Danny Keiderling

Eric Girouard  0:00  

This is bucket talk weekly podcast where people who work in the trades and construction that aren't just trying to survive, but have the ambition and desire to thrive. The opportunity to trade and construction is absolutely ridiculous right now. So if you're hungry, it's time to eat. We discussed what it takes to rise from the bottom to the top with people who are well on their way and roll up their sleeves every single day.

Jeremy Perkins  0:29  

This is Jeremy and Eric here with bucket talk powered by Brent. On this episode, we have Danny ketterling. Danny is a pipe welding extraordinaire. But before we jump in, Eric, what's up?

Eric Girouard  0:40  

All right. All right. So latest and greatest on my side is, you know, Jeremy came back from makers camp with the crew last week because we were talking about and they were all jazzed up, we started looking at the event list we got for next year, which looks like we have 12 or 13 events and probably a few more coming and so we're going to be all over the place next year. So we're actually on the hunt for a Brunt camper slash transit man. Really what we're looking for is a toy hauler, as you know, we have some side by sides and going to need a golf car in the future. So as folks are out there, if you know this world, this is New World Order for us. For folks that know the camping world, and more specifically, the toy hauler world, send some wrecks our way we'd greatly appreciate it. We're starting from scratch but starting to get up to speed on it and looking forward to Jeremy putting a lot of miles on that thing while we get some work done. So. So Jeremy, How about how about you? What are you up to Cat Daddy?

Jeremy Perkins  1:37  

Oh my God stop it with that. So, so we want to farm up here and and I think it's like every week my wife comes home with a new animal. So this week's animal is cat. So we have two baby kittens that are now running around my house because they can't stay in their enclosure and they're going to be our rat chasers in the barn. So being an equestrian property, there's rats like horse poop. So they come out here and and devastate our food supplies and all the stuff for the horses. So we need somebody to defend it. And we have two kittens. So hopefully they grew up to be rat chasers. But that's pretty much it. And if

Eric Girouard  2:19  

not, you got two cute little cats at that'll love you and you can pet them anytime you want.

Jeremy Perkins  2:27  

Alright, let's just kick this thing off. Well, yeah. All right. All

Eric Girouard  2:29  

right. And for those of you as a thank you listening to this podcast, and as a thank you to Danny for coming on, we have a code MIG 10 that you can use run for $10 off an order of $60 or more. So thank you, Danny, and thank you to all the listeners out there. Let's dig in.

Jeremy Perkins  2:52  

All right, today, we're here with Danny ketterling. Rig welder and pipe welder Danny, welcome.

Danny Keiderling  2:57  

How's it going? Man, thank you for having me on here, man.

Jeremy Perkins  3:01  

Awesome. We're excited to to dig into a day in the life man. I'm super stoked to have you on here. You've actually been an inspiration to me early on, you know, tips and tricks and all the stuff that you do in the in the welding world. But I want to share it for other people to listen and kind of get the background where you got your start, like, go back as far as you want to what point in time you want and how Danny got a start.

