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CBA Events

Upcoming events

    • January 23, 2025
    • Loomis, CA
    • 43
    Register

    Level III Hangout Day
    at Winterbash 2025

    DATE & TIME: Thursday, January 23th, starting at 9am going until dark!

    PRICING:  Free to Certified Level II and III smiths and CBA Instructors. $45 for all others.

    LOCATION: McLellan Blacksmithing Shop.
    6961 Horseshoe Rd., Loomis, CA

    REGISTRATION: Register here online. Online registration is open till the end of Jan. 22. 

    CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Victoria Ritter at Education@calsmith.org for questions

    MEALS:  Please bring a lunch/drink of your choice or you can order something from a local sandwich shop that morning!

    Level III Day:
    Current and aspiring Level III smiths are invited to hang out and spend a fun day forging the Acanthus Leaf.  If you have completed your Level III Grille and need it evaluated…. Bring it!  If you have some pieces made and would like some coaching…. Bring what you have!!! 

    Mark Asprey will cover the tooling and forging of the leaf which will complete the requirement for Repousse needed to teach Level III students.  While we plan to do some forging the idea is to hang out, exchange ideas, and…. well… shoot the…. breeze!

    See you there!

    • January 24, 2025
    • Loomis, CA
    • 41
    Register

    Instructor Training Day
    at Winterbash 2025

    DATE & TIME: Friday, January 24th, starting at 9am going until dark!

    PRICING:  Free to CBA Instructors. $45 for all others.

    LOCATION: McLellan Blacksmithing Shop.
    6961 Horseshoe Rd., Loomis, CA

    REGISTRATION: Register here online. Online registration is open till the end of Jan. 22. 

    CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Victoria Ritter at Education@calsmith.org for questions

    MEALS:  Please bring a lunch/drink of your choice or you can order something from a local sandwich shop that morning!

    INSTRUCTOR TRAINING DAY:

    All instructors are invited to attend a Day of forging bottom tools and making the bottom and top swedge for the Welded Collar (a Level III tool!)   As always, this is a way for the CBA to give back to our dedicated instructors by providing a day of fun forging whilst learning from each other.

    Note:  If you attended the Thursday session you are welcome to forge the Acanthus leaf tooling instead. 

    CBA loves our Instructors. See you there!

    • January 25, 2025
    • Loomis, CA
    • 71
    Register

    WINTERBASH 2025

    It is time for some winter forging at CBA’s Annual WinterBash

    DATE & TIME: Saturday, January 25th, starting at 9am going until dark!

    PRICING:  $65 which includes a main lunch course. Asking everyone to bring a side dish, drink or dessert.

    LOCATION: McLellan Blacksmithing Shop.
    6961 Horseshoe Rd., Loomis, CA

    REGISTRATION: Register here online. Online registration is open till the end of Jan. 23. 

    CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Victoria Ritter at Education@calsmith.org for questions

    MEALS: 
    Continental breakfast and coffee on site!

    Potluck Lunch:  We will provide Tacos (who doesn’t love tacos?!) and the Lovely Linda Mangum will send out a signup sheet a couple of weeks before the event so you can bring something to share. 

    FORGING AT THE BASH:
    This year we have loads of options so check out the list below. 

    Beginners:  Steve Taylor and Paul Westfall will lead a session with something for the beginner to the brand-new smith so don’t miss an opportunity to try out blacksmithing! 


    Education: Mark Aspery will cover forge welding skills and a variety of different welds.  The day will be a great chance to practice your welds and hone your skills. 


    Advanced: Come watch as Andrew Pellissier and a team of Professional Smiths forge out large-scale material using the tried-and-true Smith and Striker method to produce a sculpture inspired by visits to Europe. 

    Andrew Pellissier is a long-time CBA member and past board member.  He is a journeyman millwright/welder based out of Reno Nevada.


    Power Hammer workshop:  Dan Perkins and Dave Carroll will lead a session on the newly developed Power Hammer curriculum. 


