Blacksmithing is part chemistry, part physics, part geometry and part magic. You take lumps of…read moreblack metal and heat and hammer and twist and chisel them and end up with an axe or a coat rack or candlestick. How cool is that? I've taken two classes at the Virginia Institute of Blacksmithing (VIB) and enjoyed them immensely. I assume if you're reading this review, you might be considering a class. So my short recommendation is... do it! But if you want more detail, here it is. First, my instructor for the classes was one of the owners, Dale. He's knowledgeable and obviously highly skilled as a blacksmith. But more than that, he's a patient and enjoyable instructor. He puts a LOT of information into the lessons which usually consist of him demonstrating and explaining a set of steps followed by the students trying things on their own. Dale is always available for questions and advice, but he definitely let's you get your feet wet (or "hands black" is probably the better phrase). One thing I appreciated is that when things go wrong, he comes up with a solution to keep things moving. Dale is good at breaking down rather complex projects into manageable phases. And, his puns and sense of humor keep things light... with only a few groaners. Next, the setup at VIB is conducive to hands-on learning. Dale has his "instructor's forge" setup front where he can demo and explain the steps. Then there are 12 student forges setup up in sets of 2 with some shared equipment and workspace. But each student has a forge, anvil and access to a vice and other tools. There is a good emphasis on safety, which is critical if you're working with temperatures that range into the 1000s of degrees and are swinging 3.5-pound hammers. The descriptions of the classes are pretty much spot on although both times I was surprised by the complexity of the process and the (relative) success of my end projects. I'm 65 years old and fairly handy, but I was challenged (in a good way) most of the time to do the heat or bend or twist or whatever. In each class there have been younger students (early teens) who seemed to take to the "retro" aspect blacksmithing with great enthusiasm. The only time you see a phone is if someone is taking a photo. For the two days, if folks are in the class, they are working at the forge or working on their project or comparing notes with a forge neighbor. In my opinion, the VIB classes are definitely worth the price. It's made holidays and birthdays easy. I just tell my wife I want a VIB class. As a side note, I took both classes with my son-in-law and while it's not a team sport, it was a fun bonding activity... and not without a competitive component since, of course, we both want to have the best end product(s). Oh... and the class is in Waynesboro and there are a LOT of good, inexpensive motels in the area and nearby Staunton is a cool town in its own right. There's camping nearby too. I'll repeat my initial recommendation. Do It! Just not EVERYONE. Leave some space for me and my son-in-law.

From the owner: A great blacksmithing school with weekend workshops.read more

Absolutely fantastic course. My wife and I took the 2-day weekend course introduction to welding. I…read morewanted to get educated on the safety aspects of welding as well as the basics of the four types of welding that were taught. I had no welding experience prior to going, nor did my wife. At the end of the weekend. I felt extremely confident in both the safety aspects and in doing proper welds. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be and as much as I hate to admit it, my wife's welds were better than mine. I highly recommend this course to anybody who's interested in welding as a hobby or welding for basic repairs. Fisher is an incredible wealth of knowledge, we were amazed at his depth of knowledge on the various aspects of welding. If you've ever been curious in learning how to weld, I would say that this is a small price to pay for an incredible amount of learning. I give Fisher six out of five stars!!!!!

If your looking to learn the fundamentals of the four types of welding, look no farther. As a…read morefellow who has lived in NOVA for the past 23 years and could never find that right place to go learn - it finally happened. I'm just lucky now to live 5 minutes away. Steve (the owner), Matt (the main hand), and the team did a wonderful job over the two day weekend class they offered. You can chose to learn whatever type of welding you want. My son and I chose Stick welding for its practical, around the house purposes. It's tougher than it looks. Steve has been welding for 50+ years. He has the hands of a welding god. I will admit that even though my son had previous experience in welding, I did show progressive improvement over the two days. And trust me, two days is good enough. Your hands hurt at the end of day two. The class is self paced. They show you a technique and then you work on that technique for the remaining 3 hour session. There are 4, three hour sessions. There is no beat down. It's all constructive feedback and they understand that it takes time. We had about 12 students in the class that were from NC, WV, & eastern Prince William County and a few locals including us. Some students chose the class where you get a feel for all four types of welding's. My son and I chose only Stick Welding and did only that. I shared some closing thoughts and recommendations to work in to the next class, which they immediately addressed. My son and I feel that even though the class is over, we could probably pop in any day and ask for help or guidance and these folks would help. That's how it is in Central VA. Good people. Steve and team, well done. Keep up the good work. I hope to come up with a reason to visit.

This is a state of the art facility. It's a GWU facility. The TWA wreckage from the crash of 1996…read morerests here. Great people. Great venue. This entire campus is just stellar. I'm a graduate of GWU and did not even know this Science and Technology campus existed. I am not surprised at all. It has been quite an experience learning here at this facility.

Last year I took the "Tile, Grout, and Thinset" class with the DIY Academy. It was a fantastic…read moreexperience and it gave me the confidence to fix up one of the smaller bathrooms at my house. With my master bathroom repair-and-renovation looming, I wanted to expand my knowledge base more, and Rich and the DIY Academy were once again there to help. Instead of a class, I participated in the volunteering arm of the program and assisted in the demolition and subfloor preparation of an actual master bathroom. It was a whole day of cutting, grinding, smashing, and trashing, but it certainly affirmed the old maxim, "The best way to learn is to do." A lot of times it seems educators in any field see fit to show and tell, but not so here. Rich was always there to supervise and provide support, but it was apparent that he was dedicated to having the student learn by action and not by observation. His methods provided a great blend of experience-based learning and direct instruction. Being able to take part in each process necessary to strip a room down to its bones eliminated two obstacles that scare off most homeowners from attempting to do their own renovation work. First, it removed the mystery of a home's construction: every layer of material holding the old bathroom together could be seen and held. Second, it provided some level of expectation: now having seen how the various surfaces and materials are held together, I know my own bathroom's construction will not be terribly far off. This all works together to establish a sort of baseline muscle memory for the work to be done in the future. This was another great experience with DIY Academy and I hope more such opportunities arise in the future!

