Shows
Playing With Fire hosted by Josh & Darla WeltonEpisode 13: MIT Researcher Anna Waldman-Brown on the welder skills gap vs. pay gap debateJosh and Darla ARE BACK! This video interview originally appeared in two parts on TheFabricator.com's blog and the YouTube page. However, we love this interview and thought our listeners might also enjoy it as a long-form podcast episode. We’ve been on hiatus from this personal podcast space for a while now, but we will continue to pop in every now and then with solid gold episodes like this one! This interview features Anna Waldman-Brown, a PhD graduate in industrial policy and political economy from MIT. Anna discusses her research on emerging technologies, manufacturing sy...2023-11-301h 58
The Fabricator PodcastTaking an aerial equipment fabrication business to the next levelMitch Kraemer was working in the restaurant industry in Denver when friend and fabricator Tim Omspach approached him with an interesting career opportunity. Omspach had just launched Vvolfy Metal Works and acquired Ludwig Goppenhammer's business model of fabricating aerial equipment. Even though Kraemer didn't have any fabrication experience, he took on the challenge. Fast forward a few years later, Kraemer now manages Vvolfy's eastern operations out of Detroit in a booming aerial equipment market.
Kraemer joined host Dan Davis and co-host Darla Welton on The Fabricator Podcast to discuss all of that and more: His nontraditional...2023-09-191h 05
The Fabricator PodcastHow a longtime artist became an inner-city Detroit welding instructorKevin Cartwright had a very nontraditional path to becoming a welding instructor. The longtime Detroit-based multi media artist, working under the name Nivek Monet, spent years painting before turning his attention to metal sculpture art. That led him to working in various metal fabrication shops to learn how to weld. Eventually, he became the lead welding instructor at Randolph Career and Technical Center, a Detroit high school focused on teaching skilled trades.
In this episode of The Fabricator Podcast, Cartwright joins host Dan Davis and guest host Darla Welton to talk about his journey from artist to...2023-09-0556 min
The Fabricator PodcastBuying a factory, starting a racing team, and reviving DetroitSince starting The Detroit Bus Company in 2011, it's been nonstop movement with a purpose for Andy Didorosi. After getting DBC off the ground, he has launched a number of other Detroit-focused initiatives, including The Detroit Student Race Team, Mutiny Racing, and The Arsenal of Clean. And housing all of those projects is a old 55,000-square-foot multi-purpose factory that he recently bought right in the middle of downtown Detroit. Andy joins The Fabricator Podcast to talk all about of those things, Japanese Kei trucks, and more.
At the top host Dan Davis and guest host Darla Welton talk...2023-08-081h 09
The Fabricator PodcastFinding success in a new welding career with Jessica Considine of Sculpted RootsThis week, Jessica Considine – a welder, fabricator, and artist based in the Detroit-area – joins The Fabricator Podcast. She's the creative force behind Sculpted Roots and a full-time fabricator for the Department of Defense with Navistar.
In short, Considine exemplifies what a metal fabrication career can look like for the next generation of skilled tradespeople.
Also joining the podcast as co-host is Darla Welton of Brown Dog Welding and the Still Building America Series on thefabricator.com. This is the first of four podcast episodes she'll sit in as co-host with Dan Davis.
Considine talk...2023-07-2556 minPlaying With Fire hosted by Josh & Darla WeltonEpisode 12: Don't Call it a ComebackAmerica used to love a good comeback story. However, in the age of social media we see people being destroyed over misunderstood incidents. Individuals are slaughtered for ignorant words spoken years ago, even if the person who spoke them expresses regret and has apologized. Do we still have the capacity to give others (and ourselves) the space to learn, heal, and grow from these failures? On this episode, Josh shares the story of how a lapse in judgement as an apprentice nearly cost him his future. Mistakes were made, but an apology and forgiveness granted him an...2019-02-2155 minPlaying With Fire hosted by Josh & Darla WeltonEpisode 11: CoexistJosh and Darla try a little experiment and discuss a topic that has become exceedingly important to them: how do humans coexist in a world with so many differences and polarizing ideas and opinions? The duo talks about the difference between them and how they manage to still love one another profoundly. Welding in space, prayer, aliens, and Jesus are up for discussion on this episode of Playing With Fire. Listen in. 2019-02-0552 min
Arc Junkies68. Josh & Darla Welton.Jimmy is joined by Josh & Darla Welton of the Playing With Fire Podcast ! Jimmy brings everyone up to speed about whats been happening behind the scenes of Arc Junkies Podcast and the trio discuss the tunnel vision of seeking success and does talent really exist or is it pure hard work and skill development ?2019-01-241h 20Playing With Fire hosted by Josh & Darla WeltonEpisode 10: Intellectual Property TalkJosh and Darla talk Intellectual Property on episode 10 of Playing With Fire. If you capture and share a photo or create a unique post online, do you own the copyright? Or is it free game/public domain? Let's talk about the history of copy/paste heroes and theft, intellectual property, and this generations' thoughts on influencers and original content. It's story time. And real talk. 2019-01-2337 minPlaying With Fire hosted by Josh & Darla WeltonEpisode 9: 2018 Top 10 List!Hosts Josh & Darla Welton sat down on New Year's Eve to share their Top Ten Moments from 2018! From Josh buying his Dodge Demon, to embarking on multiple road trips together, then Josh winning the 2018 AWS/WEMCO Award in Welding for media, leading important conversations about women in welding as well as the skilled workers wage gap, to launching the Still Building America initiative and this podcast together - it's been one heckuva year. Bring it on 2019! 2019-01-0247 minPlaying With Fire hosted by Josh & Darla WeltonEpisode 8: Colors in the WeldsA lot of people talk about color in welds, but they don't always understand why the color does or does not matter. A rainbow of colors in the bead and heat-affected zone (HAZ) doesn’t automatically make it a good weld, and it can indicate a bad weld. It all depends on the material, the industry, and the application. On this episode of Playing With Fire, Josh talks about what it all means and makes it accessible for the novice and the pro. 2018-12-2941 minPlaying With Fire hosted by Josh & Darla WeltonEpisode 7: Eyes Wide Open (Welder Wages)Josh is a fierce supporter of the shop floor worker and is becoming an increasingly important voice in leading the conversation on the perceived skills gap versus the actual wage gap. His recently published article in The WELDER Magazine (Future welders: Enter the trade with both eyes open) stirred up some hot conversation on social media. Josh takes to the mic to make sure that his message on welding wages is clear. 2018-12-1235 minPlaying With Fire hosted by Josh & Darla WeltonEpisode 6: **ROAD TRIP EDITION** Creativity and InspirationJoin Josh Welton, his wife Darla, his brother Jordan, and Jordan's fiancé, Jeremy, as they road trip to Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day 2018. Creativity and inspiration are up for discussion. What inspires your creativity? How do you practice and hone your art? How do you get inspired? What moves you to create? How do you prepare to be creative? Are you afraid to share your art because you think others won't understand your point of view? Know that your unique perspective is needed in this world, especially when the rest of us get stuck or fall captive t...2018-12-0537 minPlaying With Fire hosted by Josh & Darla WeltonEpisode 5: The Still Building America ProjectJosh, and his wife Darla, share what their Still Building America Project is all about! Their passion for promoting the skilled trades is highlighted by life's highs and lows - from their ties to the blue collar world, travel stories, and how being victims of crime in Detroit fueled a fire for standing up against injustice in their community. The Still Building America project promotes awareness of the skilled trades as viable career options for our country’s next generation. Americans haven’t forgotten how to work with our hands, but our education system has stru...2018-11-1746 min