In this class, students will craft their own mug from raw clay, all while learning foundational techniques for the medium. This is an introductory class that requires no prior experience with clay. Come get your hands dirty and hear a bit more about the ceramic process!
Based out of Hoover, AL, Hannah Dempsey has been honing her skills as a ceramic artist for nearly a decade.
She specializes in wheel thrown pottery, though frequently incorporates handbuilt elements into her work. A staunch believer in function over form, Hannah seeks to marry to the two, infusing whimsy into everyday objects.
Click link above to register!
Spend an hour long session with hot glass artist Garrett Pesta of whimsieshotglass to make as much glass art together as you can. From color pickup to shaping and blowing, what comes out is truly your work of art. Items include bowls, vases, flowers, ornaments, etc. No experience required!
Scroll down to register! Hour long sessions are $160 and can accommodate up to 4 people. The price is $160 no matter how many attend, so come make your own set of one of a kind pieces, or share the hour with friends, family or loved ones! Design options may vary based on number of guests.
To request sessions for more than one hour or more than 4 people, please email classes@redmountainmakers.org.
About the Instructor: Garrett began teaching at a young age, first as a martial arts instructor and later at a trade school for massage therapy. While teaching massage, he found a glass studio in town and was accepted as an apprentice under Daniel Bell of Red Flower Studios and Jeremy Thomley of Hot Glass Mississippi. After about a year, Garrett was hired on as an assistant in the shop. For 2 years he assisted full time in the studio while honing his glass basics. The shop focused on customer experiences and instruction. In an industry where most artists are fighting for four hours of furnace time Garrett was thrown into 12 hour days 6 days a week. After his assistantship Garrett was placed in charge of student glass experiences for 2 seasons.
During the off time he found his way out to Utah and Texas for more education and glass work experience in other studios. After moving to Birmingham , Garrett began growing his education in furnace building with the help of Charlie Correll of Correll glass studio and now has his own portable furnace for demos and classes on the go allowing him to open his own studio: Whimsies Hot Glass. The name comes from an old glassblowing term for the creative items a glassblower may get to make at the end of the work day for themselves; whimsies are all the beginnings of glassblowers personal creativity and so it will be your beginning as well!
While his focus and passion is in student experiences, blow your owns and classes Garrett's personal work can be found at local artist and makers markets in the Birmingham area.
What to wear: At RMM, you must dress safely and appropriately. Arrive for class in all-natural fiber clothing (100% cotton), long pants, and closed-toe, closed-heel shoes with socks that protect up to the ankle. Long hair must be tied back. Nylon, polyester, spandex, or other synthetics are not allowed around machines, equipment, or processes that can produce hot fragments, sparks, or flames. Additional protective gear will be provided as needed. The CDC has a guide to acceptable cloth masks that help prevent the spread of infection.
Refund and Cancellation Policy
Students would learn to make a trifold wallet. The class would include sewing the wallet together, stamping, dyeing, and sealing the leather. Also burnishing the edges of the wallet for a nice, finished look. Students would be able to stamp their name or initials on the wallet for a personalized look. The class would take approximately 4 hours, and the cost of the class would cover all materials used.
About the instructor - Matt from Tandy Leather:
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Our free monthly game night is held in the classroom at the Red Mountain Makers Makerspace on the last Saturday of each month. Come join us for a night of fun and adventure!
We have a variety of Tabletop games to play, like Wingspan, Sushi GO, Tokaido, Ticket to Ride, and more. You’re also encouraged to bring your own.
Game Night is a regular free event typically held on the last Saturday of the month. You DO NOT need to be a member to attend, all are welcome!
Registration not required but encouraged to help us plan.
Learn the beautiful craft of pen-turning! In this introductory course to wood turning, you'll be shown how to turn a beautiful wooden pen on the lathe.
The Mesa pen
This one-piece twist pen is similar in styling to the Sierra & Gatsby, the lower band has rows of inlaid black diamond shapes. This is an elegant and intricate looking pen that would make a great gift. Takes a Parker refill.
This pen comes in 5 different finishes:
Gunmetal, Gold, Gold and Gunmetal, Chrome and Gold, and Chrome.
