This is a site for networking and setting up a workshop to make gas forges for, and by, members of the Alex Bealer Blacksmiths Association (ABBA)

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    We have a list of people who want to participate.  Some are not on line so it would be a good idea to devise a way to contact them should we need to.  There will be a couple of monthly meetings before the workshop so the need isn't urgent but lets be thinking about it.     A phone tree?

    We need to set a date... and location.  Ken suggested sometime in Feb. to get us past the holidays.  It would be a good idea to get the date nailed down soon so other things get scheduled around it rather than waiting till everyone has other commitments made.  Maybe we can narrow it down by listing...
Better days                            Worse-er days
Weekends for those that work.                    Third Sat. is the ABBA meeting
After the ABBA meeting  so we have that
chance to plan?
Third Sunday in Feb.?

    How about location?  I would like to see it as north as possible, certainly north of Atlanta.  Any suggestions?  Volunteers?
Wayne Coe (Fillis) has volunteered his shop. That works for me. Any objections? Alternatives?
Fillis also volunteered Ben Bradshaw's shop but I haven't heard from Ben on that.

    We need a proven design.  I hear a lot about this not being rocket science, but, systems theory says that if you change any part of a system you change the whole system.  I have been working to the plans on the Ron Reil page but haven't been able to get the exact parts and I've had problems, although I think (hope) I've got them worked out. If you have suggestions, corrections, or comments send them in.
    Tony Bivens and Ken Baker had working forges at the Nov. meeting.
    Ken went with the simple Ron Reel design.  A straight bell reducer, 1 1/4 to 3/4, with an 1/8th nipple across it with a drilled hole for an orifice. It worked fine.  I did one like it with a Tweco tip instead of just the drilled hole and that didn't work.
    I've written up an account of my errors and trials.  Tony has said that he'll send in something too.
    Another thing we need is a parts list with accessability info. Please let me know if you have a good source on any of the parts.

Tom Strode