Meet Josh

Josh Welton, the owner/operator of Brown Dog Welding LLC fabrication and art studio in Detroit Michigan, is an established welder, fabricator, teacher, artist, writer, social media influencer, podcast host (Playing With Fire), and automotive enthusiast. He is a contributing writer to TheFabricator.com and The Welder Magazine (FMA Publications), and DodgeGarage.com. He is the 2018 recipient of the WEMCO/AWS Foundation Excellence in Welding Award in the Media category for his contributions to promoting welding. An adventurous spirit and willingness to take risks have brought Josh opportunities for writing and welding around the world. Josh's love of the blue-collar world drives his desire to increase awareness of the viability of skilled trades jobs. Josh is a fierce defender of the skilled shop floor welder and will go toe-to-toe with any person or organization claiming that there is a skills gap instead of a wage gap within the welding industry. Branching off of his successful column with TheFabricator.com, he and his wife, Darla, have launched the "Still Building America" project which promotes skilled trade opportunities, especially to the next generation of welders. In 2020, Josh and Darla began offering intro to TIG and MIG welding workshops, as well as private welding lessons in their Detroit metal shop. Josh prides himself on the quality of his work and on living up to the "Made in USA" name.