Took a "Make a Thing" class here (also known as Hazard Factory) with my girlfriend. McKenzie was teaching, and she was great. McKenzie started the class by explaining some safety rules (hot things are hot, sharp things are sharp, bright things are bright, heavy things are heavy), she showed us a few of the basics, and then we pretty much jumped right in. We picked out our kit ahead of time (we made a pterodactyl), so we got our pieces and set to work. McKenzie wandered about, sometimes interjecting when it looked like you needed help (whether you knew it or not), or if you had questions. This class is NOT for you if you are looking for in-depth information about welding theory or if you want to gain a deep competence in the skill (although they DO have different classes for that). This class IS for you if you want to try something new, learn a little bit, and end up with a piece of home-made art you can drop a bowling ball on. read more

For Christmas my boyfriend and I were given tickets to the Feb 1 class, which ended up being Superbowl Sunday and the Seahawks were playing. On the Wednesday night before the Sunday class I called to request a reschedule, because their website says to please give 72 hours notice if you need to reschedule. When I explained we would like to reschedule to the man on the phone he immediately and rudely denied the request, claiming financial hardship, in spite of the fact that I was giving over 72 hours notice. How can there be financial hardship when the tickets are paid for in advance and their policy clearly states you can reschedule with 72 hours advance notice? The phone conversation ultimately ended with him cutting me off mid sentence and hanging up on me, and my class wasn't rescheduled. I will not be attending this class or rescheduling apparently. The website also states there are no refunds. I can't reschedule and can't get a refund even though I gave the proper notice, so I suppose they are keeping what is now free money. I am disappointed not only because we will be missing out on what seemed like an awesome experience but also because I was treated so poorly on the phone. If 72 hours advance notice causes financial hardship for All Metal Arts Seattle I suggest a policy change. Also, a business that faces income flux from people rescheduling should maybe consider speaking respectfully to customers abiding by the polices the business has posted on their website. Word of mouth is a powerful thing and customer service can make or break you. read more

I booked some private instruction for my boyfriend's birthday. McKenzie and Rusty were great, they're super knowledgeable and can break down the set of skills that go into welding so that you learn a lot and have a great time doing it. I'd never welded, and still made something cool. Thanks for having us! We'll be back to tackle that giraffe! read more

Took the 2 hour "Quick intro to Welding" class. Our instructor, the legendary talented badass Mckenzie. We learned and practiced creating butt, edge, lap, and tee joints. This class is a trifecta of pure delight, productivity, and value. I loved every moment of it, and will be back for more. Be sure to wear long sleeve shirt to protect your forearms from the sparks and welding UV light. If you found my thoughts helpful, please let me know by marking as useful/funny/cool. read more

This place is now known as Hazard Factory. Both my son and I took the Mig class and had a follow-up private lesson here. I absolutely love the instructors, equipment, environment, etc. We've both learned a ton and while my son is definitely the better of the two, after today's private session, my welds are looking tons better. We will be purchasing a welder, will be coming back for additional private instructions and will be on the lookout for new course offerings. Thanks, Rusty and McKenzie for all of your help. Keep up the good work! read more

So much fun! I went here last week with some friends from work and it was a lot of fun. Welding is definitely a skill that takes some time to learn, but I was considerably better by the end of the two hour introduction class. Mckenzie is awesome, really nice, and incredibly helpful. I would strongly recommend taking any classes here as they are a ton of fun, really reasonably priced, and the instructors are very skilled and definitely know their stuff. This would be a great place to take a couple friends or just go solo. As a matter of fact I had so much fun the first time I went back a second time a few days later with another friend and did the intro class again. The extra practice definitely made a big difference. I am hoping to go back to do the more in-depth courses and will update my review after I take a few more. read more

I did the Tig class and am able to competently Tig weld, as well, now. Rusty did a great job and most of the class was spent actually welding and getting a feel for the new process. Thanks, again! read more

