Casting class at the senior center

Notes on metal, momentum, and making friends across generations. Plus, how to find local jewelry making classes.

You might have noticed changes on my end if you check the Substack app. I'm making jewelry now — polishing metal at midnight, destroying my manicures, all of it. Here at Reality Testing, you'll see me turn this hobby (hopefully) into a small business. I'll still write about running and my ongoing style evolution, but let's be honest: others do it better. Following the shiny things for now.

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Every Tuesday for the last seven weeks, I'd rush from my final work meeting to catch the 7 bus to the senior center. It became the highlight of my week — maybe my whole fall. For two hours, I'd sit with classmates two or three decades my senior while our retired instructors, Ken and Mark, taught us the art of centrifugal casting.

Our crew was comedically mismatched: an entomologist who fields bed bug calls for the local government, a veterinary oncologist, an engineer, a high school principal. Most of us were there seeking refuge from our day jobs, but we found an unlikely community instead.

Ken (our instructor) helping with a silver pour. Between demos, he'd tell us about Taco Bell runs and fishing with his grandkids.

I almost missed this class entirely. As a university employee, I get nine free credits per year, so I first tried signing up for the metalsmithing course on campus. When the instructor told me it was full, she suggested community college or parks and rec programs. I picked the simpler route (goodbye, community college paperwork) and grabbed the last seat at the senior center.

You probably want to hear about the centrifugal casting process itself. But honestly? The real gold was elsewhere. It was watching complete beginners create incredible pieces and seeing our city's community education program actually work. While I knew sand casting from this past summer, these seven weeks opened new doors — letting me create the detailed pieces I'd been sketching for months. The process clicked. Now, I have a clear path forward: which tools to invest in and which techniques to master. This jewelry thing isn't just an idea floating in my head anymore.

Though open to everyone, the class had its regulars — a crew that reconvened term after term at the senior center. Being welcomed into their Tuesday night world felt like finding a secret club. I'll miss these evenings on the south side of town, but I'm walking away ready to build something of my own.

A successful cast, cleaning up my pieces, and some of the crew.

So, how do you find a jewelry-making class? First, narrow down what interests you:

• Hand fabrication: Creating pieces from metal sheets and wire using traditional tools and techniques

• Casting: Turning wax models into metal using methods like sand casting (pouring into sand molds) or centrifugal casting (using spin force)

I strongly recommend starting with in-person classes over virtual ones. There's nothing like having someone right there to correct your torch technique before you melt something you shouldn't.

Classes vary wildly in length and cost. Some, like my senior center course, run for just a few weeks. Others stretch across a whole semester. Watch out for hidden costs — some include tools and materials, others don't. (Mine didn't, which kept the price low, but meant investing in tools separately.)

For serious study, check out community colleges or universities. But, between you and me, I've learned tons from YouTube and Instagram. (Happy to share my go-to channels/accounts at some point.)

Here are some established jewelry programs I've looked into:

San Francisco:

• Metalworks SF

• Silvera Jewelry School

• Scintillant Studio (personal favorite)

NYC:

• Benlolo NY

• Ayaka Nishi

• 92NY

• Studio Jewelers Ltd.

Remember: the perfect class isn't always the fanciest one. Sometimes it's just the one with good teachers and the right tools, hidden away in your local community center.

Some of my finished pieces from class!

Thanks for following along! Drop a comment if you need help finding a class in your area or want to know more about jewelry making. (Trust me, there's plenty more to write about — from my favorite tools to that time I almost set my bench on fire.)

See you soon! ✨