, June 5. Things have worked pretty well over the years, and I see no reason to change. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
For anyone who hasn’t joined us before, there is room for some camping on site. Camping is generally along the river side of the pasture, leaving the area along the highway for parking. We will have porta johns and potable water. If you want a small camp fire please bring your own wood. Pets and children are their parent’s responsibility. We have NO control over either the river or the highway.
As usual, our mottos are “We have NO plan and are sticking to it!” and “If you know, teach. If you don’t know, ask.” This is a gathering of people interested in blacksmithing. Anyone interested is welcome, beginner or expert. I am proud of the fact we have been the start of some VERY talented smiths.
On a personal note, having gotten fed up with the many changes in Ft. Collins in the 40 some years I have lived here, I am moving to Guernsey, Wyoming. That sort of means two things. First of all, I will be doing most of the organizational leg work from long distance. Fortunately there is not much. Talk to Rusty and order the porta johns. It also means I will probably not have as big a set up as I have had in the past. I may not have ALL the assorted tools I’ve had with me in the past. But I bet we can make it work!
We look forward to seeing everyone again, hale, hearty and ready to hammer! We look forward to this all year long. Please join us!
Jan Manning and Jim Taylor
Hammer-In is intended to be an opportunity for people interested in blacksmithing to get together to socialize and share knowledge. The is no formal program, and traditionally we have fastidiously avoided having any coherent plan, which we follow precisely. If you’re getting started, there will be forge setups for you to learn some basic techniques on simple projects, and more advise than you can pack home in a bucket. Some of it actually good. As is tradition and practice, if you don’t know – ASK. If you do know, TEACH.
Contrary to all governmental policy, we assume the people who attend are adults, and we have a policy of an absolute minimum of rules. You are responsible for your own safety, and that of anyone with you. Blacksmithing, by definition, involves hot forges and iron, heavy anvils and hammers and the like. If you want safety equipment (safety glasses, gloves, aprons, etc) you will need to provide them for yourself. Young people are welcome, but need to understand that there are hot forges, hot iron and heavy tools in the forge area, and need to behave appropriately. We expect the adults with them to see this is the case.
Because of a couple of situations which developed in past years, we do have a couple of minor changes which we feel we must maintain. We prefer that people not bring their dogs, if possible, because the property owner has animals and there is a very busy highway along side the site. If you feel obliged to bring your dogs, they MUST be under PHYSICAL control at all times. This is a rule we WILL enforce this year. The Big Thompson River is along one side of the property as well. We have never had a problem, but we have no control over the river, and we don’t want any accidents.
There is some camping space, subject to first come, first served. There is potable water available. Small camp fires are OK, but bring your own wood for them. If you have some sort of overhead “fly” for your forge setup, bring it.
We want anyone who wants to come to be able to join us, but there are some expenses involved in putting this event on. There is the mailing list, and a bottle of something nice for our host, Rusty May, and the biggest expense of all, the Porta-Johns. The cost of them is getting steep. We don’t charge a fee to join us, but we do ask everyone who is able to contribute $10 to help us cover the costs associated with putting on a fun event. That’s $10 to cover all four days of the event. Seems a bargain to me. Please understand that none of us who put this event on have EVER made a profit out of it. That is not our intent. But we do need to cover our costs. Jim always said that if the event ever got to be too much trouble, or cost us too much money, it would come to an end. That is still the way we feel. We don’t want or plan to make any money out of this, but we do feel those who participate have a responsibility to contribute their share for the expense of having it.
I know that our founder, Jim Seery, will join us in spirit again this year, watching to see that all “S-hooks” are properly made, and that a good time is had by all.
We hope you will join us for another fun year. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Jan Manning and Jim Taylor.