Weld Wednesday w/ AWS | Before You Strike an Arc What Every Welding Student Needs to Know feat: Josh Wolfe
Release Date: 09/09/2026
Weld Wednesday w/ AWS | Before You Strike an Arc What Every Welding Student Needs to Know feat: Josh Wolfe
Arc Junkies
What should a student know before walking into welding school on day one? In this episode of Weld Wednesday with AWS, I sit down with Josh Wolfe, welding instructor at Laurel Oaks in Wilmington, Ohio, and host of the Speaking of Skilled Trades podcast, for an honest conversation about what it really takes to succeed in welding education. We talk about why safety rules in a welding lab are different from the arbitrary rules students may be used to, how quickly one careless decision can change a life, and why PPE and safe habits have to become automatic. Josh and I also discuss the importance...
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Wayback Wednesday w/ AWS Certification vs. Qualification w/ Daryl Peterson.
Arc Junkies
Daryl Peterson is a SCWI and the District Director for District 5 of the American Welding Society. This week we hop in the way back machine to revisit a very controversial topic in the welding Industry. We often hear about welders claiming to be "Certified" and then getting called out on social media as being "Qualifed" not Certified. Well, Daryl has done some deep digging through the different codes and standards and has come up with an answer that will hopefully settle this debate. For more information on the AWS and their programs, check out their website
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Weld Wednesday w/ AWS Robots vs. Cobots: Building an Automation Program with Anthony Nighswander of APT Manufacturing
Arc Junkies
In this episode of Weld Wednesday with AWS, host Jason Becker sits down with Anthony Nighswander, founder of APT Manufacturing and one of the top FANUC integrators in the country. Anthony breaks down the real difference between traditional industrial robots and collaborative robots (cobots), why welders — not controls engineers — make the best cobot programmers, and how schools can bring automation into their programs without blowing up an already-packed curriculum. They also dig into FANUC's education grant structure (up to $400,000 in matching software value), what a robotic welding cell...
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Weld Wednesday w/ AWSThe $100K Myth: What It Actually Takes to Hit Six Figures in Welding — with Dabs Wellington
Arc Junkies
Sean "Dabs" Flottman — welder, fabricator, educator, and bracelet-shipping hustle machine — joins Jason on this month's Weld Wednesday with AWS to tackle one of the most debated topics in the trade: the six-figure welding salary. Is it a myth? Is it achievable? And more importantly, what does it actually take? Dabs brings nearly 30 years of experience to the table, starting at $6.30 an hour and working his way through sheet metal, fabrication, and eventually into welding education at a trade school. He and Jason break down the ingredients required to reach $100K — from the top-10%...
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402. From Welding School to $100K: The KWI Kids Proving Everyone Wrong w/ Landon Earlywine & Jackson Settler
Arc Junkies
Think fresh-out-of-welding-school means starting at the bottom? Landon Earlywine (19) and Jackson Settler (18) are about to change your mind. Six months after graduating from the Kentucky Welding Institute, these two are working 60-hour weeks doing TIG stainless pipe fab for data center infrastructure up in Logansport, Indiana — earning $38/hr plus $120/day per diem. In less than seven months, they've pulled in $95,000 combined, started Roth IRAs, bought reliable trucks with big down payments, and are on track to blow past $150K in their first year. Jason sits down with both of them to find...
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Weld Wednesdays w/ AWS| Resistance Welding Demystified with Don DeCorte — The Process Hiding in Plain Sight
Arc Junkies
Don DeCorte spent 46 years in resistance welding, including 31 at Roman Manufacturing, and now teaches the AWS Certified Resistance Welding Technician (CRWT) certification through his consulting company DTS Technical Services. He sits down with Jason to pull the curtain back on the welding process most arc guys never think about — but interact with constantly. From the 1,300+ resistance-welded products hiding inside your local Home Depot, to the flash welds on every commercial jet's front landing gear, to the butt-welded steel wheels under every 18-wheeler and state trooper car, Don makes...
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401. Data Centers, Nuclear, and the Steel Boom Coming for Welders w/ Stephanie Hoffman
Arc Junkies
Stephanie Hoffman is back on the show, this time as the new Director of Industry Development and Engagement at Miller Electric. Jason and Stephanie catch up on her time away from the industry, what pulled her back, and the work she is now leading across education, business development, national accounts, customer experience centers, and process training for one of the biggest names in the trade. The conversation covers Miller's Instructor Conference happening this July at the Appleton, Wisconsin headquarters in partnership with Fox Valley Technical College, and why Miller is approaching CTE...
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400. "World's Strongest Welding Table"… Prove It w/ Jason Marburger of Fireball Tool
Arc Junkies
Jason Marburger of Fireball Tool returns for our annual conversation — and he's not pulling punches. We dig into the public feud between Fireball, Sigmund, and Quantum Machinery over fixture table claims, why "world's strongest welding table" needs data to back it up, and Jason's push to standardize testing across the industry. He also walks us through the grinding disc performance guide his shop spent months producing, the surprising winners (the $2.50 Steel Savage, the new 3M Cubitron 3), and why pressure — not RPM — is what most welders are getting wrong. Plus a preview of what...
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399. From Helper to Foreman: Building a Career in Structural Steel with Chad Doucette
Arc Junkies
Chad Doucette, foreman at Ace Welding in Oceanside, California, joins Jason Becker on the Arch Junkies Podcast to talk about going from a random job offer on the street to running a structural steel shop — all in five years. Chad breaks down the real path to growth in this industry: why the helper position is the most underrated opportunity in any shop, how attitude and work ethic matter more than your cert, and why he's now setting his sights on the CWI. He also gets candid about where he came from, how welding changed his life, and the mindset shift that made all the difference. If you're...
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Weld Wednesday with AWS | National Welding Month Special
Arc Junkies
In this special National Welding Month edition of Weld Wednesday with AWS, host Jason Becker sits down with three guests who each represent a unique and exciting path that a welding career can open up. Kicking things off is Austin Ross — known across social media as A-Ross Welding — a pipeline welder with roughly a decade of experience and a member of Pipeliners Union 798. Austin breaks down the real cost of life on the pipe, how to break into the industry as a helper, what it takes to earn your spot, and why attitude and thinking ahead can make or break your career out there. Next up,...
info_outline What should a student know before walking into welding school on day one? In this episode of Weld Wednesday with AWS, I sit down with Josh Wolfe, welding instructor at Laurel Oaks in Wilmington, Ohio, and host of the Speaking of Skilled Trades podcast, for an honest conversation about what it really takes to succeed in welding education.
We talk about why safety rules in a welding lab are different from the arbitrary rules students may be used to, how quickly one careless decision can change a life, and why PPE and safe habits have to become automatic. Josh and I also discuss the importance of attitude, grit, accepting direct feedback, and using every available minute in the booth. Nobody looks back and wishes they had burned less rod.
For more information on AWS Click Here
Josh Wolfe on Instagram: @wolfe_cte
Speaking of Skilled Trades podcast: Listen on Spotify
Arc Junkies Podcast: arcjunkies.com
Weld Wednesday with AWS: aws.org/podcasts
Arc Junkies Instagram: @ArcJunkiesPodcast