DIY | Weekend Warrior Art Classes in the Bay Area

These art classes for the Do-It-Yourself and Weekend Warrior crowd. For folks that want to create a piece for their home or want to learn a new skill in one intense weekend. These are all beginning art classes where all you need to bring is you and maybe a notepad for notes. No experience is required and we supply all the gear and materials needed!

Wood + Metal
Entry-level class
In this class learn to make a beautiful coffee table or bookshelf which incorporates both wood and metal. You will learn both welding / metal fabrication skills and core woodshop tools. Skills covered will be MIG welding, cutting, grinding, bending and finishing metal as well as milling wood, gluing wood, joinery, sanding and finishing work. Your piece will be a perfect addition to any living space.

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Introduction to Welded Sculpture
Entry-level class
Make a fabulous one-of-a-kind garden sculpture for your yard using recycled materials. You’ll learn to join pieces of metal using arc welding (also known as stick welding). You’ll also learn to slice through metal with the hot flame of an oxy/acetylene torch and to use power and hand tools to finish your work. We offer this as a weekend intensive, weeknight class or weeklong workshop, so you can fit this class into any schedule!

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Glass Beads
Entry-level
Learn how to make colorful glass beads from Effettre glass rods (a soft glass), using an oxy-propane torch. This class will teach you how to make a variety of bead shapes, to form and alter surface patterns and to make stringers and twisters.

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Introduction to Bell Casting
Entry-level
This class introduces you to lost-wax and sand casting. You will make an aluminum bell pattern via the lost wax process, then use this reusable pattern to cast bronze bells using the green sand process. The final bell will be about six inches in diameter.

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Design & Make Your Own Waffle Iron
Entry-level
Have you ever wanted to make your own Waffle Iron? If so this class is for you, from design to iron casting a stove top waffle iron. We will take you through the steps to create a waffle iron of your own design.

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Kiln-Formed Recycled Glass Tableware
Entry-level
The goal of this class is to make a dinner ware set of four, including large plates, salad plates, desert plates and coasters, by repurposing and re-melting window and plate glass. You will have the coice of making your own 12" max custom molds out of clay or fiber or use the 12" and 8" clay provided. Old window glass and colors for the window glass will be included in the class, but you are welcomed to bring in your own found glass for experimentation and possible use.

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One Sheet of Plywood: Design/Build
Entry-level class
This class is designed for woodworkers who want to begin expanding their design skills, and for designers who want to learn woodworking skills. In this class you will be challenged to design and build anything you can imagine out of a 4x8 sheet of high quality laminated birch plywood. You will go through a rigorous design process as you explore the versatility and unmatched structural integrity of plywood and learn skills to produce a one of a kind piece of furniture, sculpture or invention.

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Glass Paper Weights
Entry-level
Demystify the secrets behind glass paperweights. This is an excellent beginning class for anyone wanting to dabble in hot glass. In this entry level one-day workshop you will learn to gather molten glass out of the furnace, apply color, learn various simple techniques to manipulate and shape the molten glass, as well as, proper use and terminology of traditional glass blowing tools. You can expect to create your very own one of a kind paperweights that will mesmerize both you and your friends!

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Glass Ornaments
Entry-level
Impress your friends and family by decorating your house with your very own hand blown glass ornaments. In this one day workshop you will work in a safe and supportive environment as the instructor guides you through the process of basic glass blowing to help you create your very own one of a kind hand blown glass ball ornaments. You will learn to gather molten glass out of the furnace, apply color, blow a hollow vessel and finally attach a hot glass loop to hang your ornaments from.

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Build Your Own Propane Forge
Entry-level class
Need creative fire? Learn to build a forge of your own in this class that teaches the basics of forge building. Guided by a professional blacksmith, you’ll build your forge from an efficient design using three types of refractory materials, and use it for your own blacksmithing project. The materials fee includes all parts and equipment except the propane tank. Welding experience is helpful, but not necessary.

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Build a Mandolin or a Ukulele in Just Four Days!
with Rick Turner
Entry-level class
In just four days, you’ll build a complete ukulele or mandolin in the traditional Spanish style, using instrument-grade woods, modern glues, and space-age graphite neck reinforcement. Our mandolin is based on the style made for our troops overseas during World War I, and the ukulele is the pineapple uke, a Hawaiian Islands favorite. As you build your instrument, you’ll learn many techniques used in other stringed instruments and gain a better appreciation of what goes into them. By the end of the last day, you’ll be picking and grinning like you just won the lottery!

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Introduction to Jewelry & Metals I
Entry-level class
This is perfect for the newly engaged folks. Take the class together and learn to make your own custom wedding bands! In this jewelry class you'll be introduced to simple skills of sawing, filing, sanding, soldering, texturing, annealing, stamping, polishing, safety, and design; you’ll also learn the properties of metals like copper, brass, and silver. By the end of class you will have a beautiful handmade sterling silver band ring. We offer this as a weekend intensive, weeknight class or weeklong workshop, so you can fit this class into any schedule!

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Bicycle Mechanic Workshop
Entry-level class
Students will perform a deep and complete tune up on their own bicycle over the course of two, full weekend days. As you disassemble and reassemble the entire bicycle, you will learn the names of the bicycle components and the tools used in a professional shop. Although basic supplies are provided, students will need to supply some of their own supplies like specialty tires, cables, chains and gears; some items may be available for sale at The Crucible.

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The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance & Repair
Entry-level class
If you have a bike that you want to learn to fix, or are interested in owning a bike and don’t want to rely on someone else to keep it on the road, this is the class for you. Generally motorcycles are simpler and easier to work on than cars. In this class we will cover a number of different bikes. With the consent of the instructor, you will be able to work on your own bike in class or choose to work on one of the bikes provided by the instructor. Note: If working on your own bike, you must buy any materials needed.

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Cup & Drinking Tumblers
Prerequisites: Introduction to Glass Blowing
In this continuing class, you’ll learn to hone and fine-tune skills creating variations of cups and drinking tumblers. Various tumbler shapes and attachments will be taught during class, with an emphasis on teamwork, punties, wraps, handles and repetition. There will also be some color application taught. You will make various individual tumblers, as well as, a matching set.

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Furniture Fabrication & MIG Welding
Prerequisites: Any welding class
If you want to fabricate one-of-a-kind metal furniture for your home, this class is for you. Going beyond basic MIG welding, this ten-week class focuses on designing and fabricating functional and aesthetically interesting benches, coffee tables, flower stands, cabinets, wheeled furniture, shelves, coat racks, and just about any other piece of furniture you’d like to fabricate. Be prepared to weld and cut on the first day as a review.

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Art of the One-Speed: Building a Bicycle Frame
Prerequisites: Beginning TIG, The Mother Machines
Have you ever wanted to make your own bicycle frame? Here is your chance. In this class you will make a one-speed, chrome moly steel, mountain bike frame using proven geometric principles. Learn about TIG welding, brazing, machining of tubes, bicycle geometry, materials, construction techniques, fixtures, and jigs. You’ll leave this class with your own one-of-a-kind bicycle frame.

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