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.
Cutting glass into various shapes and knowing how to use your tools is essential towards creating a glass masterpiece. In this class students will be
There will be no refunds within 14 days of the event.
About the Instructor: Class is taught by Kenneth of Fire & Brimstone Forge
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class. Please read carefully the disclaimers and guidelines
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.
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.
Precision is very important when working any project that requires many pieces that need to be repeated then fitted together. This is especially the case when a project needs to fall within a set parameter. This class will cover the methods of cutting glass and how to properly measure, arrange, and adjust each piece to create a 3-D sculpture using stained glass! This method of creating 3-D objects out of stained glass is a relatively new innovation arising in the 19 century when the copper foil method first came about.
Work Involved - (cutting, measuring, copper foiling, soldering, grinding edges)
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)
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
Note: The lamp base IS included in the class price
Work Involved - cutting, soldering, grinding, filing, framework
Tools & Materials - Lead came/U channel, copper foil, 60/40 lead solder, soldering irons, various color and styles of stained glass, latex gloves, diamond grinder, tracing sheets, pliers, glass cutters, T pins/flat nails, pin hammers, cutting oil, glass grinder, decorative chain, tinned wire, tinned jump rings, plastic water color brushes, small plastic paint cups, paper towels, flux, and patina
About the Instructor: This class is taught by Kenneth of Fire & Brimstone Forge
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.
What You’ll Learn:
• Glass Grinding: Use our diamond grinders to smooth and shape your pieces for a perfect fit.
• Copper Foiling: Wrap your glass edges in copper foil to prep for soldering — a key step in Tiffany-style stained glass.
• Design Your Own Layout: While we provide pre-cut hexagonal pieces in honey tones and rich complementary colors, you’ll arrange them however you like — symmetrical, chaotic, or even forming a bee!
• Soldering: Use our soldering irons to fuse your glass pieces together with silver seams.
In this class, we will work through the process of turning a raw 3D print into a screen-accurate prop, featuring a selection of daggers from your favorite fantasy media. You will learn the essentials for creating props and armor for cosplay, including techniques for smoothing 3D printed parts, creating a variety of surface finishes, and weathering that looks battle-worn. This course is designed to be accessible to complete cosplay beginners, and the methods presented will not require learning any specialized equipment.
This course does not cover 3D modeling or 3D printing. Some cosplay-focused tips and tricks will be provided in the course handout, but for anyone interested in learning more about the 3D printing process as a whole, be sure to check out the Makerspace’s 3D printing resources!
For this course you will select from the following designs.
The base components will be pre-printed prior to Class 1:
Format: Four 2-hour classes over the course of four weeks.
Course Schedule:
Class 1: Introduction and Begin Prep
Class 2: Filling, Sanding, and Priming
Class 3: Painting
Class 4: Assembly and Weathering
About the Instructor: This class is taught by Maizie Seltz. Maizie is an avid cosplayer and cosplay maker who loves all things sci-fi and fantasy! She's worked with costuming and cosplay for the past 7 years and my pride and joy is my Mandalorian armor. I'm going to RPI this fall for Mechanical Engineering. Follow her on Instagram: @maizie_s
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. Participants should wear clothes that they are OK with getting messy. The dust and paint are inevitable!
This is it, the ultimate blacksmith class, forging a real sword from scratch! The sword is perhaps one of the most commonly associated items produced by a blacksmith. For thousands of years this tool has helped shape the world and conquered nations, even today it is still romanticize through literature and entertainment. Within this class, students will follow along with the professor and will challenge students to use their skills in the construction of a historically accurate sword. Students will create every piece from start to finish with all the tools and supplies they will need at their disposal. In part I of the class, Students will start by forming the basic shape of the sword, followed by forging the hilt which include components such as the handle, pommel, and cross guard and various hardware in part II. In part III students will work on crafting the handle working with leather and woods and perhaps horn, bone, antler, or ivory- then working on fitting everything. Finally at part IV the blade and components will go through various final heat treatments and acid washes before being put together as a final piece. This course is an advanced lesson involving more work due to its larger size and multiple step process. It is strongly recommended that those wanting to take the class first consider attending a knife course prior to this class so that it’s understood what to expect when making a sword.
NOTE: Forging a Sword is a 3 day course. This class will require students to meet at the very least on four separate days with the professor. It will be important to use the time between classes meetings for some out of class work. As such students will have access to the shop during Red Mountain Makers regularity scheduled hours of operation between meetups. It is strongly recommended that this extra time is utilized to refine work that time will prohibit during class. As a bonus, One month free access to the shop will be granted after class resolves!
Task involved - (drawing/stretching, measuring, hammering, beveling, forming, bending, cutting, penning, woodworking, filing, slitting, punching, grinding, sanding, sharpening, assembling, burn fitting, fluting, carving, oil quenching, normalization, tempering, heat bluing, oiling, this is it, the ultimate blacksmith class!
Homework- continue to refine by rough grinding and sanding the shape to the set parameters.
About the Instructor: Classes taught by Kenneth of Fire & Brimstone Forge
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 the president 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!
Tools & Materials - (Lead came/U channel, copper foil, 60/40 lead solder, soldering irons, various color and styles of stained glass, latex gloves, tracing sheets, pliers, glass cutters, T pins/flat nails, pin hammers, cutting oil, glass grinder, decorative chain, tinned wire, tinned jump rings, plastic water color brushes, small plastic paint cups, paper towels, flux, and patina)
In this class, we will turn a pen using an acrylic pen blank from a wide variety of colors and styles. Acrylic turns much differently from wood and having taken an earlier pen class would be helpful, but not a requirement for this class. Acrylic is much harder than wood and has a different kind of smell. The finished product, if done properly, will have a beautiful, glass-like appearance. Acrylic pens offer a much wider selection of colors and styles than wood. There is a limit of three to this class. The cost of $125.00 will cover all materials, prepared pen blanks, and all supplies for finishing your pen.
About the Instructor: Terry Tingle is the president 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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 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:
TIG welding is most commonly used to weld thin sections of stainless steel and non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, magnesium, and copper alloys. The process grants the operator greater control over the weld than competing processes such as MIG welding, allowing for stronger, higher quality welds. Students will have the opportunity to learn the basic techniques of the TIG process and practice with feedback from an expert. It is recommended to take the basic Intro to welding (MIG) class before this TIG class.
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 there will be many moments of awkward silence.
No pictures to show
EXPLORE
SUPPORT US
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL!
810 4TH AVE N, BIRMINGHAM, AL 35203, UNITED STATES | 205.588.4077 | secretary@redmountainmakers.org
RMM is a proud Birmingham AL nonprofit | © 2021 | Nonprofit Tax-ID: 46-2234591