Danny Keiderling  3:26  

Yeah, it could go back as far as I don't know, maybe even kindergarten or first grade when I started playing in the shop with my dad. But that was kind of real early in my career. But uh, mainly, I don't know, when I started out in this stuff I discovered I was like, you know, obviously I'm a boy and boys like to get dirty and play in the dirt. And I discovered that I wanted to do that as a career. And I didn't know exactly if I wanted to be what I wanted to be I had it narrowed down to like someone that was you know, like working on a car doing mechanic works, whether it be like bodywork, something like that, or welding, I really liked the idea of building stuff or putting stuff together, playing with iron. I really liked that. But then early on, at probably a teenage level, I discovered that cars have wires and computers in there. And Danny doesn't even like typing his name through his cell phone. So I made the decision when I was younger that welding was more was more suited for me. And I started out I don't know my very first welding job I was 15 years old working in a fab shop. Believe it or not you there are jobs out there that will let you work and before you turn 18 because legally when you're 18 you know, for 15 You can't work in a dangerous environment like a fab shop or whatever. And then I move myself up to a pipe fab shop when I was 1718 years old, here in Gillette, Wyoming, a really good boss of mine by the name of Greg Doherty. He was a super, super awesome dude. And he, he kind of got me my legs and The work for that dude for just over six years, I started out at that shop and you know, he had multiple shops. But I started out there as just a regular old helper, which would be just a guy that cuts material grinds out bad welds, you know, welds up structural steel. And when I left there, I was actually his lead welder. And he had, he had about 60 employees working for him at that time, and I was head welder, I guess you would say most valued welder that he had. And I went out and left there. And for a few years I contracted I did my own kind of like my he would say, almost like your own business, I worked split check and contract welded pipelines, compressor stations, basically the same thing I'd been doing for a while then just for myself, it was amazing. I made some of the greatest money in my life. And it was fulfilling and you know, just a dream to me. And then I you know, I kind of bounced around and did a lot of things I stuck to welding mainly. And one day, I got the opportunity to actually start a welding school and started a welding school. And that one actually turned out pretty good. And I don't know if I'm just lucky or good, but seemed like that welding school took off like wildfire. And through my marketing team, they liked all my my weird ideas and tips that I had learned from old welders in the past. And we started getting into that social media. I didn't even know how to frickin hardly spell social media when I started it. And people loved my tips. And it's funny you were talking earlier about the tips and tricks. And I appreciate that you say that I'm an inspiration because that means a lot to me, believe it or not, not not in an egotistical way. But it just warms my heart. I was talking to a previous student last night, actually. And he was telling me how he, he bent the file. And it's a trick that a Pipeliner taught me about five or six years, I don't know eight years ago, and it's just a weird trick that no one really knows about. And then he's working on a job with, you know, a huge job, billion dollar job with, you know, big pipe, and a lot of well, there's a lot of smart guys. And it was kind of crazy, he bent to file and it's a real cool trick and to get removed the draw out of a piece of pipe. And his welder was just blown away. And like a 50 year old man that he was working with had never seen that. That's what I live for. I love that. I love that. Because if I wouldn't have taught that kid that when he was a kid when he went to my welding school, you know, no one might not have ever heard about that trick ever again, you know,

Jeremy Perkins  7:44  

let's shed some light on that. Because that's actually something that when I got in the space of deciding to go from just making money and doing it on my own to more teaching and helping and guiding, I learned that some of the smallest tricks or some of the smallest tips that I had that that I've forgotten or haven't used, or what have you are, literally can save somebody two hours out of their day, or you assume they already know it, you assume that it's just common knowledge. And it's not. And it's, it's amazing that like, even the smallest piece of information can help somebody out and to not lose sight of that, you know?

Danny Keiderling  8:19  

Yeah, it's like, yeah, you know, it's like history, man, you got to, you got to keep teaching it and you can't burn them books, and you can't throw them away, you got to give them to the next generation. And that was my thing. That's why I'm kind of thinking about my future now. Because, obviously, you know, and a lot of you guys know that. I don't currently have usage of my legs right now. And I'm thinking, you know, Mike, what am I going to do guy that and I can't really hardly use my hands very well, either. I don't have flexors, basically my fingers. And I'm thinking, you know, I'm sitting in the hospital a few few months back, you know what I mean? And then all the way through my my recovery and healing, and I'm like, What am I gonna do? You know, I mean, I've always kind of worked with my hands or been at art Corp, blue collar, dude. You know, no one's gonna hire a guy like me, and, and I don't know what to happen, but it just seems like kept making videos, like, you know, I've always done you know, and it was just something I enjoyed, and I actually stopped making them for a while and my viewers, my followers actually started getting mad at me and they started, you know, commenting and being like, you know, they're worried about me, and that's when I discovered you know, they started comment and that, that, that I'm an inspiration because, you know, now I'm welding again, you know, three months after the accident, I'm welding again, and, and so I discovered that I didn't know it when I was, you know, welding or whatever or being Sabian. You know, when I was instructing or when I own that started that weld in school. That's my plan in the future is to inspire people and give back a little bit as much as I can just like my bent file trick that I gave to that, that kid years ago. That's my plan. I think right now, people have been curious.

Jeremy Perkins  10:01  

That's super, super awesome that you know, you're looking at life and you're realizing, you know, I might have to pivot a little bit, but, but it seems like you've been doing it this whole time, you're just now going to be gravitating towards something different. I did want a high level touch on a few things. We went past that real fast. I know, we did a quick intro, but one of the things that I always like to let my listeners know is, you know, when it comes to, I guess, proficiencies in the job, how do you go from one specific proficiency to another? Do? Are there other, you know, certifications that you need? Was there schooling involved? Or was it all on the job?

