Tarrant County Makerspace — Local services in White Settlement

When I heard about Tarrant County Makerspace I thought, this concept is too good to be true. However, within a half hour I was on the phone with Aaron. What a gem he is in so many ways! Brilliant concept!! Within another hour, I had become a member, signed up for the class and purchased my bbq kit. The website is very well done and easy to navigate each step of the way.

As I gathered the recommend things, I tried to keep my expectations low for fear of being disappointed about the class. There's a limit of three per class so I also thought it might be canceled until two other people signed up. Not the case. Not only did the class take place, I had 1 on 1 instruction with Aaron, teaching all the little things as well as the big things. He's a masterful teacher. Easy to interact with. Great communicator. Relaxing atmosphere. Welcoming and kind. He was patient, very patient. Some things took a while to wrap my brain around but only because I had some preconceived ideas that were wrong. With practice, and some more guidance, I am confident I'll master welding! I'm over the moon with the way the class turned out and can't wait to get all these ideas in my head down on paper and start building them. My dream of learning to weld has finally come true! Thanks to Aaron, I've finally driven the stake in the ground were I can say, "On September 7th, 2024 I started welding!" My family had hoped I'll eventually forget about it but now they say there's not a safe piece of metal for 50 miles! 🤣🤣🤣

Thank you Aaron for your vision, knowledge and generosity. And Thank You for trusting me into the family at Tarrant...

I've always wanted to learn how to TIG weld as I want to make custom parts and exhausts for my multiple motorcycle builds. I have never TIG welded before. Searched Google for any local TIG welding classes for hobbyists within the DFW area. Came across Tarrant County Makerspace and signed up. Happy that there was a class size limit. Gives more time with the instructor (Aaron). Luckily for me, I was the only student for that night and got Aaron's full attention. He walked me through the basics, as well as differences between MIG and TIG. We went through safety considerations and proper attire. Next he showed me how to properly grind tungsten, how to prep/clean metal stock. And then we started on welding.

We practiced lines, working on technique. Aaron would show me various tips on torch handling, angle, speed, as well as filler rod technique. My initial welds were big giant slugs and not even straight. But after various weld challenges from Aaron, as well as demonstrations, I got the hang of it. See attached picture of my final weld of the night (after 2.5hrs of instruction and practice). Not bad at all.

Overall, I highly recommend Tarrant County Makerspace. Sign up and learn. You'll be grinning ear to ear...

Tarrant county finally has a Makerspace facility that is closer to all of us here on the West side of the DFW area. The owner of this particular Makerspace is very visible and Hands-On when it comes to his facility and the services he's willing to offer to others. This location has most of the items that you would typically see in a Makerspace facility: 3d printing, metal working area, wood working area, etc. I would say their strongest offeeing is definitely the 3D printing and metal working side of things. Right now they offer two very "Hands-On" classes in which you learn how to build a small, metal, portable, campfire cooker (made from plate steel, not sheet metal) or a comprehensive look into 3D printing (which comes with the option buy an AWESOME new 3d printer from the makerspace for a heck of a deal.) Subsequently, they have literally dozens of printers available to use, so availability on the 3d printers is not an issue. Lastly, the facility is clean and well organized. If you live in the Fort Worth area, I would highly recommend you go check this place out. You will not be...