Adam Savage Visits The Crucible Maker Space

9 thoughts on “Adam Savage Visits The Crucible Maker Space”

1. The Crucible isn’t so much a maker space as it is an educational space. all that equipment is primarily used for teaching classes. There are work spaces for rent though but unless you’re in a class or have a rental work space you can’t just come in and use the facilities. I don’t even think you can use the facilities for a fee if you don’t wanna take a class or rent a work space.

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2. Also it’s flipping expensive. classes are either a week long (5 days) or 2-3 months long (one day a week for 10 weeks) and start at like $300.

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3. I think that’s the case. But to be fair, that is the same model as a lot of the spaces covered in this series. Classes and workspace-rental, with no non-workspace memberships. It isn’t uncommon. I always figured the classes there are expensive because they subsidize the educational outreach they do, which is considerable, a lot of the staff are locals who learned the tools and processes from free classes there. It is also probably the most “hot metal” specific of the Bay Area makerspaces, and if you want a place to drop in and work on more “normal” projects there are three Techshop locations for that.

   And really, $300 isn’t really that much to learn stuff like blacksmithing and neon once you factor in that the classes are a lot more in-depth than the “here is how to not break the equipment, good luck” style classes you often see elsewhere.

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4. And really, $300 isn’t really that much to learn stuff like blacksmithing and neon once you factor in that the classes are a lot more in-depth than the “here is how to not break the equipment, good luck” style classes you often see elsewhere.

   eh sorta. i’ve taken classes there and it’s intensive on the side of just too short. it’s really hard to get the feel for the skills they’re teaching there in either only 5 days or 10 days across 3 months. and in the meantime the cost per class rivals a private art school. the only reason i might take some of the classes there is because no where else is teaching that subject. otherwise you’d be better off going to Laney or something.

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5. I just think it’s sad that today we have to encourage kids to pursue good paying careers. In the old days you just had to say “These jobs make $x a year.” and people would sign up. Unfortunately kids these days have seen their parents pretending to live upper middle class lives on credit while working just above minimum wage jobs and they ask why should they have to work harder when they can have all they really want living just above the poverty line. 🙁

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6. I just think it’s sad that anyone is still using the phrase “kids these days” unironically.

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7. It makes me sad to have to use it and it’s my generation’s fault. We chose to believe the “predatory” lenders telling us that Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous could be ours with only a line of credit. We didn’t have to work harder or aspire to greater things as long as we were willing to pay for it someday. And that’s the culture our kids have grown up in. That’s why Bernie’s free college idea was such a hit, our kids think they are entitled to a free Mrs. degree that only qualifies them to be a charming dinner party conversationalist as opposed to investing in an education that will pay for it’s self. 🙁

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8. Or, you know, it could be that the free college idea was a hit because if I’m going to go to college either way, free sounds better than a load of debt, and if i have to pay for the next generation when I am making money, its a totally worthwhile trade off for not sinking in debt when young and not earning much. And, there is a difference between knowing what a job earns, and knowing that you would actually enjoy it and be good at it.

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9. And with degree inflation, jobs that earn much without prior training/schooling/experience are hard to come by. Today is not “the old days”

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