Los Angeles Gearheads : Motorcycle, Scooter Repair Meetup

Silk Screen Class

This is an introductory class to the process of screen printing. No previous experience is necessary as we will guide you through the entire process.

You will learn how to create film positives from art work that you have created in either Photoshop, illustrator or Corel Draw. Note it is beyond the scope of this class to cover the creation of artwork. The film positive is then exposed to a photo emulsion on a screen stretched to a frame. The image is processed to create a stencil of the artwork you created in reverse of the film positive. This class will teach you how to do spot colors limited to one color. These can be letters and images but no gradients or halftones. We will teach this technique in a future class. We will teach you in this workshop how to set up our 6 color press, prepare your ink and print on either t-shirts or posters. You can cure and dry your prints and you will have a nice product you can take home and the experience on how to do it yourself.

Note: We have to have your artwork sent to us 72 hours in advance of the class to check format and size for screen printing. So it will be ready when you attend.

After taking the class you can join our makerspace and continue to learn by creating more items. You can screen print on just about anything. We have monthly memberships that give you access to the equipment without having to spend thousands in setting up your own.

Our screen printing studio within our makerspace is comprehensive and filled with professional level equipment. Here is a partial list of what we have to offer:

Hopkins Convertible 6/6 screen printer press with micro's all heads down
WorkHorse Mach Screen Press 4/4 with micro's
Black Body flash dryer
Hix 36" x 10' 6 platen dryer for Plastisol, Waterbase or discharege printing
Complete dark room make screens in minutes & with high resolution:
Amerigraph Mercury vapor exposure unit 3000 watt
Olec Olite large exposure unit (72" x 48") 5000 watt
Newman Rollermaster 7700 frame tensioning table
M&R Daytona Automatic automatic Press (posters)
Drying rack
Washout booth
Epson Artisan 1430 film positive printer with all black inks
Reclamation dip tank
Drying cabinet
Geo Knight Heat Press
Stahl Hotronix Cap press
Practix dual station semi automatic heat press
Dye Sublimation

The class does not include the costs of shirts or poster prints. You can bring your own or we can provide them for you. Just let us know in advance what sizes and colors you will need.

T-shirts are our form of tribal art, serigraphs allow you to print on papers that you cannot run through many Giclée printers. This workshop is fun and informative come join us and learn how to print.

Note: These will be small classes limited to 5 students

This workshop introduces you to the principles of metal inert gas welding aka MIG welding and GMAW gas metal arc welding, lots a names but you can call MIG for short. This is one of the easiest arc welding processes to learn and is useful in repairing and modifying bikes or building custom parts. You will learn how the process works and what are the advantages and disadvantages of the process. Equipment will be covered in detail along with safety considerations while using the process To be successful at MIG welding you need to learn the key factors that will lead you down the path for creating strong, consistent welds. The path is shorter with guided practice with an instructor. The wrong machine, poor helmet and bad work posture will contribute to lengthening the learning curve or making you an inconsistent welder.

You will learn about basic metallurgy as it relates to the mig process ie what metals can be welded, their characteristics, mechanical properties, grain structure, and effects of heat. Planning and organizing your project so you don't set yourself up for a bunch of awkward welding situations (build it on paper). What are the basic metal profiles available for my project (rod, tube, plate etc). Joint options for appearance and strength.

Shop safety and how NOT to feel the burn. This discussion weaves tools and safety gear and safe working techniques to avoid injury. The fun stops if you get hurt. We don't want you getting hurt. For this class and all welding classes you will be required to wear long pants preferably thick jeans, long sleeve shirts and shoes (no open toe shoes, shorts). We will provide jackets and or leathers and helmets. Gloves because they are a personal items can be purchased at the class or you can buy it at a welding supply store.

The MIG machine: details of how to set it up, what gases to use, what wires and sizes to use, how the controls work and checking your gun for optimal operation plus much more. Recommendations on what machines to buy. The wrong machine can lengthen your learning curve.

In summary this is a fun intro class into a popular welding process that can serve you well into the future. You can watch all you want on Youtube but you can only develop skill by practicing and doing. Class size is currently limited to 4 people.

Even though this is a one day (or two evening class) all of my students have been able to weld steel together using the Mig process to varying degrees of proficiency, by the end of the class. And of course practice makes perfect. This is due to the small class size and greater supervision by the instructor and your fellow students. Feedback on what you are doing wrong is very important in doing something that is very different from anything you have done before. You can learn it in your head but then you have to teach your hands.

Tuition for the class is $285. I will provide helmets, jackets, gloves and tools.

Have a group that might like to join. We offer a friends and family discount of 3 or more members that join together. More fun to learn something new together.

About the instructor:I learned the craft in trade school and went into the service where I worked as a fabricator and learned knew skills and machinery. I have been blessed to be exposed to a number of trades and over the years I have worked as a prop fabricator for the film industry continuing to hone my MIG and TIG skills. This is one of the best and most useful skills I have ever learned and it will serve you for your entire life.
More info at our web site:

https://www.gearheadworkshops.com/

Great reviews on Yelp and Google:
https://www.yelp.com/biz/gearhead-workshops-harbor-city
If you have any issues with registering for the class through Meetup or want to register direct, feel free to call or text me directly.
Reach out to : Bill (310)936-9733

Note: These will be small classes limited to 5 students

TIG Welding Made Easier.