    See you there!

    • January 30, 2025
    • 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    • Online live streaming via Zoom
    • 13
    GALLERY PHOTOGRAPHY WITH PAUL BOULAY 

    Postopned -- New  date TBD - but we are planning for late January or February 2025.

    INSTRUCTOR: Paul Boulay has done photography for the the CBA Spring Conference gallery items for over 10 years. 

    DATE & TIME: TBD - January 30 as a placeholder

    LOCATION: Online live streaming via Zoom - Login and password will be provided once you have registered.

    CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Paul Boulay,
    webmaster@calsmith.org

    PRICING:   

    $10 for CBA members
    $20 for non-members

    REGISTRATION: Register here (online). 

    •  Maximum 16 participants
    •  Registration cutoff date is November 20, 2023
    •  Instructions for Zoom access to this meeting will be sent to all registrants.

    EVENT DESCRIPTION:

    Paul will explain his process and how you can adapt it to your own circumstances.


    • April 09, 2025
    • April 13, 2025
    • Plymouth, CA

    CBA Spring Conference 2025

    April 9 - 13

    Amador County Fairgrounds

    Plymouth CA


    Adrian Legge, of the UK, will be one of the demonstrators, with Dennis Dusek striking.


    Bill Roan will join the CBA demonstration team for the annual Spring conference to be held at the Amador County Fairgrounds in Plymouth next April.


    Bill is a very talented demonstrator who brings equal parts of humor and blacksmithing skills to his demo.


    Registration opens in January

    Plan ahead and secure your space to stay:

    Lodging Information 

    Lodging Info Word doc (better for phones)

    • April 12, 2025
    • 12:00 PM
    • Spring Conference, Plymouth, CA
    Register

    CBA issues a Challenge!!!

    Forged in the Box: Flora or Fauna

    Flora theme due date extended to Spring Conference 2025.

    Fauna theme also welcome.

    CBA is delaying the first judging of the Forged in the Box Challenge in order to get more entries and to enlist some well established curators, judges and participating venues.

    If you have your entries ready by Oktoberfest, by all means bring them to share. We'd all love to see them!

    Inspired by the awesomeness of the 150mm Challenge displayed at Spring Conference 2022, at Petaluma, CBA invites individuals and teams of up to 4 to create artwork that can be shipped in a standard USPS Large Flat-Rate Box.

    Your CBA embarks on a multi-year project to bring the art of blacksmiths to the public. To do that we need a body of great work to show. You are challenged to help build that body of work representing the breadth and quality of our craft. CBA will send our best work on a traveling exhibit visiting art shows, galleries and museums.

    The theme for the first round is 'Flora'. Leaves, flowers, any sort of plant based element, realistic or abstract or impressionistic. Other elements are allowed. The second theme is 'Fauna'. So combining the two encompasses anything inspired by the forms of life from mushrooms to people.

    FAQ and such:

    Who can enter? Anyone. Like the 150mm Challenge, we are open to entries from artist blacksmiths from across the globe.

    What is needed to enter? Just make something and bring it to Spring Conference or ship it to FiB Challenge c/o Kirk McNeill, 119 Corinne Ave, Santa Cruz CA 95050. The due date for shipped packages for the Spring Conference judging is April 8, 2025. Hand delivered pieces must be at Spring Conference by noon April 12, 2025. Fill out the form on the CBA website and email to vice-president@calsmith.org. Packages must arrive by October 8 to be shown at Oktoberfest.

    What can it be made of? It should be predominantly made of metal featuring traditionally crafted elements. Any metal is acceptable. The finish should support and enhance the work.

    How big is a Large Flat-Rate Box? The Interior dimensions are 12 x 11.75 x 5.5 inches. Allowing for packing material is recommended but not required. It need not use the whole volume of the box.

    Can it stand up? As displayed it can use a space 12 x 11.75 x 18 inches tall. This might be a simple stand so that a piece designed for wall mounting could be displayed. Or it could require some assembly such as placing flower stems in a vase. If assembly is required, instructions must be provided. Note: words and pictures work better than either alone. If fasteners are required, they should not be visible or they should complement the work.

