Membership Benefits
Membership offers you monthly educational demonstrations at blacksmith shops around the state from October through May. The demonstrations are conducted by experienced members interested in sharing their talents. Before and after the demonstrations there is plenty of time to talk with members who are always ready to share their interest and knowledge in blacksmithing.
During the summer months, members enjoy demonstrating for the public at reenactments, art fairs, craft fairs and historic sites.
Members receive our newsletter called The Upsetter, four to six times a year. In the newsletter, the group's calendar of events is listed, as well as club communications from officers, articles containing demonstration projects, and how-to projects with varied skill level, tool projects, book reviews, information on association or member activities, safety items and a wide variety of articles from the ABANA affiliate newsletter exchange program. The newsletter also includes items for sale by the members.
We have four business meetings throughout the year. The fourth meeting is held in December as an annual Christmas Party, with a pot luck dinner, officer elections and our annual fund raising auction. The auction keeps our dues low and helps fund the newsletter.
Order your MABA name tag:
Download the name tag order form. Price of $8.50 includes shipping. Purchasing information can be found on the form.
Name Tag Order Form in .pdf format.
A tool loan program for MABA members:
If you are interested in blacksmithing, you have joined MABA and you want to try smithing before you acquire your own tools, you may apply for the MABA tool loan program. A basic tool set may be signed out for a three (3) month period and can be renewed upon review by the MABA officers.
A complete inventory list and photo of the tools are made when the tool set is loaned out. The $100 security deposit is refunded, upon return of the tool set in good repair.
The member who signs out the tool set will be responsible for:
- Arranging to pick up the tools from storage, and getting it to their site.
- Arranging the return of the tools at the end of the loan.
- Adding a tool or enhancing the tool set during their loan.
For more information on the availability of the set-up please contact Vice President, Tim Carr.
Downloadable Tool Loan Program Form in .pdf format.
The association also offers two scholarships each year to help further your blacksmithing education. Recipients are asked to write an article about their experience for the newsletter and donate an item for the auction.
Download a sample newsletter (1.5 MB) in pdf. format. Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download from the Adobe website. (http://www.adobe.com)
Sample projects as originally published in a newsletter:
- Fork.pdf
- Beginner's Heart Hook.pdf
- Plant Stand.pdf
- Rivet Medallion.pdf
- 2011 Calendar.pdf (4.5mb)
- 2011 Calendar Plain.pdf (623Kb)
- 2012 Calendar.pdf (3.5mb)
- 2012 Calendar Plain.pdf (426kb)
Provided credit is given to the author and the MABA organization, permission is granted to reproduce these plans for non-profit use.
MABA Newsletter Index September 1995 through December 2011
This index in .pdf format will help you locate projects and information that has been published in the MABA newsletter, The Upsetter, within the past 15-1/2 years. It is divided into 35 categories to help you quickly narrow your search. Sometimes an article fits into more than one category so it has been placed under the most obvious location, while occasionally being placed under multiple categories. The demonstrator, not necessarily the author of the article, is listed to identify and/or credit the source of the information. Please forward any comments or corrections to the MABA newsletter editors.
Download Index
MABA, its officers, members, The Upsetter Newsletter, and MABA website, specifically disclaim any responsiblilty of liability for damages or injuries as a result of any construction, design, use, manufacture, or other activity undertaken as the result of the use or application of information contained in any article in the newsletter or on the website.
