Northeast Blacksmiths

This time we did NOT meet at ASHOKAN. We instead meet at Camp Epworth in High Falls, a very nice facility comparable to Ashokan. Check out their website for photos of the site and directions: www.EpworthCenter.com

First, we had a Friday afternoon tour of Opus 40 in nearby Saugerties, an environmental sculpture. It is an impressive piece of drywall bluestone work in a park setting. We also had time to visit the museum on site, that has a collection of old tools for quarrying, stone work and blacksmithing. For more info on this attraction visit their website: www.OPUS40.org

Our demonstrator for the weekend was Valentin Yatkov, well known for his masterful work with "chasing and repousse". Don't know what that is? Or to see his work check out his website: www.valentinyotkov.com . Friday evening he presented a slide lecture on the technique and his work. Then on Saturday, Valentin conducting a small demonstration and an all day hands on workshop with our group. We have a chance to learn the techniques under his direction, and team up to work at 12 workstations complete with pitch bowls and chasing tools. To learn more check out his website, www.valentinyotkov.com .

Learning Chasing and Repousse is not as difficult as it appears to be, although not as easy as Valentin makes it appear to be. With Mr. Yatkov's step-by-step instruction, we learned by doing. We began with transferring a design onto the metal and tracing the outlines with liners. The relief was then be raised from the back of the piece with a variety of punches, and finished by chasing and defining the details on the front. Tool making, common mistakes and safety precautions were discussed as well.

A brief bio of Valentin Yatkov, master silversmith: 1970's, training in Fine Arts in his homeland of Bulgaria. During this time Valentin worked for some of Bulgaria's most accomplished painters and silversmiths. Trained in the "old world" apprenticeship system of Europe, at the age of 22 he became the youngest member in the history of the National Silversmiths Guild of Bulgaria. In 1994 he founded the Valentin Yotkov Studio in Brooklyn, NY, the only school in this country dedicated to Chasing and Repousse instruction. Mr. Yotkov's work has been exhibited around the world.

Even though we meet at a different site, we still had our usual weekend full of activity. We had a pavilion for the "Green Coal" instructional workshop and there was plenty of room for our tailgating tool sales. Members brought your new work for the display table, entrys in the "Forging Contest" and contributions for the "Iron-in-the-Hat" lottery.