    Can I work alone? Yes, but we really want to encourage teamwork. Hopefully, intermediate smiths can team up with masters and professionals.

    “Flora”? What does that even mean?  Flowers, plant forms, or leaves. For instance, roses, oak leaves with acorns, etc.  It could be a literal interpretation into metal or abstract – use your imagination. The ‘Flora’ theme is selected as a way to get your imagination started. Theme is to suggest not only representing but also inspired by, abstract representations, and impressions. In other words anyplace your brain and heart take you.

    Who owns the work?  Work can be donated to CBA or Loaned for a period of time -- typically a year or so. We will add new pieces from the next challenge to the traveling exhibit. Depending on the venue, as in gallery vs. museum, and the artist's preference, work might be offered for sale. If they don’t sell, we will return them to the lead artist or auction them off at some future  event. We have an entry form that spells this out. The entry form is HERE.

    Will this be a one-time thing? No, we intend to keep this up with new themes for at least a couple of years. The next theme will probably be “Fauna” or forms from life. Like Monica Coyne's humanoid forms, or those of Joe Anderson, or Zevik Gottlieb. We will think of other themes as we go along.

    Where will these be displayed? We have a couple of places lined up but we are looking for more. We’ll be creating an exhibition catalog with photos and descriptions of the works and the artists. We’d like to earn a place at art festivals such as the Sausalito Art Festival, the Kings Mountain Art Festival, and the Sawdust Art and Craft Festival, or the Winter Fantasy in Laguna Beach.  All these high-end affairs require us to pass muster with their juries competing against well-known artists in many disciplines. Currently, we are working on cementing connections with some galleries in Santa Cruz. At some point the collection will be at the Museum at Templeton, Folsom, Vista, and maybe Santa Rosa.

    Why? Presenting the craft of blacksmithing and the art of blacksmiths to the public is part of both the CBA and the ABANA charters. We have found that we can’t expect the public to come to us. So how do we bring our art and craft to the public? Getting to more people means showing our work. Galleries, museums, and arts and craft fairs are all possible venues.

    (Photo: Pat Downing's spectacular entry.)