Pictured from top to bottom:
Gunmetal - with a double-dyed Maple Burl blank
Gold - with a Box Elder blank
Gold and gunmetal - with a double-dyed Maple Burl
Chrome and gold-with a blue Maple Burl
Chrome - with a blue stabilized Maple Burl
These pens are offered with Maple Burls, Doubled dyed Maple Burls, or Boxelder blanks. Multiple CA coats are applied to every pen before assembling.
About the Instructor: Terry Tingle is a long time member of the Alabama Woodturners Association and is a member of The American Association of Woodturners. Terry has been teaching students how to turn pens for years, some of whom have had their exhibitions in Art and Craft Shows throughout Alabama, including Mentone.
What to wear: You must dress safely and appropriately. Arrive for class in long pants, and closed-toe, closed-heel shoes with socks that protect up to the ankle. Long sleeves should be avoided if possible and rolled up if necessary. Long hair must be tied back and dangly necklaces, earrings or other accessories shall be removed before starting the class. Additional protective gear will be provided as needed. Masks may be required depending on circumstances.
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class, though minors must be supervised by a guardian at all times. Please read carefully the disclaimers and guidelines and contact us with any questions or concerns.
In this class, we’ll make fused glass slugs! Real or imaginary, hot pink or beige! This class is a great introduction to fused glass. Students will be provided a layout for a slug outline and will be able to choose the colors and patterns for their slugs.
Students will learn: How to cut glass How to grind glass- to smooth and shape edges to fit together well About the coefficient of expansion (COE) of glass & why that matters Types of glass fusing
About the Instructor:
Mary has returned to Birmingham after teaching at the Arthur Morgan School in Burnsville,
Learn the beautiful craft of pen-turning
In this introductory course to wood turning, you'll be shown how to turn a beautiful wooden pen on the lathe.
Over a couple of hours, you'll produce a gorgeous piece that is a perfect present for a dear one (or for yourself!) and learn the basics of woodturning, safety behind the lathe and its operations, as well as the different gouges to use in the process.
Make sure to check out the special summer design options! Upgrade your pen design for an additional $20.
In this class, you’ll craft your own pumpkin ornament/suncatcher! This class is a great introduction to stained glass. Students will be provided a design and will be able to choose the colors and tones they work with.
Making nails has been one the oldest forms of Blacksmithing for centuries. It is usually the first task of any apprentice to learn the basics skills necessary toward becoming a blacksmith.
This course does not require a lot of strength nor skill-set prior to the class. For these reasons it is the perfect starting lesson for those wanting to try their hand at some old fashioned Blacksmithing. This course will teach students the proper terms, techniques, and protocols required to successfully create usable nails. For anyone looking to get a basic understanding of Blacksmithing, this is the course for you.
About the Instructor: This class is taught by Kenneth of Fire & Brimstone Forge.
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class, however minors must be accompanied by an adult.
What to wear: At RMM, you must dress safely and appropriately. Arrive for class in all-natural fiber clothing (100% cotton), long pants, and closed-toe, closed-heel shoes with socks that protect up to the ankle. Long hair must be tied back. Nylon, polyester, spandex, or other synthetics are not allowed around machines, equipment, or processes that can produce hot fragments, sparks, or flames. Additional protective gear will be provided as needed.
Please review our Refund and Cancellation Policy.
Learn how to forge a knife out of a railroad spike!
This is the perfect class to learn one of the basics of knives-making: balancing durability and hardness of the metal to make the perfect blade.
Students will utilize a high carbon railroad spike and learn methods that induce carbon into the metal while also learning how to temper in a process called normalization. The metal will then posses both features of a durable and hard metal that is ideal for knives.
As far as knives are concerned, the harder the steel, the better the edge, however, the harder edge makes for a brittle knife. A balance is needed between the soft flexible metal and the hard brittle metal to achieve a knife that will hold an edge without breaking. In this class more techniques for blade smithing will be covered, including various heat treatments, tapering, and tempering methods used to maximize strength with durability.
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
Red Mountain Makers Membership & Board Meetings are held the second Sunday of each month in the classroom with a call-in option on discord, unless otherwise announced.
All members are welcome and encouraged to attend*.
Meetings start at 6pm and go until adjourned.
Learn to make an elegant hand-crafted “Baron” Fountain Pen OR a Roller Ball Pen!