Tungsten Inert Gas welding or TIG for short is welding in the slow lane. From your motorcycle frame to the International Space Station anytime human life is at stake or if aesthetics are important or both, you break out your TIG welder. It is a bit harder to master but believe me it is worth putting the effort in for what you get in return. I guide you through the process so you can get comfortable working in a whole different world than you're used to where it can be hard to see and you tend to wield the tool with a heavy hand. As your personal trainer I can catch what you are doing wrong and break any bad habit before they become bad habits.You'll be TIG welding steel by the end of the day.

This workshop introduces you to the equipment, processes, and techniques for welding metals the TIG way. Though you can weld mild steel with a TIG welder it is mainly used to weld reactive metals like Aluminum or high chromium metals like stainless steel. This process yields welds with more consistent heat penetration and higher quality welds. To be successful you need to understand the variables and how to set up the machine and the task. When trying to learn by yourself or through Youtube you can end up being stuck in an endless loop by reinforcing bad techniques or poor setups. With guided instruction to keep you on track you can achieve better more repeatable results, in less time. The effort is well worth it with the quality and strength of the welds.

You can use the TIG process to do repairs on your bike where appearance is as important as strength. You can use it to fabricate art, furniture, movie props, and DIY car restoration enthusiasts. Some of my students took the class to make their micro breweries, the possibilities are endless. You can then weld the segments together, grind and polish the welds and make them disappear. But that will take a bit of time and practice but the process is only limited by the imagination.

Is it possible to learn the Tig welding process in only one day? It is possible to learn the fundamentals of the basic hand techniques with this intense one one-on-one instruction which you simply won't get at a trade school with over 30 students. By getting observed direct feedback as to what you are doing wrong can you get on a path to consistency that over time will lead to a higher skill level.

After the intro, you are welcome to come into the shop for open practice time without supervision. We have hourly and monthly memberships to fit all budgets. In this way, you can build your skills very quickly.

You will be working on state-of-the-art inverter welders. As part of the class I will also offering live reviews of some of the best imported and affordable inverter welders on the market. The class will also be a live review of welders and gear. You get to try before you buy to see what suits you. The right gear can lower the learning curve.

Tuition for the class is $295 and this includes material and supplies. I will provide helmets, jackets, gloves and tools. You do not need to bring anything.

About the instructor:I learned the craft in trade school and went into the service where I worked as a fabricator and learned knew skills and machinery. I have been blessed to be exposed to a number of trades and over the 25 years I have worked as a prop fabricator for the film industry continuing to hone my MIG and TIG skills. This is one of the best and most useful skills I have ever learned and it will serve you for your entire life.

If you have any issues with registering for the class through Meetup or want to register direct, feel free to call or text me directly.

Call or text (310)936-9733 or email: billndm@gmail.com

More info at our web site:

https://www.gearheadworkshops.com/

Great reviews on Yelp:
https://www.yelp.com/biz/gearhead-workshops-harbor-city

Note, this is a two evening class on Tuesday with a second meeting on Thursday . It is a full class split in two sessions.

TIG Welding Made Easier.

Tungsten Inert Gas welding or TIG for short is welding in the slow lane. From your motorcycle frame to the International Space Station anytime human life is at stake or if aesthetics are important or both, you break out your TIG welder. It is a bit harder to master but believe me it is worth putting the effort in for what you get in return. I guide you through the process so you can get comfortable working in a whole different world than you're used to where it can be hard to see and you tend to wield the tool with a heavy hand. As your personal trainer I can catch what you are doing wrong and break any bad habit before they become bad habits.You'll be TIG welding steel by the end of the day.

This workshop introduces you to the equipment and process and techniques for welding metals the TIG way. Though you can weld mild steel with a TIG welder it is mainly used to weld reactive metals like Aluminum or high chromium metals such as stainless steel. This process yields welds with more consistent heat penetration, higher quality welds but it is more difficult to master and it is a slower process. To be successful you need to understand the variables and how to set up the machine and the task. When trying to learn by yourself or through Youtube you can end up being stuck in an endless loop by reinforcing bad techniques or poor set ups. With guided instruction to keep you on track you are able to achieve better more repeatable results, in less time. The effort is well worth it with the quality and strength of the welds.

You can use the TIG process to do repairs on your bike where appearance is as important as strength. You can use it to fabricate art, furniture, movie props and DIY car restoration enthusiasts. You can then weld the segments together, grind and polish the welds and make them disappear. But that will take a bit of time and practice but the process is only limited by the imagination.

Is it possible to learn the Tig welding process in only one day? It is possible to learn the fundamentals of the basic hand techniques with this intense one on one instruction which you simply won't get at a trade school with over 30 students. By getting observed direct feedback as to what you are doing wrong can you get on a path to consistency that over time will lead to a higher skill level.

After the intro you are welcome to come into the shop for open practice time without supervision. We have hourly and monthly memberships to fit all budgets. In this way you can build your skills very quickly.

You will be working on state of the art inverter welders. As part of the class I will also offering live reviews of some of the best imported and affordable inverter welders on the market.

Tuition for the class is $285 and this includes material and supplies. I will provide helmets, jackets, gloves and tools. You do not need to bring anything.

About the instructor:I learned the craft in trade school and went into the service where I worked as a fabricator and learned knew skills and machinery. I have been blessed to be exposed to a number of trades and over the 25 years I have worked as a prop fabricator for the film industry continuing to hone my MIG and TIG skills. This is one of the best and most useful skills I have ever learned and it will serve you for your entire life.
Call or text (310)936-9733 email: billndm@gmail.com
More info at our web site:

https://www.gearheadworkshops.com/education

Great reviews on Yelp:
https://www.yelp.com/biz/gearhead-workshops-harbor-city

Also Google