Past events

October 24, 2024 Instructor ALL HERE Zoom
October 11, 2024 OCTOBERFEST 2024 - CBA Event
August 16, 2024 2024 ROARING CAMP HAMMER-IN - CBA Event
August 15, 2024 ROARING CAMP 2024 CAMPSITE SIGNUP - For Full Event Registrants ONLY-CBA Event
April 20, 2024 POWER HAMMER WORKSHOP - Saturday - CBA Event
April 19, 2024 POWER HAMMER WORKSHOP - Friday - CBA Event
April 18, 2024 SPRING CONFERENCE 2024 - CBA Event
April 18, 2024 POWER HAMMER WORKSHOP - Thursday - CBA Event
March 16, 2024 INSTRUCTOR TRAINING -- FOLSOM
February 18, 2024 MICHAEL BUDD LET'S TALK DESIGN ZOOM - CBA EVENT
January 27, 2024 WINTERBASH 2024 - CBA EVENT
January 21, 2024 CHRISTINE HABERMANN VON HOCH LET'S TALK DESIGN - CBA EVENT
December 10, 2023 INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION DEMO - Christmas Tree Ornament - CBA EVENT
December 06, 2023 CBA Board Meeting
October 26, 2023 CBA INSTRUCTORS "ALL HERE" ZOOM MEETING - Oct 26, 6.00pm PDT
October 21, 2023 Vista Forge & File Knife Competition - Vista - Oct 21
October 14, 2023 Adam's Forge Grand Opening Bash - Simi Valley - Oct 14
September 29, 2023 OCTOBERFEST 2023 - CBA Event
August 18, 2023 ROARING CAMP HAMMER-IN 2023 CAMPSITE SIGNUP - For Full Event Registrants ONLY-CBA Event
August 18, 2023 2023 ROARING CAMP HAMMER-IN - CBA Event
July 15, 2023 INSTRUCTOR TRAINING SOUTH - CBA Event
July 12, 2023 " ALL HERE - Can This Gate Latch Be Saved?” - All Instructors Zoom Meeting"- CBA EVENT
June 23, 2023 2023 HARD ROCK HAMMER-IN - CBA Event
April 13, 2023 SPRING CONFERENCE 2023 - CBA Event
April 13, 2023 RAILROAD SPIKE CHALLENGE - CBA EVENT
March 23, 2023 LEVEL 1 GATE LATCH - CBA EVENT
March 16, 2023 INSTRUCTOR TRAINING NORTH AT WEAVERVILLE - CBA Event
March 09, 2023 Level II Grille Tutorials: Session 5 - CBA EVENT
February 16, 2023 Level II Grille Tutorials: Session 4 - CBA EVENT
February 04, 2023 INSTRUCTOR TRAINING SOUTH - CBA Event
February 02, 2023 LET'S TALK DESIGN WITH JOHN BARRON – 2 sessions - CBA EVENT
January 28, 2023 WINTERBASH - CBA EVENT
January 26, 2023 LET'S TALK DESIGN WITH JAKE JAMES - CBA EVENT
January 19, 2023 Level II Grille Tutorials: Session 3 - CBA EVENT
December 15, 2022 Level II Grille Tutorials: Session 2 - CBA EVENT
November 17, 2022 Level II Grille Tutorials: Session 1 - CBA EVENT
September 30, 2022 OCTOBERFEST 2022 - CBA Event
August 19, 2022 2022 ROARING CAMP HAMMER-IN - CBA Event
August 19, 2022 ROARING CAMP HAMMER-IN 2022 CAMPSITE SIGNUP - For Full Event Registrants ONLY-CBA Event
June 04, 2022 INSTRUCTOR TRAINING SOUTH - CBA Event
April 22, 2022 WROUGHT IRON - BBQ FORK WORKSHOP - SPRING CONFERENCE 2022 - CBA Event
April 21, 2022 SPRING CONFERENCE 2022 - CBA Event
April 21, 2022 CAMPING AND OVERNIGHT PARKING FOR SPRING CONFERENCE 2022 - CBA Event
April 21, 2022 ACANTHUS LEAF WORKSHOP - SPRING CONFERENCE 2022 - CBA Event
April 07, 2022 BEAR HEAD TOOLING - CBA EVENT Individual Session ONLY
April 06, 2022 BEAR HEAD - CBA EVENT INDIVIDUAL SESSION ONLY
March 24, 2022 LET'S TALK DESIGN PRESENTS LIVE FORGING WITH DARRYL NELSON - CBA EVENT individual session
March 05, 2022 CBA WINTER BASH 2022 - CBA EVENT
March 03, 2022 LEVEL III GRILLE TUTORIALS - SESSION 5 ONLY - CBA EVENT
