Page 23 - HIWT Fall 2013 World of Welding

hiwt@welding.org HOBART INSTITUTE OF WELDING TECHNOLOGY

BLACKSMITH ARTISTS AT WORK

By: Janet Piechocki
Admissions Representative / Hobart Institute

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The sounds of metal-
on-metal can be heard
from a building located
on the Miami County
Fairgrounds at the edge
of Troy, Ohio. Sparks
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pieces are being molded
by heat and hammer at the hands of the artists inside. Welcome in these activities. Under the tutelage of Gary Ward, the
to the SOFA organization! SOFA is the acronym for Southern students have made quite a few pieces including their own
Ohio Forge and Anvil Association. power hammers and knives. Gary Ward is the vice president
of sales for Noble Tool Corporation in Dayton and a long-time
Southern Ohio Forge and Anvil Association (SOFA), an blacksmith.
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in 1977. Its founders, Emmert Studebaker, Larry Wood, and
Bob Zeller were inspired by ABANA and the former Ohio For anyone interested in joining the Southern Ohio Forge and
Artist-Blacksmith Association to create an organization to Anvil Association, the club meets from 6:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M.
preserve and promote the art of blacksmithing. Informational RQ :HGQHVGD\V ZLWK WKH H[FHSWLRQ RI VXPPHU DQG WKH ¿UVW
and educational activities include workshops, demonstrations, 6DWXUGD\ RI HYHU\ PRQWK IURP $ 0 WR 3 0 /LYH
and communications. demonstrations are typically done on Saturdays with featured
artists. The local chapter of the American Welding Society
usually has a meeting at the club in November. If you don’t
Hobart Institute has several students that are very active in know how to forge, this is not a problem as SOFA offers
SOFA. Currently, HIWT students Mike Sabaka, Nate Brown, classes. Please see details at their website.
7\UHOO $NHUV 3DXO .DUVNR DQG -DFRE 0XVLFN HQMR\ WKH www.sofablacksmiths.org
interaction with SOFA members. The club’s proximity to the
Hobart Institute makes it convenient for students to participate

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