There are plenty of woodwork, glass and pottery studios in Los Angeles, but the only community metal shop is in Atwater Village. The shop is called Molten Metal Works, and it was founded in 2009 by Matt Jones, who used to build sets for museums and amusement parks.
The kind of people taking welding classes at Molten Metal Works range from teenagers to retired people. The shop offers over 30 different classes, and they're meant from both beginners and advanced welders.
"Some people are looking to get into it as a profession and other people are just looking for a fun Friday night. But for the most part people are interested in building sculpture, furniture or car or motorcycle projects," Jones says.
But Jones has seen some strange projects as well. One guy built a bicycle-powered pedaling horse, someone else a ladybug go-cart that went to The Burning Man Festival. Jones' own latest project was a series of 25 chandeliers and 12 centerpieces for his wedding last fall. Next, he wants to learn how to use a plasma cutter to do origamis.
"I would take a sheet of metal, cut it flat, and then bend it so that it would turn into a 3D shape."
For those who have an interest in welding, like Luz Culp, a 55-year-old artist from San Diego, who took her first welding class in March, Jones has a suggestion.
"The first thing is to figure out what kind of welding you want to do and specialize in that. Because you can do everything from jewelry-size stuff all the way up to underwater welding on deep-sea diving rigs."
"We're not doing the deep-sea diving stuff here but we can help you build our own furniture," Jones says. "If you want to learn in one day, we're still the number one spot for that."