February 17, 2022 BEAR HEAD TOOLING - CBA EVENT Individual Session ONLY
February 03, 2022 LEVEL III GRILLE TUTORIALS - SESSION 4 ONLY - CBA EVENT
January 20, 2022 BEAR HEAD - CBA EVENT INDIVIDUAL SESSION ONLY
January 20, 2022 BEAR HEAD SERIES - CBA EVENT All 3 Sessions
January 09, 2022 Level II ZOOM COACHING SESSIONS - CBA EVENT
January 06, 2022 LEVEL III GRILLE TUTORIALS - SESSION 3 ONLY - CBA EVENT
December 02, 2021 LEVEL III GRILLE TUTORIALS - SESSION 2 ONLY - CBA EVENT
November 18, 2021 Patrick Beck, Tongs for Special Uses - CBA event
November 11, 2021 Ian Brooks, Flypress Basket Weave- CBA event
November 04, 2021 LEVEL III GRILLE TUTORIALS - All 5 SESSIONS - CBA EVENT
November 04, 2021 LEVEL III GRILLE TUTORIALS - SESSION 1 ONLY - CBA EVENT
October 01, 2021 OCTOBERFEST 2021 CANCELLED - CBA EVENT
September 16, 2021 CBA Level II skills: Upsets and Joints - CBA event
August 20, 2021 ROARING CAMP HAMMER-IN 2021- CBA Event
August 20, 2021 ROARING CAMP CAMPSITE SIGNUP - For Full Event Registrants ONLY-CBA Event
July 15, 2021 LEVEL II SKILLS: COLLARING - CBA EVENT
June 17, 2021 LEVEL II SKILLS: C- and S-Scrolls - CBA EVENT
May 20, 2021 Level II Skills: SCROLLING WRENCH AND TONGS - CBA EVENT
May 13, 2021 FORGE A VIKING PADLOCK - CBA EVENT
April 16, 2021 EVENT CANCELLED - SPRING CONFERENCE 2021 - CBA Event
April 15, 2021 LEVEL II SKILLS: SCROLLS! - CBA EVENT
February 18, 2021 LEVEL II SKILLS: SCROLLS! - CBA EVENT
February 02, 2021 2ND SESSION - CHASING AND REPOUSSE WITH DOUGLAS PRYOR - CBA EVENT
January 28, 2021 CHASING AND REPOUSSE WITH DOUGLAS PRYOR - CBA EVENT
December 17, 2020 FORGING THE GENERAL-PURPOSE LEAFING HAMMER - CBA EVENT
December 03, 2020 LEVEL III GRILLE TUTORIALS - CBA EVENT
November 19, 2020 MAKE YOUR OWN HAND TOOLS - CBA EVENT
November 12, 2020 INTRODUCTION TO KITCHEN UTENSILS - CBA EVENT
October 29, 2020 OKTOBERFEST (ZOOM) HAPPY HOUR - CBA Event
October 15, 2020 TONG-MAKING - OPEN AND BOX JAW TONGS WITH WELDED REINS (Experienced novice/Intermediate) - CBA Event
October 08, 2020 MAKE YOUR OWN HAND TOOLS - CBA EVENT
October 02, 2020 OCTOBERFEST 2020 - CANCELLED - Watch for the Oktoberfest / Halloween zoom hangout on October 29
September 17, 2020 THE BASKET-TWIST HANDLED POKER - an exercise in forge welding - CBA EVENT
September 03, 2020 TONG-MAKING - OPEN AND BOX JAW TONGS WITH WELDED REINS (Intermediate Level) - CBA Event
August 27, 2020 LET'S TALK DESIGN - Session 4 - CBA EVENT
August 20, 2020 LET'S TALK DESIGN - Session 3 - CBA EVENT
August 15, 2020 ROARING CAMP (ZOOM) HAPPY HOUR - CBA Event
August 14, 2020 ROARING CAMP HAMMER-IN 2020- CANCELLED- CBA Event
August 13, 2020 LET'S TALK DESIGN - Session 2 - CBA EVENT
August 06, 2020 LET'S TALK DESIGN - Register for all 4 sessions - CBA EVENT
August 06, 2020 LET'S TALK DESIGN - Session 1 - CBA EVENT
July 30, 2020 THE BASKET-TWIST HANDLED POKER Session 2 - CBA EVENT
July 20, 2020 THE BASKET-TWIST HANDLED POKER Session 1 - CBA EVENT
April 30, 2020 SPRING CONFERENCE 2020 - purchase additional meal plans - CBA Event- CANCELLED
April 30, 2020 SPRING CONFERENCE 2020 - CBA Event - CANCELLED
March 19, 2020 INSTRUCTOR TRAINING NORTH - CBA Event - CANCELLED