Danny Keiderling  10:36  

So going from like, say, pipeline job to a compressor station job, or a even building a welding bed you're talking is, you know, like, you know, a lot of people don't do it. Because it's hard. It's, you know, you can imagine going from being a, you know, a framer to a cabinet builder. They're generally people like that in the world, but uh, I don't know I always just every aspect of welding, I will just literally intrigued me so much that I couldn't live without doing it. Even the even the art welding that some of these guys do, I've tried. Yeah, just because it just intrigues me. And so I think I was always just one step ahead of the game, maybe because I was just not because I was, you know, wanted to be the boss or be rich per se, or have, you know, be you know, without a job, even though that's my biggest fear when I was, you know, growing up is to be laid off and be poor. But, I don't know. Naturally, I was just one step above the game, like I, you know, I wanted to build a welding bed and just intrigued me so bad, so bad. I built my first welding bed when I was like, freaking 20 years old, you know what I mean? And that prepped me for just standard fabrication, you know, a different career would need and, you know, pipeline and you know what I mean? Whatever, you know, that's a big one everyone talks about that intrigued me and I you know, I had a bunch of friends that did it and I first pipeline job I just worked harder than everyone else and listen to those old timers that helped me out along the way. And I discovered that it wasn't as hard as everyone thought you know. And so I guess that was my claim to fame out when I was out in the field I was a pretty good welder pretty sought after guy to get on my on the job. And I think that was mainly just because because I just literally live breathe and sleep welding it was pretty high up there on my goals list to just weld you know, anything welding, I just was always ahead of the game.

Jeremy Perkins  12:33  

So it was that the thesis for kind of starting the school is you had all this, you know, welding background and different avenues of welding? And was that something that you wanted to introduce people to all aspects of welding and allow them kind of guide them to specific areas that interested them? Or was it more than that? kind of walk us through that?

Danny Keiderling  12:54  

Um, yeah, it's that and also, I was, you know, like, when you're when you're welding out there in the field, and you're in a welding truck, that's every welders dream is to get a welding rig, and, you know, go across the country and just, you know, live that life. And well, not every weld just dream but every pipe welder and along the way, I, you have a helper it's called, some people call him a pipe fitter, whatever. I always had to help her, you know, almost like a like a, almost like a buddy in the passenger seat. And he Well, it would be a buddy generally, like you become good friends with them, because you live live with them and work with them all day. And so the I'd always have these younger guys are really ambitious, and just good all around men and women that wanted to be a welder. You know, they aspired to be a welder, could they go be a helper for someone, you know, because maybe they couldn't afford school, or they couldn't afford college or didn't have time, they'd help a welder. And I discovered through that, that all the good welders out there, they'd always it's called break them out, if they break out their help, or they'd help their helper succeed and become a welder and get their own welding job and move on to the next stage in life and make more money. I found that the good welders to do that the bad welders, they just wanted to keep that helper there so they could keep them for the rest of their life and have like almost like a dedicated slave. I loved helping my helpers out if they wanted to. I'd love helping anyone out. Honestly, I'm not the greatest person in the world. But if I can help someone out, I would. I'll do it anytime I can. And those helpers, I can't tell you how many I've broke out how many I've helped become welders get through their first weld and test stuff like that. And that was big to me. I always liked seeing them succeed seeing people do better. And I think that was one of the things when I had the opportunity to start that welding school i i said, Man, this is my chance to do this even more, you know, and it sounds kind of, you know, pre Madonna or whatnot, but it's true. That was my I didn't know it but you possibly my calling that I didn't even know that, that I had or some in life, you know, something that I didn't know, I was good at until then, you know?

Jeremy Perkins  15:09  

Yeah, I mean, that was that was the thesis for this podcast too was I felt that there was more I could offer, there's more I can add. And I also just didn't want my experience and my knowledge to, to just, I guess, die with me, and, and you do raise it raise a good point. You know, one of the big challenges in the trades is, and I've worked for a few, and I've worked for some very inspirational people. But when you find somebody that that genuinely wants you to succeed and excel, they're helping you to leave essentially, like, and I know, you can go within the company or what have you. But it is nice to see guys actually say goodbye to that person and say, Hey, I'm glad that you're, you're on the way up, you're getting that job as a welder you're moving up, you're gonna be able to provide or start a family and, and really be a productive member of society. So it's cool when people just don't gravitate and grab that person and hold them. I mean, we used to call it like, essentially putting a boot on your neck, right? So you just be He, you could be there, you know, grinding it out for somebody, and you never saw that there's more to life. But that's cool that you're empowering people and, and doing that. So that kind of leads me to my next thing is, you know, obviously, you've had a major setback since the accident. What's next for Danny? What are some of the challenges you're facing now? How do you see yourself kind of moving forward?

