WELDING CLASSES

Exploring Welding
Entry-level

>> Sign Up 

If you're not sure what type of welding you'd like to learn, this is the class for you. You will learn about —and have the chance to try—the four types of welding taught at The Crucible: oxyacetylene, arc ("stick"), metal inert gas (MIG) and tungsten inert gas (TIG). This class will inspire you and guide you to the type of welding most appropriate to the pr oject you want to complete or the direction you want to follow.

Introduction to Welded Sculpture
Entry-level

>> Sign Up

In this great beginners' class, you'll learn to join pieces of metal using arc (or "stick") welding. You'll also slice through ferrous metals with the oxygen jet of an oxyacetylene cutting torch and use power and hand tools to finish your work. You'll make a small sculpture to take home.

Also check out this class in our Youth Department and as part of a Fun Together Classes!

Women's Welding
Entry-level

>> Sign Up

This special workshop, taught by women for women, covers the same material as Introduction to Welded Sculpture. It's a great introduction to metalworking in a supportive environment. Absolutely no experience is needed.

Continuing Techniques in Welded Sculpture
Prerequisites: Introduction to Welded Sculpture, Women's Welding

>> Sign Up

Take your sculptural techniques to the next level! Create a gallery and sale ready piece or just a quality gift for family or a friend. In this class you will learn to weld and incorporate new common metals including stainless steel and cast iron as well as develop advanced welding techniques and receive instruction on new fabrication tools. We will also introduce the possibility of incorporating prefabricated elements to enhance your piece and expand on different finishing techniques and patinas to give your sculpture a more polished, professional appearance.

Oxyacetylene Welding
Entry-level

>> Sign Up

Learn to weld using a torch that burns a mixture of oxygen and acetylene gases—the hottest flame available, and the least expensive way to weld. You'll learn about cutting, joining and shaping sheet metal to make a geometric candleholder, along with another small project of your choice. This class also covers oxyacetylene and plasma cutting, and introduces metal-joining by brazing.!

Burn Barrel
Entry-level

>> Sign Up 

Fire makes all art equal.  Use your creativity to design and create a burn barrel. The main focus for each student will be to create a decorative outdoor fire pit or burn barrel out of a steel drum.  Concentration of instruction will be centered around the subtractive process using oxyacetylene torch cutting techniques. Please come to class with a sketchbook and any ideas you may have.

Introduction to MIG Welding
Entry-level

>> Sign Up

Metal inert gas (MIG) welding, also known as wire-feed welding, falls between arc and TIG in the welding spectrum. Quieter and cleaner (and some say easier) than arc welding, MIG welding is typically used in production fabrication such as furniture making, light construction and auto restoration. You'll learn the basics of MIG welding, as well as plasma cutting and other fabrication processes. Knowledge of arc welding is handy but not essential.

Also check out this class in our Youth Department

In a supportive and encouraging environment, you will learn welding theory and principles including conceptual design, drawing to communicate your ideas, design development and detailing, material selection, sourcing, purchasing, and metal terminology.  Fundamental techniques such as basic hossfeld bending, oxy/acetylene bending, fabrication, connections (tapping, bolting, screwing, riveting), grinding, and finishing will be taught to expand and refine your skills.

During this exciting workshop, a professional fabrication artist will guide you through the techniques of working with mild steel and recycled materials. You will have the opportunity to construct projects of your very own design during the open lab.  Furniture, sculpture of all types, and lighting are all encouraged.  Projects will be discussed and evaluated for feasibility and cost, given the one-week timeframe. We will have a library of metal working books and sample projects for inspiration.

Stool by Brian Enright

The Art of Metal: Design & Furniture Fabrication
Prerequisites: Any welding class

>> Sign Up

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.

Note: Choosing larger projects will incur extra material costs.

Wood + Metal
Entry-level

>> Sign Up

Wood + Metal is for those who want to learn and apply the fundamental properties of these two titans of materials. During this class, you'll create a custom piece of furniture that incorporates both materials and highlights the ways each complements the other.
Skills covered will be MIG welding, cutting, grinding, and finishing metal as well as wood milling, gluing, joinery, sanding, and finish work. You will work closely with the core wood shop tools: table saw, jointer, planer, band saw, and router. Come to the first class with ideas and measurements for a small piece of custom wood + metal furniture. Past projects include coffee tables, book shelves, and small desks.

Backyard BBQ or Fire Pit Build!
Prerequisites: Previous welding experience preferred

>> Sign Up

If you are a BBQ enthusiast or enjoy entertaining around a fire pit, this is the workshop for you!  Put your welding skills to use.  Learn to design and build your own ultimate BBQ or fire pit from a recycled tank/ container and scrap metal.  The class will focus on reuse of materials to create a functional one-of-a-kind outdoor sculpture.  Enjoy the great outdoors with friends this summer by showing off your hand-crafted BBQ or fire pit!  On the last day of class, we will fire up a BBQ or two and celebrate our creations with a grill-fest!

TIG Welding I
Entry-level

>> Sign Up

Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding is a precise method that makes clean, focused welds on everything from super thin to very thick materials. Using the TIG process, you can weld any metal you desire (including steel, stainless steel, bronze, copper, aluminum, or titanium) and can even join dissimilar metals. For the beginning class, you will use steel to develop a series of fundamental welding techniques. The class will culminate in a small project to show off your newly acquired skills.

Also check out this class in our Youth Department.

TIG Welding II
Prerequisite: TIG I

>> Sign Up 

This class is for those who have completed Beginning TIG, have a basic idea of stainless steel and are ready to move on to working with different types of metals. Emphasizing aluminum, brass and copper, this course teaches the ins and outs of TIG welding, tricks of the trade and reasons why some metals cannot be joined.

Sculpting with TIG
Prerequisites: TIG experience

>> Sign Up

This class deepens your knowledge of TIG welding and gives you the practice you need to hone your skills. You'll learn to hand-feed wire to fill gaps, and to create new forms in a variety of metals. Challenging exercises will allow you to gain the confidence to consider yourself a competent TIG welder. This class focuses on precise welding, including minimizing grinding and finishing. This is an advanced class, so bring ideas for projects that are feasible given the time and equipment available.

TIG and Titanium
(Yearly)
Prerequisites: Beginning TIG

>> Sign Up

Want to learn to weld titanium? This one-day class teaches the basics of titanium TIG welding with standard shop equipment. You'll learn the properties of titanium and why it's tricky to weld. We'll cover techniques to avoid cracking and contamination of this sensitive metal, such as appropriate use of gas lenses and back-purging welds with argon to bring them down to a lower temperature. You'll see demonstrations and practice basic and some advanced welds in class. You should have experience with TIG welding. Please bring your gloves and wear suitable clothing.

Art of the One-Speed: Building a Bicycle Frame
(Yearly)
Prerequisites: Beginning TIG, The Mother Machines

>> Sign Up

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.