Yavapai College Gunsmithing

An OUTSTANDING build by 3rd year advanced student Eli Valdivieso. This 1 to 1 reproduction of a 1903A1 USMC rifle is a great example of Eli’s dedication to his craft. 👍👍

Part lll of our collaboration with Wolfe Publishing

Yavapai College Gunsmithing Custom 7mm PRC Part III Jeremiah explains our collaboration with the Yavapai College Gunsmithing school. We built a custom 7mm PRC. This is part one of a three part build series. Th...

Meet Gunsmithing instructor Derek Fernelius.
Originally from California, Derek Fernelius found his way to Prescott after family vacations led him to the Southwest. He’s a Yavapai College Alumni, who completed all three years of the gunsmithing program, earning him an advanced gunsmithing certificate. In addition to gunsmithing, he completed 3 semesters of engraving, to receive his journeyman engraving certificate. Instructor Fernelius has worked for YC since Spring of 2022, teaching the engraving class for the gunsmithing program.
With and interest in fi****ms and art most of his life, it just seems natural to bring the two interests together in form of engraving. Which is now the focus of his professional career. When he’s not teaching, Fernelius enjoys working on engraving projects and designs, and personal gunsmithing projects, which include making tools and fixtures for the trade.
If you see Instructor Fernelius on campus, be sure and say Hello. Welcome Derek, the gunsmithing program is glad to have you on our team.

Meet Instructor Jacob Veater.
Instructor Jacob “Jake” Veater holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Cal State University, Long Beach. Soon after completing his education, he realized that he wanted to work in a more hands-on field. He had always had an interest in fi****ms, so he decided to enroll in the Gunsmithing program at Yavapai College. He says he moved here to attend the program, but “the area drew him in, because it is so beautiful here. The sunsets are incredible.” After completing the program, he found that he wanted to teach. He has been teaching in the Gunsmithing program for the past 3 years.
Jake found a way to combine his engineering background with something he was interested in. Jake continues to expand his knowledge of other trades offered here at Y.C. He has taken 3D printing and Welding and is planning to take CNC in the near future. In his spare time, he runs his own company, Jave Custom LLC, where he builds custom 1911/2011 style handguns. If he’s not teaching or in his shop, he can be found practicing or competing in shooting sports.
We are glad to have Jake here teaching our students. If you see him on campus, be sure and say Hi.

Meet Gunsmithing Instructor Calvin!

Calvin studied history at Pasadena City College. He had planned on teaching history but decided to take some machining classes first to experience other things before heading off to teach. He found that he enjoyed the machining classes so much, that he wanted to find a program where he could apply both history and machining. He then found Yavapai College Gunsmithing. He enrolled in the program and the rest is history. Calvin has been working at Y.C. as a gunsmithing instructor for the past couple of years.
Calvin's previous work experience includes being a photographer at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, managing trade shows for the family business, and working as an apprentice gunsmith at American Gunworks. He currently works as head gunsmith at Knepper Fi****ms, and he still manages fine art tradeshows for his family’s business. But when he does get some time for himself, he can be found tinkering with his own fi****ms. This has truly become a passion for him.
If you see him around the CTEC campus, please say Hi! The Gunsmithing program is glad to have him as part of the team.

Part II of our collaboration with Wolfe Publishing.https://youtu.be/d42m878-1tY?si=ibLNZc0NpiWT4HDS

Meet Gunsmithing Instructor Robert Long!
Robert holds an AA in Management and an AAS in Gunsmithing, from Yavapai College. He retired from the Marine Corps after 15 years of service. As retirement began, he decided to look for a gunsmithing program. Having a lifelong interest in fi****ms led him to Y.C. The only problem was, he was living in Phoenix at the time. Yavapai College was and still is the only hands-on program available and he knew it would be worth it to commute. So, he applied, and the rest is history. After finishing the program, Robert had the opportunity to come back as an instructor. He has been teaching in the Gunsmithing program for over 5 years. In addition to teaching at Yavapai College, he also works at Kilo Guns in Phoenix. He still lives in Phoenix with his wife. They have two grown children and one grandchild. He says he enjoys spending his down time working on projects and spending time with his wife.
If you see him around, please say hello! The Gunsmithing program is happy to have him on the team.

Meet Gunsmithing Adjunct Instructor Zach “Van” Gilst!
Instructor Van is an Army veteran, who served for 6 years. He worked in the Armory as an armorer. He says hunting and serving in the military developed his interest in fi****ms. This interest brought him to Yavapai College to attend the Gunsmithing program. Van completed the program with an AAS in Gunsmithing and he also completed 3D printing and CNC classes. This is Van’s first semester teaching in the Gunsmithing program, and he says he loves it. In Vans spare time he enjoys playing video games and attending concerts. He says he spent a lot of time traveling while in the military, and now enjoys being close to home so he can spend time with his cat.
If you see Van around the CTEC campus, please say Hi! The Gunsmithing program is glad to have Van on our team.

Meet Gunsmithing Instructor Jan Carstanjen.

Jan is a YC Gunsmithing Alumni. He graduated from the program earlier this year. He also holds a degree in English from UMASS, Dartmouth college. Jan is a certified G***k Armorer. He says he has
been passionate about gunsmithing since he was young and has trained others in the mechanical field for more than 15 years. Jan is finishing up teaching his first semester in the gunsmithing program
and plans to be back next semester. He describes gunsmithing as being a lot like puzzle solving, like many mechanical vocations. He doesn't live locally, but commutes from Chandler. He's thankful
he is only teaching one day a week, because the commute is 240 miles round trip. In addition to teaching at the college, he works full-time at the Scottsdale Gun Club. Between both jobs and his
commute, he has very little spare time. But when he finds the time, he says he enjoys target shooting.Please say hello when you see Jan on the CTEC campus. We are happy to have him teaching our
students in the Gunsmithing program.

Chase McCarty just finished his rifle build for the semester, Great Job Chase👍

Meet Gunsmithing Instructor Dan Ray!
Dan is an Army Veteran, who after 27 years of active duty decided to call Yavapai County home. He holds a B.A. in journalism, an M.A. in Information Technology, an M.S. in Strategy, and an AAS in Gunsmithing. He has always been fascinated with fi****ms and weapon technology. He says, “my first attempts at gunsmithing were not good.” This led him to begin searching for the best gunsmithing school he could find after retiring from the Army. He had the ability to go anywhere he wanted and when he found Yavapai College, he knew this was it. A few years after graduating from the program, he joined the team. He has been working at YC for the past 3 years and truly loves being a part of the Gunsmithing department. He and his wife own a small farm East of Chino Valley, where they are kept busy with chickens, donkeys, goats, cats, and dogs. He enjoys hunting and fishing in his spare time and says he is always open to learning new things. Be sure and say Hi to Dan when you see him around the CTEC campus. The Gunsmithing department is happy to have Dan on the team.