Friday night we went to the glass fusion date night class. It was so much fun! Our instructors Lisa and Phil were very knowledgeable. They obviously have a passion for glass and were very good at teaching it to the rest of us. We each got to design two bowls and we will pick them up in about three week. It was a nice change to other activities we do and we will definitely take another class! read more

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Took a MIG Welding Class and it was well worth the money. Teacher was friendly, informative and willing to help at any given moment. We had a run down of all the safety guidelines, what welding is, how to do it and then LOTS of hands on time. More than half the class was actually being able to be hands on and practice welding. We even got a short introduction to TIG and Stick welding as well as a demonstration of the Plasma Cutter. Was a very fun class and I highly recommend if you're looking to learn something to look into any of the many programs read more

Arc + Flame Center-Rochester - Art Galleries Near Me - Rochester, New York

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Brought my office team of 18 for a team building event. We split into 2 classes - glass flamework & glass fusing for what turned out to be a fun and unique team building experience. Both groups raved about it and commented how great it was to do something different. The owner, Mike, was friendly and very welcoming. Megan was phenomenally helpful in providing information, answering questions, and even giving me a tour of the space prior to booking. Our group ranged in age 30's-60's and it was great fun for all. Highly recommend! Can't wait to go pick up our masterpieces and an already planning when I can go back for some classes on my own! read more

Had a great time at a lamp work class here. The instructor was phenomenal. Great at teaching. She explained things, oriented us to good safety tips and allowed time for questions and was able to tailor a bit of the learning to our interests. I would definitely recommend and look forward to taking more classes here in the future. The studio space was awesome. You have ample space to work and have your own equipment to work with. No waiting to used shared tools. I had a blast. read more

RocAFC is one of the rare hidden gems in Rochester that will probably become un-hidden very quickly. My boyfriend and I took the Blacksmithing Date Night course ($150 for 2 people - it includes all materials, snacks and bottled water/wine). The location was very easy to find - it is right off of Manitou Rd, located behind the FedEx mail facility. We were greeted by the owners/teachers. There was one other couple taking the blacksmithing course. There were a bunch of other people there taking a glass making class and that looked really cool too. We snacked a little on salsa and chips while our blacksmithing teacher walked us through the facility. She was extremely friendly, laid back and knowledgeable. We started with the safety talk (wear your safety glasses, don't run around with a glowing piece of metal, don't touch the glowing piece of metal with your bare hands, and other hard to understand things ) and signed a standard waiver. Each person got to make a rose. We started with flat metal cutouts shaped like flowers (see photos) and were instructed step by step on how to heat the metal in the gas forge, hammer the metal (one of the best forms of stress relief!), shaping it (with no fear of breaking anything..since it is metal!), etc. Our teacher was really quite amazing. She was so funny, approachable and showed no sign of annoyance when it took me 20 minutes to figure out how to take the square end off the rod for the flower's stem ( it was my first time! ). Her husband (also a blacksmithing expert) came in later to assist us in the shaping part (each 'petal' has to be heated with a blowtorch and then shaped with pliers - the metal stays pliable for 30-45 seconds). He was also very friendly. The class was supposed to be from 7pm to 11pm but we were there till 12:15am as things took longer than we thought ...it may have been partially due to my ...uhm...delay in understanding how to take the square end of the rod (and other similar issues others had). But the time flew by. I had so much fun and couldn't believe I actually made a rose via blacksmithing. My boyfriend loved the experience as well. It helped that the teachers were so passionate about blacksmithing and just creating something with your hands. At the end, they requested we fill out a survey on how they did, the class materials, the facility, etc. I love that they want feedback. That is a mark of a business that cares about improving itself. I had zero complaints (if you read my reviews, you know this is highly unusual for me). $150 for 2 people may sound steep but after seeing the facility and how involved the whole process I was, I believe it was a reasonable price. They mentioned that they will do private blacksmithing classes if you get 3-4 people together. RocAFC is owned/run by people who are absolutely passionate about their art and that passion will rub off on you! I would love to go back and try their glass classes and even blacksmithing again (did I really just write that?). read more

