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content/classes.md

@@ -13,10 +13,10 @@ Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm the shop is open to everyone. It isn't a formal cl
 
 Members run classes roughly monthly, usually on a Thursday at 6 pm in place of the normal open night. Recent ones:
 
-- **Metal casting:** make a plaster mold from a 3D-printed part and pour it in aluminum with the shop's casting setup. [Recap](/news/metal-casting-class-recap/)
+- **Metal casting:** make a plaster mold from a 3D-printed part and pour it in aluminum, aluminum bronze, brass, copper, or sterling silver with the shop's casting setup. [Recap](/news/metal-casting-class-recap/)
 - **Soldering:** hand soldering and reflow/surface-mount techniques, with kits to take home. [Announcement](/news/soldering-class-and-art-in-the-park/)
 - **Machining:** the Bridgeport mill and the Clausing lathe, from reading the dials to taking a real cut. [Recap](/news/metalworking-class/)
-- **Field trips:** like our tour of KOPN community radio's studios and transmitter equipment. [Details](/news/kopn-tour-april-23/)
+- **Field trips:** like our tour of KOPN community radio's studios. [Details](/news/kopn-tour-april-23/)
 
 Classes on the calendar for the year ahead: laser cutting basics, CNC router basics, 3D printing basics, intro to electronics and Arduino, welding, and woodshop safety. Dates are announced about a month ahead on the [events page](/events/), the [news page](/news/), and Discord.
 

content/news/kopn-tour-april-23.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 title: "KOPN tour: April 23"
 date: 2026-04-08T07:05:47-05:00
-description: Columbia Gadget Works field trip to KOPN community radio on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
+description: Columbia Gadget Works field trip to KOPN community radio on Thursday, April 23, 2026, touring the station and its studios.
 image: kopn.jpg
 imageAlt: KOPN 89.5 FM community radio logo
 ---
@@ -11,3 +11,11 @@ For our open night two weeks from now, we'll be taking a field trip to the local
 KOPN has graciously offered to give us a tour of their radio station facility, including some of their very cool equipment and studios.
 
 If you'd like to participate, please [join our Discord server](https://discord.gg/F7kM7ardMs) and check the announcements channel. You can meet us at the KOPN station at 6:30 pm (401 Bernadette Drive), or carpool from the CGW shop between 6:00 and 6:15.
+
+## How the visit went
+
+Members toured the radio station and its studios, and heard about the new tower equipment KOPN is installing.
+
+Field trips like this one are a regular part of what we do. Not everything worth understanding is in our building, and Columbia has a lot of places quietly running interesting equipment. A community radio station is a good example: it is a working broadcast operation kept going by volunteers, which is a description that will sound familiar to anyone who spends Thursday evenings at the shop.
+
+If you know somewhere that would host a group of curious people for an hour, tell us on [Discord](https://discord.gg/F7kM7ardMs) or through the [contact form](/contact/). Past trips and classes are listed on the [classes page](/classes/), and upcoming ones go on the [events calendar](/events/).

content/news/metal-casting-class-feb-26th.md

@@ -9,3 +9,5 @@ imageAlt: "A plaster mold made from a 3D-printed pattern"
 Join us this Thursday (**Feb 26, 2026**) for a **free metal casting class at 6 pm**. Learn how to make a plaster mold from a 3D-printed part and cast it in different types of metal with the equipment you can use for free at Columbia Gadget Works!
 
 No experience needed. Bring closed-toe shoes and long pants; we'll supply everything else.
+
+**Update:** the class has been and gone. See the [recap](/news/metal-casting-class-recap/) for how it went and what members cast.

content/news/metal-casting-class-recap.md

@@ -1,13 +1,25 @@
 ---
 title: "Metal casting class: recap"
 date: 2026-02-27T09:44:09-06:00
-description: Recap of the free metal casting class at Columbia Gadget Works, February 2026.
+description: Recap of the free metal casting class at Columbia Gadget Works, February 2026, where members cast custom parts in aluminum bronze from 3D-printed patterns.
 image: metal-casting-parts.jpg
 imageAlt: Small cast metal pieces made during the class
 ---
 
-Thanks to everyone who showed up for the metal casting class! We made plaster molds from 3D-printed patterns and poured them in metal, and everyone went home with something they cast themselves.
+Thanks to everyone who showed up for the metal casting class. Members cast their own custom parts in **aluminum bronze**, starting from patterns made on the shop's 3D printers.
 