The “Baron” fountain pen is trimmed with nibs, clips and other elements made out of the highest quality silver plating which gives each pen a distinguished look in addition to durability. Experience in turning would be helpful but is not required.
The fountain pen features an ultra-smooth threading removable cap that screws on to both the bottom and top of the pen. The Baron Fountain Pen not only is a great looking pen, but it is also light weight and one of the smoothest writing instruments available for everyday use and has a two-tone German made nib with an iridium tip. The artistic fittings are hand worked and polished and the solid metal external components add to the pens expensive and hardy feel.
The Baron comes with both a siphon pump and blue ink cartridge. This hand-crafted pen will make a unique gift to others or yourself and will be completely one-of-a-kind!
The Baron Rollerball was designed for comfort, style, and function with its classic design and six striking facets on the nib.
The Baron Rollerball is extremely easy to make and includes a ceramic tipped Schmidt cartridge for ultra-smooth and effortless writing.
Each pen will be turned from beautiful exotic woods such as: King Cocobolo, Olivewood, Burmese Rosewood, Cherry Burl, Boxelder Burl, Red Mailee Burl, Bocote, Spalted Tamarind, Box Elder, etc. Students may choose silver plated or gold for the pen kit.
Are Minors allowed? Yes, accompanied by parent.
Develop fundamental skills in joining metal objects under the instruction of Stephen Charles, a former Welding Engineer and owner of Metalcraft Creative. This is an introductory class with no prior experience necessary. It includes a crash course in the MIG welding process, metal cutting, grinding, as well as the basics of hand tool use and shop safety.
Students will leave with a wide familiarity of skills and studio techniques.
NOTE: This class is a pre-requisite for the other welding process classes (stick and TIG) as well as any Project-Based Metalcraft classes.
What to wear: If you use glasses to read, please bring them. If you can't see, you will struggle welding well. At RMM, you must dress safely and appropriately. Arrive for class in all-natural fiber clothing (100% cotton), long pants, and closed-toe, closed-heel shoes with socks that protect up to the ankle. Long hair must be tied back. Nylon, polyester, spandex are flammable and should not be worn around welding equipment, or processes that can produce hot fragments, sparks, or flames. Additional protective gear (hood, jackets, gloves) will be provided as needed.
About the Instructor: Stephen Charles is a former Welding Engineer with many years of experience in production welding and custom fabrication. He has taught hundreds of beginners in the basics of welding and fabrication. Also, he’s pretty funny, so if you don’t have a sense of humor just laugh when everyone else does and no one will notice.
Over a couple of hours, you'll produce a gorgeous piece that is a perfect present for a dear one (or for yourself!) and learn the basics of woodturning, safety behind the lathe and its operations, as well as the different gouges to use in the process. Affectionately dubbed the "Cigar Pen,” this big body pen never gets lost on a desktop or in a purse. The large body fits comfortably in your hand for easy writing. The Cigar Pen features a high-quality, long-lasting mechanism and a durable finish. This kit utilizes a Parker style refill and a premium double twist mechanism for flawless smooth action. Excellent gift for any man in your life. Also easier to hold for people with arthritis. This pen comes in Chrome, Gold, or Black.
For a little bit fancier pen, make the Ultra Cigar pen with a “Maple Burl” pen blank for just $20.00 more:
In this class students will forge a small knife out of a piece of solid stock metal. This lesson will cover material foresight, design vs functionality, and will briefly hit upon types of metal and tempering techniques. The task used to create this knife will involve drawing- stretching out metal in a linear direction, forging out a bevel using hammer control, cutting, and sharpening. This class will involve the challenge of utilizing tongs and will introduce the methods necessary to handle the metal quickly and efficiently. Though this is an intermediate class, no previous knowledge is necessary to take this class. Work level is light to moderate.
Get introduced to the beautiful craft of woodworking by making your own cutting board! You will choose from a variety of designs composed of different native hardwoods, learn proper assembling, gluing, sanding and finishing techniques and will be taught how to correctly use thickness planer and orbital sander.