Took the 5 hr intensive mig welding class. Was ok. Learned the basics but was generally disappointed with the overall experience. Three primary complaints: 1) after the first hour Rusty basically disappeared, going to another area in his shop to work on his own personal stuff; 2) the whole class lacked structure - after Rusty espoused his knowledge upon us meager pupils it was 'here's some scrap metal, go weld for 4 hrs' rather than activities, tasks or projects that were assigned and then discussed as a group once done; it was more like we were renting a welder for the afternoon then taking a class; 3) Rusty is arrogant - for f's sake, you're a welder, turn it down a notch - no pun intended. I'm not saying avoid this class. I did get some basics that I'm planing to build off of, I'm just saying explore alternative options before committing. read more

I purchased two tickets for Rusty Oliver's 2/1/15 welding course as a Christmas gift to a friend. Upon realizing that this conflicted with Super Bowl plans, my friend called All Metal Arts (well ahead of the 72 hours notice their website states is required to reschedule) and asked if she could attend at a later date. Apparently Mr. Oliver wasn't having any of that. He flat-out refused, saying that it's "ridiculous" that someone would choose a football game over his class and that doing so would "affect his income." What? These are YOUR rules, dude. Why even post them if you're not going to honor them? Anyway, he remained angry and defensive throughout the conversation before hanging up in a huff mid-sentence. Unreal. So basically, we can't reschedule or get a refund (and I'm definitely not going to attend), so I might as well have just thrown my money into a volcano. Thanks Rusty. Enjoy the free cash! Maybe you should put it towards a small business training class? You know, one where they teach you that it's not cool to lash out at customers. Especially ones who are politely abiding by your rules. read more

Rusty taught me to weld steel, iron and aluminum all in just a few nights. As a locksmith I have since used these skills to great advantage with an arc welder. I have earned many times the cost of the class and would recommend taking this class to anybody with a DIY mindset. At the time I took the class I was a cheese maker living in a small apartment with few tools and had no real use for welding and only took the class on a lark because I thought it might be useful some day and wanted to know how. i never imagined that some day I would be welding pieces of metal together to create custom gate lock housing. The cost that Rusty charges is very reasonable. If you need to fix your car or make some custom part for your motorcycle it might be cheaper to take Rusty's class, buy an arc welder and supplies, and then make the part yourself than it would be to buy the replacement part. Knowledge sets you free, as they say, and Rusty has knowledge in spades and is good at teaching in a digestible style. read more

I took the six hour MIG class with McKenzie and thoroughly enjoyed it. We had plenty of hands on time with the equipment and the small student to instructor ratio gave each of us sufficient individual instruction. I plan to take another course here in the near future. read more

I bought a couple of tickets for a CNC class at All Metal Arts after a random recommendation from a friend. A one evening crash course. I took a different friend as a surprise and we had a wonderful time, afterwards feeling excited about creating art and with a solid knowledge base for getting started. Rusty is a great teacher, practical, engaging, and flexible. Plus the studio has all kinds of rad equipment and you can't help wanting to know what everything is for, and Rusty is more than willing to tell you all about it! read more

I was so excited to find welding classes in Seattle! I bought a gift certificate for my husband for our anniversary so he could take one of their classes through the HazardFactory. When I emailed asking about any expiration dates, I received a quick response that there were none. My husband was thrilled to receive the gift certificate but when he tried to sign up for a class online, it said the gift certificate code was invalid. Four emails later (because there is no phone number listed anywhere to call), we still have received no response on why he can't use the certificate. $60 down the drain and so are my husband's hopes of learning how to weld. Update: had a quick and good response from the owner after posting. They worked with my husband to schedule his class and he had a blast! read more

I tried to reschedule my class because I had a big game on Sunday. The guy on the phone was very rude to me and said that despite giving proper notice, he would not reschedule my class. read more

Meh. A couple of other posters hit the nail on the head. It's cool to get your hands on a welder. But the classes are really weak on actual instruction. Instructors throw some directions then go off to chat, smoke, etc. and don't actually review work and provide input on how to actually weld better. read more