Red Mountain Makers upcoming events

Introduction to Welding (MIG) (06/19/2026)

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT

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.

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Cutting Boards for Beginners (06/20/2026)

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 15:00:00 GMT

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!

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Intro to Electronics for Beginners: demystify the "black boxes" of modern electronics. (06/26/2026)

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Class Description: Ever wonder what is actually happening inside the "magic black boxes" of modern technology? In this hands-on introductory workshop, you'll pull back the curtain on digital electronics. We will cover the absolute fundamentals of electricity, voltage, and current, and introduce the component that sparked the digital revolution: The Transistor.

Using a solderless breadboard, you will build a functioning transistor-controlled LED switch circuit from scratch, and you get to keep the hardware kit (including the breadboard and power module) to continue experimenting at home! No prior electronics experience required.

Class Restrictions: Age restriction will be 14+. All minors must register alongside a participating adult.

About the Instructor: Shihanur Tahmid is an Electrical and Computer Engineering student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the founder of ElectroSpark CAS. Deeply passionate about hardware architecture and semiconductor fundamentals, Shihanur specializes in breaking down complex technical concepts into hands-on, practical engineering experiences. His goal is to demystify the "black boxes" of modern electronics and show students how everyday computing functions are built from the silicon up.

Intro to Tie Dye - folding, tying, sinew designs (06/27/2026)

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 18:00:00 GMT

In this class we will learn the folding, tying, and dyeing of the mandala and similar designs. By the end of this class you'll know how to prepare your fabric and create your design. We focus on a technique using sinew for our main tie design.

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.

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Intermediate Glassblowing: Blown Ornaments (06/28/2026)

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 17:00:00 GMT

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.

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.

Refund and Cancellation Policy

Turn a Mesa Pen (06/29/2026)

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT

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.

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Intro to Tie Dye - folding, tying, sinew designs (07/11/2026)

Sat, 11 Jul 2026 17:00:00 GMT

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Introduction to Welding (MIG) (07/17/2026)

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 23:00:00 GMT

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.

Refund and Cancellation Policy

Welding Project Class: fabricate a stool (07/24/2026)

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Prior welding experience, such as the Intro to MIG class, is required for this course.

In this welding project class, under the guidance of a fabrication instructor, you will learn and apply basic fabrication skills while constructing a functional footstool (15"x15"x12") using 1” square tubing and 1/8" sheet metal. The focus of the class is to learn a variety of functional metal working skills; how to read a measuring tape, proper fit-up technique, distortion control, how to ensure a square, and finally the opportunity to apply your welding skills in welding and grinding your project stool.

About the Instructor: My name is Jon Webber. I've accumulated 10 years experience working as a production welder and eventually owned my own fabrication business. I look forward to passing on some of what I've learned to the next generation of welders and hobbyists alike! The best part of this class: You'll not only your improve your skills, but also get to take your impressive foot stool home when you're done!

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.

Introduction to Welding (MIG) (08/14/2026)

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 23:00:00 GMT

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.

Refund and Cancellation Policy