After this 3-hour course, you will bring home a stylish ~ 8.5" x 11" handmade board that you can show off to your friends and family. Choose your design from these beautiful options:
What to wear: You must dress safely and appropriately. Arrive for class in long pants, and closed-toe, closed-heel shoes with socks that protect up to the ankle. Long sleeves should be avoided if possible and rolled up if necessary. Long hair must be tied back and dangly necklaces, earrings or other accessories shall be removed before starting the class. Additional protective gear will be provided as needed.
About the Instructor: Terry Tingle is a long time member of the Alabama Woodturners Association and is a member of The American Association of Woodturners. Terry has been doing woodworking since 2014, and has taught students how to create cutting board designs, cut segments, glue and use a variety of clamps, and how to use planers and orbital sanders, and how to use the right finishes to preserve cutting boards. Terry is knowledgeable and experienced in making long grain, edge grain, and end grain cutting boards. He especially enjoys seeing the expression of a student who has just learned how to make something that looks great and is so useful. And cutting boards make great gifts!
A blacksmiths skill is not just rated on how fast or well-defined they can make pieces repetitively but how closely they can mimic each piece! Precision is key and the ability to recreate pieces over and over that visually match one another demonstrates the talent of a smith. From small pieces to large it is important to have continuity between pieces. In this class students will create S hooks with the goal to make each one they produce mimic the last with as little difference between them as possible.
Prerequisites: We recommend you complete a beginner blacksmithing class such as Forging Nails prior to taking this class, or having previous experience.
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class. minors must be accompanied by an adult.
This class will introduce the process of annealing and working nonferrous metals as opposed to ferrous or “iron bearing” metals. In the first half of class students will construct a steel cloak pin primarily using the forge and horn of the anvil with various forming techniques to create decorative twist and patterns to successfully form and fit two pieces together. In the second half of class students will construct a woven copper bracelet utilizing a torch to soften the metal in a process called “annealing” to easily form decorative twist and weave the metal. Students will be shown how to use tongs, measure, and cut their own metal. No prior classes or prerequisites are required to take this class.
About the Instructor: Class is taught by Kenneth of Fire & Brimstone Forge
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class. Minors must be accompanied by an adult
Cancellations: Please see our cancellation and rescheduling policy here.
Students will learn basic engineering skills, how to build a “STEAMbot” robot, learn how to control the STEAMbot, and learn how program it to perform tasks. At the end of the class the student takes home the STEAMbot.
An Extra STEAMbot Kit can be purchased for a guardian assisting an under 18 Student, for $50. Please use the appropriate Ticket type to add the extra kit.
About the Instructor: Mr. Perez is a semi-retired engineer with over 45 years experience in various engineering fields. Mr. Perez worked mainly at small companies but worked for Apple, RSA Data Security and Qualcomm and was the editor for several computer standards. His current goal is to encourage more young people to consider careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM). Mr. Perez started The STEAM Train, LLC to offer a low cost robotic kit so more young people could have a real robot at home.
In this class students will learn how to take one metal object and transform it into another in a case of extreme transformation. Students will take old hammers consisting of tool steel and transform the striking surface into an axe. Students will also be introduced to drifting dies designed to widen the eye for proper fitting to an axe handle. From here students will learn how to shape and refine the blade using the grinder and finally finishing it off with a fair amount of sanding before polishing. The final task is the heat treatment to temper the blade to withstand heavy blows. This will involve normalization, oil quenching, and heat tempering.
In this class students will forge high carbon steel hammer heads into an axe head. Students will be tasked with using the shop press, fitting a wooden handle, and honing an edge. Planning and preparation are key factors utilized in creating a functional piece. With that said, the head of the axe will have to fit a standard axe handle. After completing the forging, students will then proceed to refine and sharpen their axe by grinding, filing, and sanding as needed
Task involved - (shaping, assembly, measuring, marking, utilizing the press, hammering, fitting, gluing, and temp control)
December's Game Night is 2nd to last Saturday of the month.
There will be no refunds within 14 days of the event.
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class. Please read carefully the disclaimers and guidelines
Learn how to weld three metals together:
This course covers different methods of adjoining metal together by use of a torch with the techniques of welding, brazing, and soldering. The differences in these techniques will be covered and the process demonstrated. The metals being a-joined include steel to steel, copper to copper, and Aluminum to aluminum, dissimilar joining between the three metals will also be touched on and demonstrated. In this class students will bond various metals with the aid of a gas fueled torch. Subjects like filling rods, fluxes, and various torch technique will be covered. No prerequisites are required for this class.
No prerequisites are needed for the class, the work-level is light to moderate.
Skill Level: Beginner
Age: 18+
About the Instructor: Classes taught by Kenneth of Fire & Brimstone Forge
Forge your own custom, traditional bottle opener in this hands-on, two-hour intro to blacksmithing! This beginner-friendly workshop at Red Mountain Maker Space covers the fundamentals of moving hot steel while you create a functional piece of art to take home.
What You'll Learn
Class Details:
Location: Red Mountain Maker Space
Duration: 2 Hours
Class Size: Limited to 6 people for personalized instruction
Cost: $120 (All materials and safety gear included)
No experience required. Come ready to swing a hammer and leave with a tool that will last a lifetime!
Gear: All tools and safety equipment are provided. Wear natural fiber clothing (cotton/jeans) and closed-toe leather boots
Safety First ️
Blacksmithing is exhilarating but requires focus. We start every session with a mandatory safety briefing covering:
Marc Steenbergh has been an artistic blacksmith for 10 years and is the owner/ Blacksmith of Warrior Forge Blacksmith Shop located on the campus of Lowe Mill A&E in Huntsville, AL. Warrior Forge specializes in ornamental blacksmithing, commission pieces, and blacksmith experiences and classes. Warrior Forge uses traditional techniques while utilizing both traditional and modern equipment. Marc is a husband, father, grandfather, and retired Army Veteran. You can find more information about Marc and Warrior Forge Blacksmith at Warrior-Forge.com
In this class students will learn how to make Damascus steel using metal tubing and powdered metals. The class will cover all the procedural steps including acid etching to produce an extremely high quality Damascus. (1095 will be used as a base metal and steel ball bearings for contrast). The type of metal produced will be of high carbon, suitable for small knives! The billet produced will be appropriately a quarter inch thick, two inches wide, and somewhere between six and nine inches in total length.
There will be no re funds within 14 days of the event.
In this class students will be lead by a professional prop maker in the art of replicating objects by using a fast setting silicon mold in a one part, open face, casting. The task will cover how to mix and apply both the silicone mold and the two-part resin in order to duplicate an impression. This same technique can be applied in rubber, wax, silicon, and plaster. In addition we will also go over how to add color and opalescence to your resin and how to avoid bubbles in both your resins and silicon molds without the need of a vacuum chamber. This same method is used in the movie industry for making props!
This class is designed to show the proper techniques necessary to make rubber molds that will allow duplicates of objects to be cast over and over again. These same techniques are utilized in various industries where pieces and parts need to be duplicated with high detail. Knowing these first steps are critical in replicating more complicated objects covered in Mold Making II and in Mold Making III
Note: this class involves the mixing of reactive chemicals, and allergic reactions are a possibility with contact. All students will be required to wear eye protection and vinyl gloves in a well-ventilated area during class. Also, some resins take longer for others to cure.
Work involved – (building a flask “container”, mixing two part compounds, adding release agents, unmolding)
Tools/Materials Utilized- (two part rubber mold compound, sculpting clay, Duplo Lego blocks. Acrylic, Mold release spray, razor blades, wax, rubber, silicone, resin).
Red Mountain Makers has made some significant investments in our metal casting capabilities, and we want our community to be able to take advantage of it! We know that molten metal can be a little intimidating, and materials can be expensive. That's why we are thrilled to be offering this introductory class focused on learning the skills to work safely and confidently on future projects, using aluminum, a lower cost material.
In this class students will learn how to safely and correctly operate the smelting furnace with the opportunity to pour their own ingot using molten Aluminum. Students will learn about various techniques, foundry terminology, safety procedures, and proper handling of molten material. Students will use industry standard tools to heat up, transport and pour metal into pre made ingot molds. Safety equipment will be provided.
For non-members, this class comes with a FREE MONTH of membership (a $40 value). After completing the class, students are invited to use that free month of membership to return during open hours to get started on their own metal projects using the skills they learned!
Work involved – smelting metal, lifting 10 lbs. coordination, pouring metal, unmolding, grinding and cleanup
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