Danny Keiderling  16:34  

Yeah, right here right now is one of them. My next bigger challenge is probably getting out there more in the network of social media and stuff like that, and let people watch my, my recovery, believe it or not, one of my next bigger goals is just to get back out there and be, you know, kind of normal again, where I can, you know, what I mean? Maybe, you know, carry myself without having someone I know, and it sounds, it's hard for me to talk about it. I try to be humble, and I don't have anything to hide from anyone. And, you know, it takes a lot for my wife right now, just to make sure I'm taking care of you know, whether it be medical, or just even just the physical side of this stuff. So that's one of the bigger ones I'm fighting is just getting back going. I know I want to I'm sorry, my dog is literally losing his mind.

Jeremy Perkins  17:27  

podcast. Yeah.

Danny Keiderling  17:29  

He's a good dog, though. He likes Well, no, too. So. And then, I don't know what's next. It's kind of crazy. Um, I got a lot of crazy ideas. I know, my main thing is going to be just helping people out and mainly younger kids. I think that's going to be the biggest thing right now is just helping out the younger generations. Because I didn't have much of a father figure or anything like that. I know, I don't want this to be a sob story. You know, and I grew up with the welders that would like to keep the boot on their neck. You know what I mean? Yeah, even if it's, you know, I don't know exactly how, because everyone's got to make a live, you know, living off of whatever they do, generally, unless they're independently wealthy, but money only gets you so far. If you do anything, right, money will come laters what I've always told people, so I think kind of what I want to do from here on out is figure out a way to help out and inspire the younger generations and then just mainly inspire, I guess you would say, so yeah,

Jeremy Perkins  18:33  

I mean, I saw you pick up the welder the other day, and I was I was stoked. I was proud. I mean, to be honest with you, I would I've tried to put myself in people's shoes and that's been one thing that you know, has kind of scared me is my hands my you know, everything that I have is is like what happens if I have arthritis or, or what have you and I can't do it anymore, right? And to watch you transform from a completely not a completely different person but but be able to overcome all this adversity. I think that's, I think that's amazing. It's inspiring to people. It's inspiring to me. And you know, I think you're gonna do well with helping the younger generation out and really sharing your story and your experiences. I think that's great.

Danny Keiderling  19:23  

Yeah, one thing I was just thinking about I forgot to tell you the when I was going through all this my recovery and stuff like that one of my bigger goals, I guess I forgot to tell you it sounds kind of dumb, but uh, they told me they said you know, you're gonna have to get yourself a minivan your level of injury, almost a C six and a C seven quadriplegic currently will always be considered that medically, but it was my one of my bigger goals is just to get back in a truck and there's ways to do it. The lady in the hospital told me I probably would never be in a truck again. And She told me, she also the same pert lady told me that my arms probably wouldn't be working ever again. And if you look in the video, I'm using my arms to weld. That's my goals right now. They're small right now, but I just take it day by day. That's, that's the only way I can do it and it's working for me.

Jeremy Perkins  20:20  

If you ask any tradesman, or woman, for that matter, it's hysterical because everybody has a story of somebody telling you, you can't do something. And that's like, the biggest motivator. And I don't know how many times throughout my career, I've been told I can't do something or I won't amount to anything or the the list goes on and on and you constantly those are my mini goals. Those are my motivators. And take that as a badge of honor and run with it and prove the doubters wrong. And they probably didn't say it out of out of badness. Because obviously, it's, it's, ya know, medical advice, but at the same time, you know, you're like, No, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it. You know, I'm gonna be in a welding truck again. No, I think that's great. I think that's amazing. Yeah, the other thing, too, is, is I usually ask this question, but obviously, it's gonna be a little different. But how does Danny unwind from the day? I'm sure you got a lot of stuff going on, you know, medically and whatnot. But like, any shows any deireadh? Like, what is Danny do outside of work?