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Won a gift certificate for a "Date Night" at Arc + Flame. I hadn't heard of them before winning this and since our Date Night, I've been telling everything about them! We LOVED our time! We took the jewelry-making class and walked away with two rings for each of us. They're beautiful! The teacher was patient and talented. He had one of his portfolios available for review and WOW! SO impressed! We want to head back for another date night in the next few months and try out one of their other date night options. You should too! read more

On Friday my boyfriend and I took the date night blacksmithing class. In honor of Halloween, we made little goblin-esque things (they're adorable!) When we walked in to the center, we were immediately greeted by free snacks and drinks and a really cool display of different works created in the facility (mostly glass stuff, but there were a few welded and smithed stuff too.) Then we went into the workshop area where we were asked to sign waivers and grab safety glasses. With us there, there were 4 couples all together. The instructors were super helpful and while blacksmithing is definitely harder than I ever imagined (trust me, my hand has the blisters to prove it!) it was honestly one of the coolest things I've ever done. It was such a different, unique date night that my boyfriend and I both really enjoyed. The class was just under $200 for the two of us, so unfortunately, it's not something we'll get to do too often, but it really is worth it when you can spend that kind of money on date night! 10/10, would definitely recommend this place! read more

Best date night ever! My boyfriend and I took the "Fused Glass Date Night" class (thank you, for the tickets love). We were joined by two other couples. The center itself is larger than I expected, with a large central section (with finished products in glass cases for sale) and three rooms that branch off from it. The central section was laid out with wine, waters, cheese & crackers, and candies so that we could grab a plate and munch before/after the class. There was a different date night class occurring in each of the three rooms: blacksmithing, boroscilicate glass, and fused glass. For our workshop, we had two glass instructors who were incredibly nice and eager to share their knowledge and work with us! The fused glass class involved making a mosaic plate. We had our choice of a square plate or a rectangular sushi plate. The instructors explained how to score the different colored glasses and cut them. I was really surprised by how easily the glass broke. The instructors were super encouraging and available anytime we needed help with anything. They were also open to showing us how to use some of the more advanced tools if we desired to do something with the glass that wasn't possible with what we had. The plates were fired after we left, and so we didn't get to bring them home until 2 weeks after! I wish that we got to see what some of the other couple's plates looked like in the end! read more

My fiance and I did a couple's date night glass blowing class and it was a tone of fun. There were two couples and two instructors so each couple had an instructor working with them the entire time. It starts off with them gathering just a clear piece of glass to mess around with so you can get used to the tools. By the end of the class my fiance and I both had made two paperweight. it was a ton of fun and we will definitely be back. Both instructors were helpful, talented, and entertaining. I have no artistic ability what so ever and I was able to create a couple cool looking pieces so they really can work with any talent level. read more

RocAFC is hands down the best welding training facility in the Rochester area. I took a night TIG welding course last spring and I am now currently enrolled in their welding class offered as a tech elective for RIT students. I am currently at RIT studying Mechanical Engineering and can say that taking these welding classes at RocAFC will greatly help me in my career endeavors. After taking the night TIG course I was able to directly apply my skills in my summer internship by allowing me to be able to to design both of steel an aluminum prototype parts and then actually go out to the floor and weld the parts together. Furthermore having a understanding of welding principles and techniques will make me a better more respected engineer after graduation. The facilities at RocAFC are like nothing I have seen at RIT or any other engineering schools. They Have 16 separate welding booths set up each with a MIG and TIG machine. This allows for you to have plenty of torch time and never have to wait. During my TIG night course we were welding for at least half of each session, and by the last few weeks it was all welding. By the end of the course I had learned how to set up the machine and weld steel, aluminum, and stainless steel. Overall I am beyond pleased with RocAFC, the facilities are super nice with the most up to date equipment, the instructors and employees are helpful and a joy to work with, and the welding is just plain fun. If you have any interest in learning how to weld I would recommend RocAFC for classes. They also have a variety of other classes such as Black Smithing and glass blowing that look like super fun to take! read more