We had such a good time with Mike at The Salty Sitkan! Our group (two grandparents in the 70s, two parents in their late 40s, and two teenagers (16 and 12) took up the majority of the 10-person class. We started off with Mike demonstrating his plasma cutter and some of the science behind it, and then we each selected a precut fish/whale (there were several options) and headed upstairs to the shop. Each of us had a workstation with movable magnetic mounts, a dremel-like tool with two different polishing bits, a hammer, a blowtorch, safety glasses, welding gloves, and ear coverings. Mike gave us our instructions for finishing the underside of the cut fish, and we were off, shooting sparks in the air as we removed blobs of melted metal. This pattern repeated over the entire 2-hour class as we polished the front, then shaped the fish with the hammer on wooden blocks, and finally oxidized the steel with the blowtorch to develop a colorful patina.
Mike and Randy really helped us out along the way to try to improve the detail on the fish, like polishing the face to add scale features, or sweeping the blowtorch to shape the colored features.
As a parent, I really, really appreciated how Mike and Randy (both high school shop teachers (one retired)) treated our kids, which is to say they provided guidance, but they let them do the work themselves. Seeing our 12-year-old safely handling a blowtorch was definitely not something we expected when we got off the cruise ship that morning, but that's what we saw! By the same token, grandma and grandpa also were able to do everything as well.
When it's all done, they apply clear coat to the fish, bag it up, and send you on your way, or they'll ship them for you at a reasonable price (we paid by Venmo). Ours arrived via USPS priority the day after we got home. Now we just have to figure out where to display them.
This was one of the most unique activities we've ever done on a cruise, and I couldn't recommend The Salty Sitkan more highly. We walked there from the downtown Sitka shuttle drop-off point. It's about 20-25 minutes of easy walking, including a stroll through the Sitka National Historical Park (which I also recommend). The last 300 or so feet was the only distance where you had to walk on the street instead of dedicated walking paths.
Fun fact: on last week's episode of The Amazing Race (S36E07), which featured a welding challenge, they used the exact same arrow-shaped magnetic mounts that you mount your fish to in the Metal Art Class.