Impress your friends, that cute bartender or your older brother with your tough new skill. This 3-hour introductory welding class will teach you the very basics of MIG welding and familiarize you with the tools you’ll need to finish a project.

MIG welding is the handy hot glue, do-all kind of welding–the type of machine you will most likely run into at any metal shop in the US. This class focuses on the hands-on experience of welding. You will learn the difference between MIG, TIG, arc and oxy acetylene, what type of shielding gas to use for MIG, why you won’t get electrocuted, and how to run a bead… a little of the theory and tech, but mostly you will get a feel for the manual skill of welding. You can take this beginning welding multiple times with different teachers and you should! What is common to every class? Welding is about practice.

TIG is the new MIG. The coolest thing about TIG welding is that TIG allows you to see exactly what is going on as a weld is executed, up close and personal, without being showered in splatter. Plus you don’t have to wear those bulky gloves.
Come down to the shop and do it slow with Hackett.

For all classes: Wear jeans, long sleeves and sturdy shoes or boots. Leave your fancy nylon sneakers at home. They will get ruined and your toes may burn off. You’ve been warned.
Dress for the weather. If it’s cold outside, it’s cold inside. This is a working shop so prepare to get dirty.

*If you’re looking to make-up a rescheduled combo MIG/TIG class, try March 15th, when there’s both a MIG and TIG class– sign up for both with the “make-up/reschedule” ticket type!

In this all day mig/tig combo class, artstar Jim Tensen will walk you through everything you need to successfully learn to weld. First, you’ll some basic theory, then you’ll learn how the MIG machine works, general safety, why you won’t get electrocuted, and all those questions that have been floating through your brains while laying in bed at 3am. Then you’ll move on to actual welding: Running a bead and tacks, butt joints and fillet welds. Finally, Jim will show you how to visually inspect and test your welds. You’ll also learn how to cut and grind your steel.
The you’ll do it all again with the TIG welder.
This is our newest most popular class. No previous welding experience neccessary.
You’ll have a break half way between, but there’s alot to learn, so plan on being pretty busy all day.
There are a few nasty delis near the shop to buy water and sandwiches near the shop but not a whole lot of options, so bring what you think you’ll need for a day of welding. Lunch, water, snacks, bugspray–yes, the ravenous gowanus mosquitos are notorious…..
Wear long pants, closed toe shoes, and prepare to get dirty. Dress for the weather. Bring long sleeves or sunscreen. Ask Jim why! $110 with $15 materials fee.

Beginning MIG Welding w/ Hackett 1/8/14 7PM – 10PM

MIG welding is the handy hot glue do-all kind of welding, the primary kind of welding used in making traincars, art, cranes, etc.

All sorts of people have come through Madagascar Institute knowing nothing about a shop and have become capable metal workers; get your start here. This class focuses on the hands-on experience of welding. You will learn a little of the theory and tech behind it, but mostly you will get a feel for the manual skill of welding. $60 incl materials

Beginning TIG Welding w/ Hackett 1/18/14 1PM – 4PM
Beginning TIG Welding w/ Hackett 1/30/14 7PM – 10PM

TIG is the new MIG. The coolest thing about TIG welding is that TIG allows you to see exactly what is going on as a weld is executed, up close and personal, without being showered in splatter. Plus you don’t have to wear those bulky gloves.
Come down to the shop and do it slow with Hackett. $60 incl materials.

Not sure which class? Pick up a gift certificate!

6 hr MIG/TIG welding combo w/ Jim, Saturday 11/9/13 11am-6pm

In this all day mig/tig combo class, artstar Jim Tensen will walk you through everything you need to successfully learn to weld. First, you’ll some basic theory, then you’ll learn how the MIG machine works, general safety, why you won’t get electrocuted, and all those questions that have been floating through your brains while laying in bed at 3am. Then you’ll move on to actual welding: Running a bead and tacks, butt joints and fillet welds. Finally, Jim will show you how to visually inspect and test your welds. You’ll also learn how to cut and grind your steel.
The you’ll do it all again with the TIG welder.
This is our newest most popular class. No previous welding experience neccessary.
You’ll have a break half way between, but there’s alot to learn, so plan on being pretty busy all day.
There are a few nasty delis near the shop to buy water and sandwiches near the shop but not a whole lot of options, so bring what you think you’ll need for a day of welding. Lunch, water, snacks, bugspray–yes, the ravenous gowanus mosquitos are notorious…..
Wear long pants, closed toe shoes, and prepare to get dirty. Dress for the weather. Bring long sleeves or sunscreen. Ask Jim why!
$110 with $15 materials fee.

6 hr MIG/TIG welding combo w/ Jim, Saturday 11/16/13 11am-6pm – same as above, different weekend!