February 29, 2020 INSTRUCTOR TRAINING SOUTH - CBA Event
February 22, 2020 FORGE WELDING - CBA Event
January 18, 2020 FERNDALE CONFERENCE PREP WORKSHOP - CBA Event
October 04, 2019 OCTOBERFEST 2019 - CBA Event
September 27, 2019 WAYNE'S WORLD 2019 - CBA Event
August 16, 2019 ROARING CAMP HAMMER-IN - CBA Event
July 26, 2019 2019 HARD ROCK HAMMER-IN - CBA Event
April 25, 2019 SPRING CONFERENCE 2019 - CBA Event
March 30, 2019 INSTRUCTOR TRAINING - ORANGE COUNTY - CBA Event
March 14, 2019 WEAVERVILLE INSTRUCTOR TRAINING - CBA Event
January 26, 2019 TOOLING UP THE CBA FORGES - CBA Event
October 05, 2018 OCTOBERFEST 2018 - CBA Event
September 29, 2018 WAYNE'S WORLD 2018 - CBA Event
August 17, 2018 ROARING CAMP HAMMER-IN - CBA Event
June 01, 2018 2018 HARD ROCK HAMMER-IN
April 12, 2018 SPRING CONFERENCE 2018 - CBA Event
March 10, 2018 GAS AND COKE FORGE WORKSHOP - CBA Event
February 10, 2018 HAND AXE WORKSHOP - CBA Event
January 20, 2018 TOOL-MAKING WORKSHOP - CBA Event
November 12, 2017 KITCHEN UTENSIL CLASS - CBA Event
October 29, 2017 BITS N PIECES- CBA Event
September 29, 2017 OCTOBERFEST 2017 - CBA Event
August 18, 2017 ROARING CAMP HAMMER-IN - CBA Event
May 27, 2017 CHRISTOPH FRIEDRICH WORKSHOP
May 19, 2017 HARD ROCK HAMMER-IN
April 27, 2017 SPRING CONFERENCE 2017 - CBA Event
March 16, 2017 WEAVERVILLE INSTRUCTOR TRAINING - CBA Event
January 21, 2017 CBA BOARD MEETING - CBA Event
January 21, 2017 TONG-MAKING WORKSHOP - CBA Event
December 03, 2016 KITCHEN UTENSIL CLASS, FRANSIS LEIDINGER - CBA Event
October 29, 2016 LOW-RELIEF CHASING, FRANCIS LEIDINGER - CBA Event
September 30, 2016 OCTOBERFEST 2016 - CBA Event
September 24, 2016 WAYNE'S WORLD - CBA Event
August 19, 2016 HAMMER-IN AT ROARING CAMP RAILROADS - CBA Event
April 28, 2016 SPRING CONFERENCE 2016 - CBA Event
January 30, 2016 CBA FORGE BUILDING WORKSHOP
December 05, 2015 KITCHEN UTENSIL/BBQ TOOLS WORKSHOP
October 24, 2015 CALIFORNIA BLACKSMITH ASSOCIATION INSTRUCTOR TRAINING - CBA Event
October 02, 2015 OCTOBERFEST - CBA Event
September 25, 2015 WAYNE'S WORLD - CBA Event
September 25, 2015 Instructor Training at Wayne's World
August 07, 2015 Roberto Giordani Workshop
May 22, 2015 Frederic Crist Workshop
April 23, 2015 SPRING CONFERENCE - CBA Event
March 19, 2015 Instructor Training - Weaverville
January 17, 2015 REBUILD AN ANVIL - CBA Event

Appropriate eye protection is required and must be worn during all California Blacksmith Association sponsored workshops and demonstrations, be it as a demonstrator, helper, instructor, observer or participant. By registering or attending such events, you agree that you understand these requirements, that you will bring your personal eye protection to all such events , and that you will wear the eye protection as required.


The California Blacksmith Association bylaws prohibit harassment-in keeping with state and federal laws-at any CBA sponsored meetings, activities or events. That includes but is not limited to harassment based on race, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation or gender.

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Richmond, CA  94804


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