[TheForge] instructions - books, newsletters and websites?

[Bruce Freeman]

BACKGROUND:

As I'm sure many of you have discovered, when it comes time to demonstrate blacksmithing, we often have some difficulty coming up with a good demo project.  A good demo, in my opinion, should not take very long, should result in an item the audience can relate to or understand, and should not involve welding.  

(The last is mainly because in demo circumstances - typically full daylight - forge welding is difficult.  Another concern is the splash of slag hitting the audience, but I don't let that bother me to much.  Finally, there's the fear that the weld won't take.  I wouldn't be concerned about that at all, except that it IS so hard to judge a weld heat in full daylight.  I can routinely make a weld in a shop, but my success rate in daylight is dismal.)

My purpose in this is to teach a substantial number of NJBA members each some simple demos so that when they show up at a county fair, etc., they'll have something to "show off."

What I'm seeking are good instructions for good projects.  That is to say, the instructions must be sufficiently detailed and well illustrated.  This proves to be a significant issue.  I've come across many good ideas for demo projects, but with little explanation of how to execute them.  While I may be able to do it myself, I really don't care to write up a bunch of demos right now.  That takes a considerable amount of time and effort.  I'd rather make use of demos others have already written up.

I have begun going through my library for projects.  For example, Tucker's book is full of interesting projects.  Unfortunately, I doubt I could capture an audience's attention with feathers and wedges (rock-splitting hardware) for example.  So by the time I get through my list of requirements, there are really very few appropriate projects in that book.  The same is true for other books I've started going through.  I suspect my entire book collection will yield only about a dozen suitable projects.

Newsletters are another obvious source of such info, and I plan to go back through back-issues I have.  But I have a limited number, so that's a limited resource.

Therefore, I'm looking to the Internet for additional demos.  I've already gone through AnvilFire and the AFC sites and pulled a few demos from them.

THE QUESTION:  
1) What OTHER websites (ABANA chapters or otherwise) do you know of that have project instructions?
2) What books do you know of with such projects?

Thanks.  Your input is appreciated.

Bruce
NJ