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.
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.
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.
Refund and Cancellation Policy
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!
Hour long sessions are open to 1 to 4 people, so come make your own set of one of a kind pieces, or share the hour with friends, family or loved ones!
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.
Learn to make an elegant hand-crafted “Baron” Fountain 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!
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.
Start or complete a fabrication project with expert guidance, produce a metal art piece, repair something broken, learn by helping someone else on their project. Get advice on a project you're planning.
If you’re welding skills are a bit rusty, use the time to practice a process (MIG, TIG, Stick), and/or learn how to use hand tools (grinders, clamps, etc.) and shop power tools (shear, brake, saw, etc..).
$35/person, invite friends, family, co-worker. The shop will be open from 12:00 to 8pm, come for all or part of the day.
Feel free to bring all materials necessary to construct your project, but also, some raw materials (angle, tubing, sheet metal, etc.) will be available for sale at near cost. As always, there will be plenty of scrap material for practice and salvaging. Contact in advance if there’s something specific you’ll need. Stephen@redmountainmakers.org
NOTE: This is not intended as an intro to welding class, but if you're unsure if welding is for you. Attending this session should help you to answer that question.
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 shoes . We will provide flame retardant jackets, gloves and welding hoods. If you wear glasses for reading, please bring them. If you can't see, you won't weld well. 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.
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 whom is also in the class so they can observe them at all times. Please read carefully the disclaimers and guidelines and contact us with any questions or concerns.
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.
Check out the designs available to make during this class here
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!
About the Instructor: Sara Luckie a qualified crafts instructor offering personalized parties, lessons, and instruction to students in the Birmingham area. Check out more of her work and classes on her website, Instagram, and Facebook!
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class.
In this workshop, you will have the opportunity to create an original pewter pendant from small found objects alongside skilled metal artist, Julie Carpenter. With her guidance, your hands-on experience will include pattern designing, mold making, casting, drilling, polishing, and patina application. In addition to your newfound love for metal casting, you will take home a shiny new handmade piece pf pewter art designed and crafted by you! Feel free to bring your own tiny objects to use in designing your piece. Julie will bring her big collection of small things to share with all students in this process.
About the Instructor: Julie Carpenter (@juliecarpenterart) has been instructing and sharing her knowledge in the art of metalworking since 2007. She has taught classes and held camps on the fundamentals of oxygen/acetylene (gas) welding, MIG (wire) welding, and pewter jewelry casting to people between the ages of 8 and 85. Julie believes that metal working is for everyone and that experiencing firsthand how metals melt and fuse together is the best beginning.
What to wear: At RMM, 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 hair must be tied back. Additional protective gear will be provided as needed.
We are THRILLED to start hosting the Rug Tufting Workshops of Tuft Birmingham to Red Mountain Makers!
Join us for our fun-filled 2-hour kids’ tufting workshop, designed for ages 8-12! Each child, accompanied by an adult, will create their very own custom rug, choosing from 6 pre-designed options (see image below) or their own initials (option 7). No experience needed – just bring your creativity and get ready to tuft together!
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 work on other projects, meet people, and explore more ways to make!
This class is taught by Andrea Willis of Tuft Birmingham. Check out her work on Instagram and Facebook or shop her work on Etsy!
FAQ:
What is rug tufting?
Rug tufting is a technique used to create rugs by punching yarn or thread through a base fabric using a tufting gun or needle. This process allows for the creation of various patterns, textures, and designs on the rug’s surface.
Do I need any prior experience to participate in Tuft Birmingham workshops?
No prior experience is necessary to participate in our workshop. We welcome participants of all skill levels, from beginners to advanced learners.
What’s included with the Workshop?
All the supplies needed to create your hand-tufted rug: tufting machines, frames, cloth, and a selection of yarn from our wide range of yarn colors.
Finishing service done by us: gluing, shaving, and backing your rug!
Age:
This class is recommended for children 8 to 12. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Younger and older students are welcome at the discretion of the instructor and guardian. Email classes@redmountainmakers.org with questions.
From light bulbs to fiber optic cables, vases to garden sculpture -, everything in glass starts with a "gather". In this class students use traditional glassmaking tools to learn the basics and sculpt hot glass into a desired shape or design. Our focus is to gain the beginning skills of glasswork imperative to working in a "Hot shop." This class is taught by Garrett of Whimsies Hot Glass.
In the intermediate glassblowers class we will explore the blowing portion of glass work. Starting with a "seed bubble" we hope to grow our seed into basic forms in glass like the tumbler or ornament. Shaping and focusing on the centering aspect of our work. Team exercises are inevitable in glass and we will be working as a team to help each other reach our desired design. Blowing glass adds a much more detailed focus in glass as opposed to sculpting and requires swift but purposeful movements to get where we want. In this class attention to movement is a large part. If you move right, the glass will move right. This class is taught by Garrett of Whimsies Hot Glass.
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.
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.
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.
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 Project-Based Metalcraft class.
Learn the basics of woodturning to make the design of your choice. This class will cover the fundamentals including how to safely operate a lathe, how to use hand-held turning tools, properties of wood, design considerations, and finishing. Participants may copy an example design or develop their own. We will have plenty of wood for practice and creativity.
Are minors allowed? Only if accompanied by parent.
What to Wear: You must dress safely and appropriately. Arrive for class in long pants, closed toe and heal shoes with socks that protect up to the ankle. Long sleeves should be avoided. Long hair must be tied back and jewelry should not be worn. Additional protective gear will be provided as needed. Ear plugs are recommended for hearing protection and dust masks are also useful.
About the instructor:
