All the 2025 workshops will be hands-on, and limited to only one student each day. This ensures that each student will get undivided attention, and you'll quickly see that Ron loves to help people learn new skills. Ron's been teaching since 1995 - helping over 10,000 students to date, in 9 countries around the world. His years of building award-winning cars and motorcycles, plus his strong background in sculpture and design gives him a broad background of experience to share with his students. Ron can often suggest creative approaches for getting a job done that you might not think of yourself. These classes are open to men and women who work in many different fields, including furniture design, sculpture, automotive and motorcycle fabrication and modification, or any field that involves fabrication with sheet, plate, tubing, and bar.
You can shape metal to fit one of Ron's pre-made bucks, or work on projects he has patterns for (such as Air Scoops, Tables, Gas Tanks, or Bomber Seats). Another approach is to focus on one or more tools (such as the English wheel, beading machine, or planishing hammer) and work through a set of projects which are progressively more challenging. Alternately, you can concentrate on processes such as layout and patterning, welding, making bucks and hammerforms, or metalfinishing. If you don't know where to start, Ron can suggest projects appropriate for your interests and skill level.
Ron is open to setting up training or consultations for individuals or small groups, on ANY mutually-acceptable dates, including weekdays. Contact Ron for more details.
All classes are held at Ron's shop in Freedom, California (80 miles south of San Francisco). You can register for one or both days, and the cost is $800 each day. If you are flying in, San Jose is the closest major airport (about 1 hour away, depending on traffic). There is a regional airport in Monterey, which is about 45 minutes away (again, depending on traffic).