WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST INTRODUCTION TO SKILLED LABOR?
My family had a construction company when I grew up in Southlake. Back then, we worked on a lot of high-end structural stuff like fences and gates. When we sold the company in 2008, I got this shop over in Keller and eventually opened my own business — DFW Welding and Offroad Services.
WHAT IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS YOU HAVE LEARNED THROUGH WELDING?
My dad had a mantra that if someone else could make it, we could make it. If someone else could do it, we could do it. There’s always going to be a need for skilled labor. As long as the industry keeps going, we’ll keep manufacturing and creating along the way.
WHAT CAN YOU WELD?
Pretty much anything. Aluminum, iron, brass, copper, stainless steel. We offer custom welding on anything from ornate fencing and gates to pallet racks and structural piping. We can even service truck bodies and flatbreads from our fully-equipped welding truck, which can offer mobile services anywhere on the go.
HOW DOES THE WELDING PROCESS WORK?
There are three main types of welding. There is stick welding, where an electrode melts the metal. Then there is MIG welding, where the welding gun feeds wire through the spool and fuses the two metals together. Then you have TIG welding, which is a controlled electrical short that heats up the metal and fuses it together with a filler rod.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE RISKS WITH WELDING?
Most welders have issues with their eyes by the time they get older because they deal with sparks that are brighter than the sun. It can actually burn your eyes, even if they’re closed. Galvanized steel and fumes can also be carcinogenic and poisonous, so we try to ventilate our work area as best we can. Protective equipment like masks, gloves and goggles are very, very important when it comes to welding.
WHAT IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS YOU HAVE LEARNED THROUGH WELDING?
My dad had a mantra that if someone else could make it, we could make it. If someone else could do it, we could do it. There’s always going to be a need for skilled labor. As long as the industry keeps going, we’ll keep manufacturing and creating along the way.