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395. Over-Welding, Under-Earning: The Real Cost of Bad Welding Habits w/ Nate Bowman

Arc Junkies

Release Date: 02/10/2026

397. You’ve Never Seen Me Sober – High-Functioning Alcohol in the Welding Industry w/ Justin Merrill show art 397. You’ve Never Seen Me Sober – High-Functioning Alcohol in the Welding Industry w/ Justin Merrill

Arc Junkies

“You’ve never seen me sober.” For years, Justin built a respected name in the welding industry — sharp, disciplined, professional. But behind the scenes, there was something no one saw. In this raw and honest conversation, we talk about high-functioning alcohol use in the trades, what it looks like when success masks a problem, and the moment Justin realized he hadn’t been truly clear-headed in nearly a decade. We cover: What high-functioning drinking really looks like The culture of alcohol in welding and blue-collar industries Productivity after quitting drinking Identity,...

info_outline 396. Human Expertise & Machine Intelligence: Redefining the Inspector’s Role in the AI Era. show art 396. Human Expertise & Machine Intelligence: Redefining the Inspector’s Role in the AI Era.

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Recorded live at the Inspection Expo & Conference (IEC), this episode captures a powerful discussion on the future of welding inspection and the rapid integration of AI and automation into the field. Jason Becker hosts a live panel featuring Amanda Young, Vice President of McNDT Pipeline, Ltd., and Lee Pialet, President of Pioneer Steel Services, Inc.. The conversation explores how digital weld scanning systems, AI-driven defect recognition, and code cross-referencing software are reshaping the role of the Certified Welding Inspector (CWI). Topics include: • How AI interprets weld scan...

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In this special episode of Weld Wednesdays with AWS, recorded live at the Inspection Expo & Conference in Austin, Texas, Jason Becker sits down with longtime AWS volunteer and industry veteran Bill Komlos for an in-depth conversation on volunteering on AWS code committees. While most welders, inspectors, and fabricators rely on AWS codes every day, few understand how those standards are actually developed. Bill shares his journey from local AWS section involvement to national technical committees, explaining how volunteers from across the industry—inspectors, fabricators, engineers, and...

info_outline 395. Over-Welding, Under-Earning: The Real Cost of Bad Welding Habits w/ Nate Bowman show art 395. Over-Welding, Under-Earning: The Real Cost of Bad Welding Habits w/ Nate Bowman

Arc Junkies

Welding productivity is one of the most misunderstood topics in the industry—and it’s costing shops serious money. In this episode, Jason Becker sits down with Nate Bowman to break down the reality behind arc-on time, operator factor, deposition rate, and weld volume. Together, they explain why welders aren’t “only welding 11 minutes an hour,” how over-welding quietly drains profitability, and how small operational changes—like proper weld sizing or adding an extra grinder—can save thousands of dollars over time. This conversation isn’t about blame. It’s about data,...

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Arc Junkies

In this episode of the Arc Junkies Podcast, Jason Becker sits down with Brian Huff, founder and CEO of Midwest Technical Institute and Delta Technical College. Brian shares his perspective on the growing skilled labor crisis, why the U.S. is facing a massive workforce shortage, and how removing shop class and technical education from K–12 schools created the situation we’re in today. The conversation covers workforce demographics, infrastructure demand, energy production, AI-driven growth, and why construction and skilled trades remain recession-resistant careers with lifetime opportunity....

info_outline 393. Speed Does Not Equal Skill w/ Alex McNamara show art 393. Speed Does Not Equal Skill w/ Alex McNamara

Arc Junkies

In this weeks episode, I sit down with Alex McNamara, a trades advocate, welder, rigger, and content creator who has become one of the loudest voices pushing for skilled trades education and tool literacy. Alex shares her unconventional path—from theater and set building to welding, rigging, and managing massive international live events, including work in Saudi Arabia. The conversation digs into why shop class disappeared, how that decision created today’s skilled-labor shortage, and what individuals can do locally to help rebuild trades education. We also discuss women in the trades,...

info_outline 392. 50 Years Under the Hood w/ George Rolla show art 392. 50 Years Under the Hood w/ George Rolla

Arc Junkies

In this episode of the Arc Junkies Podcast, Jason sits down with George Rolla, a pipe welder, inspector, educator, and industry leader with over 50 years of hands-on experience in the welding trade. George shares his journey from welding in the Canadian Arctic and North Dakota oil fields to becoming an AWS Senior Certified Welding Inspector, Certified Welding Engineer, and founder of the California Welding Institute. Together, Jason and George have an honest, in-depth conversation about what’s broken in welding education, why instructor quality matters more than ever, and how poor training...

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Arc Junkies

In the first Weld Wednesdays with AWS episode of 2026, I'm sitting down with Dr. Josh Burgess, current President of the American Welding Society and Senior Program Manager for Metallurgical and Welding Engineering at the Tennessee Valley Authority. Dr. Burgess shares his path from welding in high school and competing at the national level to earning his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering. Along the way, AWS played a pivotal role—providing scholarships, networking opportunities, mentorship, and leadership development that shaped his career....

info_outline 391. They Can’t Take My Education Away From Me w/ Josh O'Neal show art 391. They Can’t Take My Education Away From Me w/ Josh O'Neal

Arc Junkies

In this episode of the Arc Junkies Podcast, Jason Becker sits down with Josh O’Neal for a wide-ranging conversation on education, certification, and career development in the welding industry. Josh shares his journey through welding, inspection, and education, including his experiences pursuing credentials like CWI and CWE, navigating student loans and scholarships, and building quality systems that support AWS Accredited Testing Facilities. The discussion also dives into workforce development, credit-for-experience programs, and how industry certifications can translate into academic...

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Arc Junkies

As we wrap up the year, I’m joined by Kevin Johnson, Max Ceron, and Frankie Vargas for our annual end-of-year cross-pod roundtable. We talk candidly about FabTech, the real ROI of in-person podcasting, and why live shows don’t always move the needle the way people expect. Kevin breaks down what went into this year’s Fabricator Olympics, what he learned running a large-scale event, and why organization and efficiency matter just as much in events as they do in fabrication shops. We also dig into arc-on time, shop inefficiencies, and why welding is often only a small percentage of what a...

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More Episodes

Welding productivity is one of the most misunderstood topics in the industry—and it’s costing shops serious money.

In this episode, Jason Becker sits down with Nate Bowman to break down the reality behind arc-on time, operator factor, deposition rate, and weld volume. Together, they explain why welders aren’t “only welding 11 minutes an hour,” how over-welding quietly drains profitability, and how small operational changes—like proper weld sizing or adding an extra grinder—can save thousands of dollars over time.

This conversation isn’t about blame. It’s about data, efficiency, and building high-performance welding operations that benefit both welders and business owners.

 

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