From the owner: DIY Academy is a workshop for the novice DIYer who is interested in learning hands-on skills for…read morevarious home improvement projects and repairs to your increase knowledge base when working with contractors/handymen or to be able to complete a project on your own. We will have workshops that cover various topics such as kitchen backsplash installation, minor plumbing (replacing a toilet, changing out sink hardware, installing a garbage disposal), minor drywall repair, tile floor installation, remodeling a shower, demo of tile / shower, tile installation materials, caulking, grout repair and more! This is an excellent opportunity to learn a new skill from licensed and trained professionals who are in the trades and meet new people and work in a group setting to learn these skills.

I went here this year for Nail technician . Let me say first and foremost my teacher Mrs.Jordan was…read moregreat . She was very empowering and informative . I was blessed to have her as a teacher however ! We went through a lot of book work and very minimal hands on Work . Was told we would work on acrylic and nail designs art etc but it was very brief maybe a few days out of the two months . Did a spa clinic for about two weeks and did manicures gel manicures and pedicures by appointments . The staff there were very rude at times. Our teacher had missed a day during our clinic and our class was not accommodated . We had a snow day and was pushed over two days for our end date. We literally studied for our state board on the last day of class and was rushed due to time and days . I recommend the teacher but the school is unorganized . We were told we didn't have to pay for the state board test prior to signing up and also told again by an actually counsolor. But once we brought it to their attention they changed it and said we had to pay for the test ourselves .

I went here late 2012 for the LPN program and it was the worst thing I ever experienced. I had to…read moredrop out because I had an instructor tell me I wouldn't be a good nurse during clinicals.

When reading my review just understand I'm not an angry women who is mad at one situation this is…read morean on going thing with this school. My 10 year old son attends the robotics after school program. Ran by a woman named Ms. Butcher. For starters my son has a dream of becoming an engineer. So we are placing him in classes that will help him grow in that field. From the moment he started the class one little boy has picked on him is sarcastic towards him nasty towards him and my son has always gone to Ms. Butcher and explain to her what the kid was doing and asking her to help the situation. Every time he went to her she has literally done nothing. She's allowing this child to antagonize my son every class over and over again to the point that his group has fell behind on building the robot and everyone else's Groups are done. My son started coming home crying about the situation saying that he can't have fun because of that one specific kid. I myself have message Ms butcher about it and again she gives very simple bland responses and nothing of any type of help. Keep in mind my son is the only black child in the class. Today my son was antagonized by the boy again my son went to Ms. Butcher again and said can you please get( P******) because he is bothering me again her response was what are you gonna fight him. Now I'm extremely offended by this because what did you mean by this why would you tell a 10-year-old child who's coming to you for help what are you gonna fight him are you saying this because he's the only black child in the class are you saying this because he's black help me understand why you would tell a child who is coming for help what are you got a fight him. I'm not happy with that situation I find that very immature for her to say that. I asked my son hey so what did she say after you told her that and he replied what she said that I said OK did she help you at all with this child he says no she followed me back to my station but again did nothing. I'm paying for this class my son enjoys learning new things he can't enjoy nothing here because this teacher is taking things as a joke. I'm not liking that she feels like he's going to fight! my child doesn't have a fighting bone in his body hence why he keeps coming to her. With that being said I will never after this year allow my son to step foot in this racist school nor will I spend my money here ever again the schools a joke. The crazy part they push the code of conduct the code of conduct and send it out to every parent and student involved in these programs and do nothing to help them when the code of conduct isn't being followed. Again I will never spend my money here. And if you're black or a minority stay far far away from the school Stay away!!!!

From the owner: Located in Martinsburg, W. Va., James Rumsey Technical Institute offers various academic programs,…read moreseminars and classes regarding specialized businesses and industries. It has an adult learning center that provides programs, such as general equivalency diploma preparation, basic English and math review, civil service preparation, creative writing, skill assessment testing, vocational aptitude testing and vocabulary building. Its postsecondary programs offers classes in automotive technology, culinary arts, electrical and electromechanical technology, licensed practical nursing, office computer technology, and truck driving. In addition, the institute provides various technical programs for high school students, such as building construction, networking technology, criminal justice, diesel technology, graphic communications, and design and health occupations. James Rumsey Technical Institute operates the Regional Printing Institute in collaboration with Shepherd Community College since 1998, and offers training in the areas of welding, mechanical skills, electrical techniques and industrial safety.

When I attended this school , I had a bad experience-they switch teachers every week making it very…read morehard to keep up since every teacher has their own method of teaching. And also very expensive!

Lo recimiendo al personal gracias por su ayuda pero tabien al profesor ismael najarroread more

I took classes here to get my motorcycle license. Steven and Bo were really awesome! I took the…read moreBasic Rider Course which was a Saturday and a Sunday. Compared to classes I have heard about this one I think was definitely better. There is no Friday night classroom session that you have to do and you get on the bike on the first day. Class ran for about 2-3 hours each morning and then for the rest of the day you learn to ride. I would definitely advise anyone that wants to get their motorcycle lesson!