Danny Keiderling  21:16  

Yeah, before after

Jeremy Perkins  21:17  

accident? To be honest with you, it doesn't matter. I mean, I knew that this was gonna be a tricky question. But the answer the way it was,

Danny Keiderling  21:25  

yeah. Before the accident, believe it or not, from work, I'd either barbecue for friends and family. That's Believe it or not one of my secret obsessions, I love barbecue. I love cooking for people, I love different types of meat and figuring out how to cook. Or Craziest thing, I just go to my shop, I got a very beautiful shop down here, down the hill from my house and just tinker and like an old man, and I'm not even old, I'm 29 years old, but just tinker and like an old man playing around on the shop. That's how I used to just unwind, you know, building welding beds or just just I don't know, thinking I guess about welding, that was my, just a good way to just get my mind off of, you know, work, whether that be, you know, managing people. That's one of the things I discovered that I'm good at, but it's hard. So it'd be like, going back to my go into my second job almost.

Jeremy Perkins  22:22  

Well, you touched on it too, because you know, a lot of people, you know, peruse Instagram and Tiktok and they see all the welder and you know, it's great. It's talented. It's however, I tried it out for myself, you know, I went from, you know, welding floor pans in truck frames, all that stuff, dumped bodies. And then, you know, I think my wife one day said, like, she didn't say you can't make this, but she's like, wow, look at this. And I was like, I can make that and she's like you can? And so I came home with it. Is that something you dabble in? Was that something that you know you want to do? Or is that just like, I did it and I know I can do it. And I just

Danny Keiderling  23:02  

um, believe it or not. When I was a kid I was pretty fairly proficient at art. And I thought about it and I dabbled in it. And I don't know, it just wasn't exactly for me. Not that I was I didn't like it. I thought it was intriguing to me, but the way I kind of like building stuff, like welding beds is always one of my specialties. And I always like building stuff rather than just making the art. But I started getting into it a little bit and I don't know, it's, it's kind of like a drug man, when you're a drug addict, you know what I mean? You you like every type of drug, you know, one might be better than than the other? I don't know if I'm gonna, you know, maybe do that for a living or anything? I'm not sure. But I definitely don't hate it by any means. I'm not sure about it, I guess is all I gotta say about like, the artsy stuff, you know?

Jeremy Perkins  23:51  

Yeah, no, no, I know that how much time goes into it. And to be honest, I didn't necessarily have the patience to do what I want to do for a living. And not that wild art isn't a living. It's just I didn't want to have time and fulfilling orders or doing all this stuff. So I was like, You know what, enough is enough. But

Danny Keiderling  24:11  

no, and I have Mr. dabs Wellington little shout out to him. He donated some of that metal art to my benefit auction the other night so I appreciate the amount of time and it's just I mean, super freakin high talent to dude, that goes into that stuff. And it's just, yeah, you know what I mean? I love it, but I'm like, Yeah, I don't know. I think they do it better than me. Honestly.

Jeremy Perkins  24:33  

I actually did a podcast with Sean on while back. You know, a lot of people didn't really know that there's two sides of the Shan Shan at the time was you know welding stainless like equipment and and everything and that was kind of his side project was dabs Wellington on on Instagram. So you know, it is cool that there were two sides. There was his day job and then his the thing that he enjoyed how he unwind it, it was it was pretty cool. Yeah. Uh

Danny Keiderling  25:00  

yeah, that is he's a cool dude he's a really good dude.

Jeremy Perkins  25:03  

So we're at the end of the podcast and I like to take this time the floor is all yours anything you want to plug from the welding Academy to where we can find Danny kind of go on your journey through the next phase in your life

Danny Keiderling  25:17  

guys I really really appreciate everyone appreciate all the followers and everyone listening right now appreciate you Jeremy and Brunt I'm Where are you guys just shoes. I freaking love them and yeah, I guess if you guys do you guys want to follow my journey you guys can always follow me on Tik Tok. I'm out there the real Danny Carter link or you can find me on Instagram at Jack underscore Daniel on Instagram and that's my that's my two main accounts that you guys can follow me on and make sure you guys follow Brunton Check out all their cool stuff because they definitely do some amazing projects out there and in the world and appreciate once again everyone for listening and having me on here. Awesome. Awesome.

Jeremy Perkins  26:04  

Danny, thanks for being on.

Danny Keiderling  26:06  

Thank you, man. I appreciate it.

Jeremy Perkins  26:08  

I remember using code MIG 10 for $10 off your order of $60 or more