Forging Ahead

Attended one of Mel’s welding workshops yesterday, very interesting and hands on. I had no prior metalwork or welding experience, which was not a problem. Mel is very friendly and welcoming, and very knowledgeable. Thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt a lot, would highly recommend to others!

I recently completed the welding workshop and i found Mel did a great job running the class.I really enjoyed the 1on1 workshop where i found Mel to be very patiient showing me the ropes. You bascially get stuck into it which i enjoy and went home with some general knowledge.I would highly recommend those with creative minds that enjoy 'hands on' expereince.Thanks again Mel and good luck with the many more workshops.

Mel is such an awesome lady. Full of helpful information on everything to do with welding. But she is also a great teacher and went out of her way to give me advice on all the peripherals as well.Thanks for a great afternoon.PS: I went and bought a MIG welder that night to keep going!

My husband and I came across Mel's workshop. We booked in and couldn't wait!Mel was so welcoming and friendly. She ran through the workshop step by step so that even complete newbies can understand it!As the workshop went on we got some great hands-on experience welding, bending and shaping metal. Finally we were ready to make our very own sculpture to take home.I had so much fun. I wanted to do it all over again!

Mel is a wonderful artist and fantastic teacher. I visited her workshop during the open studio and then booked in for a sculpture welding class. With no experience at welding at all, I highly recommend doing a class with Mel. Mel covers everything from safety, grinding, polishing, metal types, intro to welding, moving on to making your own sculpture with multiple parts and joins. Mel explained everything clearly and in a logical order that progressed from basic introductions to hands-on welding. I now feel 100% confident to be able to operate a MIG welder on my own. I would recommend a visit to Mel's workshop and attending one of her classes to anyone interested in welding in general or getting into metal craft.

Mel is a wealth of information about artistic fabrication, and in particular welding, materials and skills to make a well formed and quality metal artwork. The workshop was super fun, fully hands on and at every step Mel gave expert guidance but also the space to learn how to do each part yourself. I finished the class very proud of my own piece as well as wanting to immediately book another class as it was very addictive!On top of that I know Mel to be a stand out person in the local community having given away pieces for free during covid to people going through a tough time, even tho she herself was also not able to run classes. What a legend!Thanks Mel for a great experience

I attended a Forging Ahead Artisic Workshop today lead by the amazing Mel Rayski-Mati.All I can say is….Awesome Awesome Awesome !!! It was soooo much better than I ever expected. This workshop is perfect for those who have never welded before as Mel takes you step by step through the process with simple instructions (that even I could understand lol). We had a laugh, a chat and learned heaps about welding, grinding and manipulating metal to make our very own piece of art that I feel proud to say “I made it myself”. I can’t wait to go back to learn and create more…. Thanks so much Mel ❤️

I recently attended an artistic welding workshop with a friend. It was a fabulous afternoon. Mel is a most patient teacher and we both left with our finished flowers and a sound knowledge of basic welding and safety.If you're interested in having a go at welding or, like me, it's something you want to tick off your bucket list, I cannot recommend this workshop highly enough.Also, it's good fun.Thanks for a cracking arvo, Mel!

One of my best experiences in recent years. This is an incredible hands on course for beginners like myself. Mel is an excellent & patient teacher with years of experience. An absolute must do. She also has an amazing array of art for sale.