-If you have any ideas for future classes or something to cast in metal, join the [Discord server](https://discord.gg/F7kM7ardMs) or send an email to [mail@columbiagadgetworks.org](mailto:mail@columbiagadgetworks.org).
+The method was lost-pattern plaster casting, and the appeal of it is that you can go from a drawing to a solid metal object without ever cutting metal:
 
-Curious how it works? See the [metal casting](/tools/metal-casting/) page.
+1. **Print the pattern.** Each person started with a part printed on the [3D printers](/tools/3d-printers/), with a sprue attached, which is the channel the metal flows down.
+2. **Invest it.** The pattern gets buried in plaster inside a flask, and the plaster sets around every detail of it.
+3. **Burn it out.** The flask goes into the kiln, where the printed pattern burns away and leaves a cavity that is an exact negative of it. This is the "lost" part of lost-pattern casting.
+4. **Pour.** Molten aluminum bronze goes into the hot mold and fills the cavity the pattern left behind.
+5. **Break out and finish.** Once it has cooled, the plaster breaks away, the sprue gets cut off, and what is left is the part.
+
+Everyone went home with something they had cast themselves.
+
+Aluminum bronze is one of several metals the shop's furnace handles. Members have also poured aluminum, brass, copper, and sterling silver.
+
+If you have an idea for a future class, or something you would like to cast in metal, join the [Discord server](https://discord.gg/F7kM7ardMs) or email [mail@columbiagadgetworks.org](mailto:mail@columbiagadgetworks.org).
+
+Curious how the setup works? See the [metal casting](/tools/metal-casting/) page.

content/news/metalworking-class.md

@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 ---
 title: Metalworking Class
 date: 2026-01-27T13:10:59-06:00
-description: Recap of the monthly metalworking class on the manual milling machine at Columbia Gadget Works.
+description: Recap of the monthly metalworking class at Columbia Gadget Works, covering machining methods on the milling machine and the lathe.
 image: metalworking-class.jpg
 imageAlt: Jeff demonstrating the vertical milling machine to a group of members
 ---
 
-CGW has been running monthly classes. Last month, Jeff shared knowledge about using the manual milling machine in the CGW workshop, and other metalworking information.
+CGW has been running monthly classes, and last month's was machining. Jeff walked members through the methods used on the two machines at the heart of the metal shop: the manual milling machine and the lathe.
 
-Want to learn the mill or lathe yourself? See the [metal shop](/tools/metal-shop/) page and watch the [events calendar](/events/) for the next session.
+Those two machines are what turn "I need a part that does not exist" into a part. The mill cuts flat faces, slots, pockets and holes in a solid block. The lathe turns round things: shafts, bushings, knobs, and anything else that needs to be true about its axis. Between them they cover most of what a small shop needs to make in metal, and they are the reason members can repair equipment that stopped being sold decades ago.
+
+Machining is also the area where knowing what you are doing matters most. Both machines require a sign-off from the zone lead before you use them alone, which is exactly what classes like this one lead to.
+
+Want to learn the mill or the lathe yourself? See the [metal shop](/tools/metal-shop/) page for what is in the zone and what training involves, then watch the [events calendar](/events/) for the next session. You can also just come by on a [Thursday evening](/visit/) and ask for a demonstration.

content/news/soldering-class-and-art-in-the-park.md

@@ -1,11 +1,24 @@
 ---
 title: Soldering Class and Art in the Park
 date: 2026-03-20T14:57:50-05:00
-description: Free soldering class March 26, 2026 at Columbia Gadget Works, and a call for volunteers for the Art in the Park booth.
+description: Free soldering class March 26, 2026 at Columbia Gadget Works, covering through-hole and reflow soldering, plus a call for volunteers for the Art in the Park booth.
 image: art-in-the-park.png
 imageAlt: Art in the Park festival graphic
 ---
 
 Just a reminder that the CGW soldering class will be **March 26th at 6 pm**. We'll be going over hand soldering and reflow/SMD soldering techniques, with free giveaways!
 
