CFI 2nd Annual Winter Blacksmithing Conference

Saturday, December 2, Noon to 6pm
At The Hive® at 2904 E Sprague Avenue
In Studio E and the adjoining patio
FREE EVENT FOR PAID MEMBERS!

2023 is our 10th anniversary and it has been a great year for the club! We are very excited to invite you all to our 2nd annual Winter Blacksmithing Conference! Part member meeting, part educational programming, part social, and part fundraiser, it is a great opportunity to meet other smiths and learn more about the craft. We will have demos, presentations, a critique circle, merch, food, a silent auction (including a forge and post vise!), and Steve McGrew’s extensive blacksmithing library on-site to peruse during the event! This is a FREE event for members!

Sign up for membership ($25 individual, $45 household) HERE. If you came to last year’s conference, it is time to renew your membership, please use the same link as above.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

(Subject to change)

12:00 – 6:00
Steve’s Blacksmithing Library, CFI Merch Table, Refreshments
12:00 – 5:00
Silent Auction
12:00 – 4:30
Chris Kerney blacksmithing demo: copper scoop, ladle, and spatula
12:00 – 4:00
Member Survey and optional forge activity: Twisted Steel Candy Cane Ornament ($10, limited space)
12:30
Presentation: Steel, Tooling, and Jigs by David Kailey of Morgan-Jade Ironworks
1:30
Presentation: Facing the Judge and Jury – Taking Your Ironwork to the Next Level by John Huffstutter of Quailside Forge and CFI president Mallory Battista
2:30
Roundtable Critique Session: Bring your ironwork to share and receive feedback from the group, an opportunity for us to all learn from each other! Vote for the People’s Choice Award, the winner gets CFI club merch!
3:30
Club News, Volunteer Opportunities, Tools Acquisition Wishlist Discussion
4:30
Message from CFI, thank you to members
5:00
Winners of the Silent Auction Announced
6:00
Conference Closes

Gift certificates will be available at the conference for a handful of blacksmithing classes in the new year, just in time for the holidays! These classes can fill up fast, and conference goers get the first chance to register. Club merch available will include two new sticker designs and new CFI hats, as well as our decennial T-shirts!

We hope you can come out and enjoy this gathering with us and help fuel CFI to keep working toward its mission of supporting and spreading the craft of blacksmithing in our community!

1-YEAR MEMBERSHIP & CONFERENCE REGISTRATION


If you would like to attend the conference but are financially unable to support the club with dues at this time, please email our Scholarship Chair, Melissa, at scholarships@columbiafireandiron.org. It is important to us that everyone be able to access the blacksmithing education that we offer, so we are working to provide a few scholarship spots at our events on an as-needed basis.

And finally, if you would like to donate anything to our silent auction, please reach out to smith@columbiafireandiron.org before November 27th.

CFI is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit and is entirely volunteer run. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!