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.
Refund and Cancellation Policy
This class will involve the basic utilization of the forge and proper use of the tools to produce the basis for all blacksmiths points, scrolls, and twist. No previous knowledge is necessary for this course; as such, it makes a wonderful starting point for students wanting to learn more from blacksmithing. This class will introduce students to the fundamentals of blacksmithing such as terms, tools, and proper procedures. The techniques that will be learned in this class will lead to the production of a stake or garden skewer.
Prerequisites: We recommend you complete a beginner blacksmithing class such as Forging Nails prior to taking this class, or having previous experience.
About the Instructor: This 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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
About the Instructor: This class is taught by Matt Volpe, the manager of your local Tandy Leather store here in Birmingham, Alabama. Matt has been doing leathercraft in some sort for over 15 years now and has been working at the Tandy Birmingham location for almost 13 years. He has taught hundreds of classes on the art of leathercrafting at Tandy Leather and has always enjoyed working with leather and teaching about the craft. He really enjoys teaching students about leathercraft and spreading the knowledge of leatherworking to the next generation of crafters.
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. 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.
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class. Please read carefully the disclaimers and guidelines
A new seasonal ornament uniquely designed will be available each offering making for a unique experience every time this class is offered through the year! This month it's this fun and spooky Halloween ornament! If you just want to see what working with stained glass is like, or want to start a hobby or collection then this would be an excellent class to take!
Work Involved - assembly, copper foiling, soldering, grinding glass
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)
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
Welcome to our crochet class for beginners! Join us at Red Mountain Makers for a fun and relaxing time learning the basics of crochet. Whether you're a complete newbie or just need a refresher, this class is perfect for you. Our experienced instructor will guide you through the fundamentals of crochet, from holding the hook to creating your first stitches. You'll leave with the skills and confidence to start your own crochet projects. Don't miss out on this opportunity to unleash your creativity and connect with fellow crafters. Sign up now!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Turn Wooden Christmas Ornaments
Just in time for Christmas you can make a unique gift or heirloom decoration! We'll provide the wood, tools, and instruction including design considerations. There will be plenty of wood, so you can make as many as time allows!
*No previous woodturning experience required*
About the Instructor: Carl Cummins has been woodturning as a primary activity for over 10 years. He has studied extensively from books, videos, workshops, symposiums, and formal training from nationally and internationally known leaders in the field including David Ellsworth and Jean-Francois Escoulen. Instead of specializing, Carl enjoys a wide variety of woodturning projects including bowls, boxes, practical items, and eccentric art pieces.
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class, though minors must be supervised by a guardian at all times. Contact us with any questions or concerns.
In this course, participants will chose a pre-made 3d model and learn how to use RMM's 3d printer ecosystem to bring 3d models to life with our Fused deposition modeling (FDM) printers (AKA filament printers). Prints will run overnight after the class, participants can pick up the completed project within 1 week after the class.
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 print additional designs and learn more about 3D printing from other knowledgeable members!
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class. Please contact us with questions.
What to wear: At RMM, you must dress safely and appropriately. Arrive for class in and closed-toe, closed-heel shoes. Long hair should be tied back. Additional protective gear will be provided as needed.
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.
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).
Note: Though it is not required, this class strongly suggests the 101 mold-making course before attempting this class to build off of previously learned skills and to expedite workflow. It is recommended that the piece to be cast in metal has been previously made or cast in wax and this can be accomplished within the previous mold making class.
Tools/Materials Utilized- Mold release spray, razor blades, venting red wax, rubber molds. 5 kg of silicon bronze per student, casting furnace, 10 kg graphite crucible for bronze. Borax flux, skimmer, heat resistant safety gear, ceramic slurry, various grits of silica sand, zircon, burn out oven, large metal tray, modeling brown wax, electric eye burner, propane burner, sculpting wax tools, soldering iron, pots, figurine, crucible shank, safety equipment
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.
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.
Age: there are no age restrictions to the class, however minors must be accompanied by an adult.
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.
A new seasonal ornament uniquely designed will be available each offering making for a unique experience every time this class is offered through the year! This month it's this beautiful snow flake ornament! If you just want to see what working with stained glass is like, or want to start a hobby or collection then this would be an excellent class to take!
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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