Silkscreen with Ben Mortimer, Saturday 11/23/13 12pm-5pm

Learn to silkscreen with an actual art school grad!!!
In this 5 hour hands-on comprehensive, visiting artstar and good Mada friend Ben Mortimer will show you how to burn your own silkscreen with equipment you can put together at home.
We will supply the screens, Ben will pre-emulsion your screens for you, then demonstrate how to do it, then show you how to burn your screen with our light boxes. Then you all will burn your own artwork to your screen.
After your screens are cleaned off and dry, you’ll have the chance to print onto fabric, paper, t-shirts or whatever you want, then go home with your own screen.
No experience necessary.
Bring artwork printed onto a clear transparency. If you don’t have an artistic bone in your body, find an image online. If that’s not your thing either, you can just use something we have. If none of this makes sense to you, shoot me an email and I’ll help you out. You need to make sure the image is dark enough to keep light from penetrating. Or print doubles, or you can darken it up with a black sharpie.
We have fabric and paper you can use for practice, but if you want something specific, bring your own. Keep in mind there’s a high F-up to good ratio in the beginning so don’t bring your best old favorite irreplaceable t-shirt.
$80 Space is limited.

Hackett shows you how to build a bike charger for a deep cycle battery so you can power your life during the next natural disaster.

Mike Davis’ 555 chip charging circuit

Hackett describes the projector tripod he’s building for the pedicab version of The Illuminator, and discusses what he refers to as the “transmission problem” when building things from obtanium.

Hackett demonstrates an acid bath method to remove toxic galvanization from steel in order to prepare it for welding. Galvanized electrical conduit is a readily-obtainable building material, but welding it releases gaseous heavy metals. Removing galv from the areas you wish to weld is easy with a little muriatic acid, water, and baking soda.

Hackett wrote a how-to for making your own welding rod from coathangers, newspaper, and common household chemicals for MAKE volume 33. The full tutorial is available online, and you can download the article PDF!

Beginning TIG Welding with Jim – Wednesday 5/29 7-10pm

Beginning MIG Welding with Hackett – Saturday 6/1 12-3pm

Beginning MIG Welding with Ryan – Wednesday 6/5 7-10pm

Motorcycle Maintenance with Pat – Saturday 6/8 10am-1pm – Learn how to fix your own bike. In this small hands on class, Pat Cooke will teach you how to keep your bike running smoothly. Bring your bike and learn how to fix your particular problem. All bikes welcome. 4 openings only.

Beginning TIG Welding with Hackett – Tuesday 6/18 7-10pm (photo from all that we’ve met)

Intro to MIG welding w/ Hackett
Tues. Oct 9, 7-10pm
$60 incl materials
MIG welding is the handy hot glue do-all kind of welding, the primary kind of welding used in making traincars, art, cranes, etc. 

All sorts of people have come through Madagascar Institute knowing nothing about a shop and have become capable metal workers; get your start here. This class focuses on the hands-on experience of welding.  You will learn a little of the theory and tech behind it, but mostly you will get a feel for the manual skill of welding.

3-D printing on the Makerbot Replicator w/ Colin
Sat Oct 13 2-5pm
$65 incl. materials

3-Dimensional printing. Think hot glue gun attached to a robot who can push forward/back(Y), left/right(X), up/down(Z). It’s that simple really. Or is it? Come find out for yourself.

3D printing is a form of additive manufacturing. Dissimilar to cutting, milling, or lathe work, 3D printers draw from nothing to something. Layer by layer, creating a solid 3-dimensional object that can be held in your hand. From what you might ask. We will be printing with ABS filament. ABS is the same material LEGO are made of. The main idea we should take away from such tool as the 3D printer, is that we can make anything. You Can Make Anything! No experience neccesary!

EL Wire costume workshop w/ Becky Stern
Tues. Oct 16, 7pm to 9:40pm
$95 incl materials.
 
Just in time for all hallows eve, you’ll leave this class ready to light up the halloween parade. Or prepare yourself for the dreary winter and the change of seasons by lighting up your bike, your stilts, or your boots!

Learn to use EL wire to make light-up clothing and accessories in this hands-on workshop with Becky Stern, director of wearable electronics at Adafruit Industries. Bring a bag, stiff hat, a prop, pair of shoes, your bike or other item to cover with EL wire. Each student will receive an EL starter pack from Adafruit plus extra goodies. Tools, sewing supplies and adhesives will be available for use. No prior experience necessary.

Intro to TIG welding w/ Jim
Wed Oct 17, 7-9 pm
$60 incl materials.

TIG is the new MIG. The coolest thing about TIG welding is that TIG allows you to see exactly what is going on as the weld is executed, up close and personal, without being showered in splatter. Plus you don’t have to wear those bulky gloves.

This 3-hour introductory class will teach you the very basics of TIG welding. Artstar, professional welder and the 2nd biggest muscles at Madagascar Institute, Jim Tessen will familiarize you with TIG welding and give you the tips so that you can come back to the shop and practice on your own.

6hr MIG/TIG combo class w/ Jim
Sat Oct 20, 11-6pm
$125 incl. Materials

In this all day mig/tig combo class, artstar Jim Tensen will walk you through everything you need to successfully learn to weld. First, you’ll some basic theory, then you’ll learn how the MIG machine works, general safety, why you won’t get electrocuted, etc. Then you’ll move on to actual welding. Running a bead and tacks, butt joints and fillet welds. Finally, Jim will show you how to visually inspect and test your welds. You’ll also learn how to cut and grind your steel.

Then you’ll do it all again with the TIG welder.
This is our newest most popular class. No previous welding experience neccessary.