Victoria has always been a crafter, trying one thing after another starting at an early age.  Apart from knitting, nothing held her interest for long until she tried her hand at metal working in a class held at the UC Davis Craft Barn in 2011. Blacksmithing was a small component of the class: it was fascinating, unique, and challenging. She was hooked and soon was blacksmithing regularly at The Square, an open-air museum associated with the Folsom History Museum. This progressed to a monthly teaching engagement around 2017 and a recent appointment as the Lead Smith.  When she retired from her Nursing Administrative job with UC Davis Health, she set up her home shop and became more involved in the inner workings of the California Blacksmith Association (CBA).  She started by working on conference committees, served as Treasurer for 3 years and is now the Education Chair for the CBA. In 2022, she was certified as a National Curriculum Instructor and regularly teaches courses live or via Zoom. She enjoys turning her ideas into metal; however, her main passion is watching others get hooked on this exciting and timeless craft.

Angelo Brusatory was first introduced to blacksmithing in 2004 through classes at the Crucible in Oakland.  From there he was hooked and went on to join ABANA and the CBA the following year.  He built out a modest shop as a hobbyist and later developed a side business doing small commission work. In 2010 Angelo moved north to the greater Sacramento area where he decided to take the CBA curriculum courses at the Folsom History Museum in Historic Folsom.  It was here that he discovered a large and amazing community of Blacksmiths.   After working through the CBA level 1 and 2 curriculum, he became an instructor.  He now teaches regularly at the Folsom Forge, giving back to the place that had shared their knowledge. Since 2015 Angelo has instructed Level 1 and 2 curriculum with an emphasis on tools and technique. 

Jake was introduced to metal work at an early age and was immediately fascinated, and the fascination has turned into a lifelong passion.  Having been lucky enough to be exposed to several skilled craftsmen, Jake also developed a love for quality and refinement of work.  Having worked in ornamental iron, fabrication, and serving an apprenticeship for pipeline welding,  he has continuously strived to improve both his skills and the quality of his work through intentional practice and attention to detail.  Teaching has allowed him to share his love for metalwork with others, as well as to learn and continue being a student himself.

As a young man Steve worked in a family owned machine/job shop as a steel fabricator and machinist. He earned a BS in mechanical engineering at Sacramento State University. In 2014, he retired after a thirty year career with a large building products company. Steve’s duties as an engineer included machine design, machine build and project management. He began blacksmithing as a retirement hobby and joined the CBA in 2015. To date, he has completed CBA level I and level II curriculums and is a certified CBA instructor. He joined the CBA education team a few years ago and continues to teach, lead forging workshops and demonstrate forging to the public. He currently works part-time for the city of Placerville as a docent/blacksmith shop attendant. His duties are to forge and talk to park visitors and school tours about blacksmithing and California Gold Rush history.

Paul has worked as a tradesman in the construction industry for over 30 years.  His passion for blacksmithing started after attending a field trip with his son to the Gold Bug Park and Mine in Placerville.  Although he built his own forge, and started tinkering with blacksmithing, he wanted to take lessons.  In 2015, he started at Folsom Forge, completing his levels, and eventually becoming an instructor.  He is currently teaching at Folsom on a regular basis.  Paul's current goal is to continue his pursuit in mastering the fundamentals of blacksmithing and sharing what he has learned with others. 

Barnaby has always had a passion for art, spending a lot of time drawing and eventually oil painting for about 8 years. He always knew he wanted to be a blacksmith after seeing one at a young age. He grew a passion for the art of blacksmithing but didn't know where or how to pick up the skills. Over time his interest only grew with watching blacksmithing in shows, movies, and YouTube videos, especially anything about the medieval or Renaissance era:  everything from weapons and armor to simple things like a brooch for a cloak or a fork. He was excited when he found the California Blacksmith Association (CBA) and learned they offered lessons nearby at The Square. He quickly called and signed up for classes in mid-2019.  After one lesson with Victoria, he was hooked.  He worked hard to learn the trade and in 2022 earned his level 1 certification with the CBA. During that time he learned he could volunteer and started working at the square as an instructor for open forge days, teaching and spreading the joy that only a hammer hitting hot metal can bring.