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| Australian Demonstration Project in USA 2006 The Aussie contingent well and truly left their mark at the July 2006 “Rim of Fire” Blacksmithing Conference held in Seattle, Washington USA. Hosted by the Artist-Blacksmith’s Association of North America (ABANA), this international conference is held every two years in different locations to provide training workshops, instructional demonstrations and exhibitions of fine ironwork with blacksmiths from around the world. After a year in planning by organisers Alan & Helen Ball from The Village Smith in QLD, twelve blacksmiths accompanied by three wives and a guest didgeridoo player made up the final group from Armed with Australiana motifs (see list below) forged by 14 different smiths from 4 states, the on-site group set about forging and decorating 2 boomerangs each about 1000mm long. Teams of 3 worked in two-hour sessions on the progressive One of 7 Demonstration Stations, our area was a 40ft x 40ft marquee with tiered seating for at least 100 people. We were provided with both a solid-fuel forge and a gas forge, 3 anvils, a power hammer and enough tools for about 6 blacksmith shops! Our site hosts, the Northern Rockies Blacksmiths Association, had several members to provide invaluable assistance with setting up the equipment, getting stock etc. There was a steady stream of visitors to watch the progress of the project and generally talk about Australia. Terry Saleh also entertained visitors with impromptu didgeridoo performances and examples of his artwork. The other main ongoing project to have its own site was the Ring Project to which blacksmiths from all over the world had been invited to submit elements encased in a 10 inch diameter ring. This year 12 rings were chosen from the 16 submitted to be assembled on site into a hinged room divider screen. The sole entry from Australia, a finely forged kangaroo by Doug Moseley from NSW, was selected for inclusion. There was plenty of other non-stop action. Three demonstrations were scheduled each day at each of five other marquees. There were topics to suit every interest – delicate repousse, finely carved animal heads, architectural forging in an array of contemporary and traditional styles, toolmaking from a range of different perspectives, and several styles of sculpture. To further add to the diversity, some demonstrators worked in special metals like gold, bronze and titanium, while others produced projects with Damascus pattern welding or mokume gane, the complex process of layering and fusing metals to make laminated billets for further shaping. Completed demonstration pieces were then displayed in the Gallery for closer inspection before taking their place in the ABANA benefit auction on the last night. If you preferred a quieter way to spend a couple of hours there were slide presentations of the work of several US and international smiths, and blacksmithing videos to watch in the Beer Garden, a large marquee set up right beside the lake. The Beer Garden was also the venue for some live music entertainment after dinner. Terry Saleh added his didgeridoo music to some impromptu jam sessions, and there was even some forging to music. In an extremely high energy performance, Daniel Moore and Jeffrey Funk, two of our hosts from the Northern Rockies Blacksmiths Association, teamed up to forge an African Bell in 17 minutes to the non-stop beat of drums played by other members of the group. Amongst all these diversions, plenty of time still had to be found to examine the stunning work on display in the Conference Gallery. There were particular exhibitions of the vessels and small architectural ironwork of Doug Hendrickson, and the sculptural work of the late Russell Jaqua, as well as individual works from smiths all over the country. The diversity of work on display was simply mind-boggling. Many items were donated to ABANA, and joined the demonstration pieces for auction. Tool and equipment suppliers were represented throughout the conference site. You could try out a new power hammer, forge or anvil, browse through the book stalls, or stock up on tongs, hammers and a myriad of hand and anvil tools and other accessories. There were t-shirts, caps, and even Utilikilts –heavy duty kilts with pockets in all sorts of places to ensure that the right tool was always at hand. A weird and wonderful array of second-hand tools and equipment was also looking for new owners. The final night auction provided an opportunity to take home a truly unique artwork from the assembled talent of demonstrators and world-wide ABANA members. The stunning result of the Ring Project was the top-priced item, selling for US$9,800 to the ABANA President Don Kemper. The Aussie boomerangs sold for a total of US$1,200. Reluctant to lose the results of so much effort, Alan purchased one for display in Australia. The second was snapped up by a Philadelphia collector who had avidly watched the progress of the project each day. In all, 190 items were auctioned for a total of nearly US$50,000. This may have been the first presentation by a group of Australians at an ABANA Conference, but for sure will not be the last …
Boomerang motifs:
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QLD, NSW and SA. Native artist and didgeridoo player, Terry Saleh from Kallangur QLD had the honour of starting the Wednesday night opening ceremony, and quickly set the tone for the camaraderie which continued throughout the next three days and nights, getting the whole audience to ‘shake-a-leg’ with cries of “Whylama!” 
stages. When the first fire was lit on Thursday morning, an interested audience gathered to watch proceedings. Starting with 1000mm of 100x6mm Flat stock, the first team forged the boomerang base, finally giving it a wood-like texture. The following teams looked after the layout, finishing off, drilling holes to mount the decorative elements etc. The first boomerang was finished on schedule on Day 1, leaving the whole process to be repeated for the second boomerang the next day. 