 Also, CGW is planning to have a booth at **Art in the Park** (June 6 and 7). If you're interested in showcasing projects for CGW or hanging out at the booth, please [get in touch](/contact/).
+
+**Update:** Art in the Park has since passed. We take a booth to community events through the year, so if you would like to help with the next one, [get in touch](/contact/) any time.
+
+## How the class went
+
+Members were trained in both of the soldering methods the shop uses, and everyone was given a free soldering kit to practice on and take home.
+
+- **Through-hole soldering**, where component legs pass through holes in the board and are soldered on the far side. It is the method most people learn first, it is forgiving, and it is what you want for repairs and for anything that has to survive being knocked about.
+- **Reflow and surface-mount**, where much smaller components sit on top of the board on pads of solder paste, and the whole board is heated until the paste melts and pulls each part into place. It is how nearly all modern electronics are built.
+
+Knowing both is the difference between being able to fix the electronics you own and only being able to look at them.
+
+The [electronics bench](/tools/electronics-bench/) is the most beginner-friendly corner of the shop and is open to visitors on a Thursday evening, so you do not need to wait for the next class to try this. Soldering is our most requested class, and it comes round regularly: watch the [events calendar](/events/).

content/tools/metal-casting.md

@@ -1,15 +1,15 @@
 ---
 title: Metal casting
 subtitle: Turn a 3D print into a solid metal part.
-description: Metal casting at Columbia Gadget Works, Columbia MO. Plaster investment casting from 3D-printed patterns in aluminum. Free classes offered.
+description: Metal casting at Columbia Gadget Works, Columbia MO. Plaster investment casting from 3D-printed patterns in aluminum, aluminum bronze, brass, copper, and sterling silver. Free classes offered.
 weight: 50
 image: metal-casting-parts.jpg
 imageAlt: Small cast brass pieces including a Star Trek insignia lying on a white surface
 training: true
 openHackNight: false
 specs:
   - { label: Method, value: Plaster investment casting from 3D-printed patterns }
-  - { label: Metals, value: Aluminum, brass (with care) }
+  - { label: Metals, value: Aluminum, aluminum bronze, brass, copper, sterling silver }
   - { label: Equipment, value: Propane furnace, crucibles, burnout kiln, flasks, safety gear }
   - { label: Zone, value: Casting }
 ---

data/events.yaml

@@ -22,36 +22,35 @@ upcoming:
     where: The shop
     description: Held after Open Hack Night. Members welcome.
   - date: 2026-11-05
-    title: "Grant class: topic to be announced"
+    title: Free public class, City of Columbia series
     time: 6 pm
     where: The shop
-    description: First of the monthly City of Columbia grant classes. Free; details to come.
+    description: First of the monthly free classes funded by the City of Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs. Open to everyone; the topic is announced about a month ahead here and on Discord.
   - date: 2026-12-03
-    title: "Grant class: topic to be announced"
+    title: Free public class, City of Columbia series
     time: 6 pm
     where: The shop
   - date: 2027-01-07
-    title: "Grant class: topic to be announced"
+    title: Free public class, City of Columbia series
     time: 6 pm
     where: The shop
   - date: 2027-01-28
     title: Quarterly board meeting
     time: 8 pm
     where: The shop
   - date: 2027-02-04
-    title: "Grant class: topic to be announced"
+    title: Free public class, City of Columbia series
     time: 6 pm
     where: The shop
   - date: 2027-03-04
-    title: "Grant class: topic to be announced"
+    title: Free public class, City of Columbia series
     time: 6 pm
     where: The shop
   - date: 2027-04-01
-    title: "Grant class: topic to be announced"
+    title: Free public class, City of Columbia series
     time: 6 pm
     where: The shop
   - date: 2027-04-24
     title: Annual member meeting
-    time: TBD
     where: The shop
     description: Officer elections and bylaw votes. Members in good standing may vote.

layouts/404.html

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+{{ define "main" }}
+<section class="wrap page narrow">
+  <header class="page-head">
+    <p class="eyebrow">Error 404</p>
+    <h1>We can't find that page</h1>
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+  </header>
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+    <h2>Looking for something in particular?</h2>
+    <ul>
+      <li><a href="/visit/">Plan a visit</a>, including what happens at Open Hack Night and where to park.</li>
+      <li><a href="/tools/">Tools and equipment</a>, and what training each one needs.</li>
+      <li><a href="/classes/">Classes and workshops</a>, and how to propose one.</li>
+      <li><a href="/events/">Events calendar</a>, including Open Hack Night every Thursday.</li>
+      <li><a href="/membership/">Membership</a> and <a href="/donate/">donating</a>.</li>
+      <li><a href="/about/">About Columbia Gadget Works</a>, our mission, board, and finances.</li>
+      <li><a href="/news/">News from the shop</a>.</li>
+    </ul>
+    <p>If you followed a link from somewhere on this site and landed here, please <a href="/contact/">tell us</a> so we can fix it. If you were looking for something on our old site, most of those addresses now forward automatically; this one did not, so let us know what you were after.</p>
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+{{ end }}