When Daniel Alberty was 11 years old, he discovered what he wanted to do in life.
He often hung out at his grandfather’s farm, he said, where his grandfather raised horses, cattle and sheep. One day, his grandfather needed to repair a fence.
“So we went down to the pole barn, where he taught me how to weld,” Daniel said.
That was in Ohio, where he grew up. In 2015, his family moved to the Clinton area, where his grandfather bought a farm and Daniel, who goes by Dj, opened a welding business, Midwest Welding Fabrication and Repair.
Daniel offers drop-off and mobile welding service. He can fix or fabricate anything metal, he said, from mild steel and cast iron to stainless steel and aluminum. He’s open to any job, from quick repairs to large ones, but his favorite thing to make is deck railings. He’s also made floating staircases and stair rails.
“I like the ‘Wow’ factor,” he said. “When you get something done, everyone can see it, and you think “I did that.”
He also likes the fact that welding uses quality materials, and creates a durable product. Building something from metal is about the same price as wood these days, he said, but lasts 10 times longer, and has less maintenance.
Daniel made the stair railings and railings around the mezzanine at Show Me Rv, a new and used recreational vehicle dealership at 148 NW 7 Hwy, in Clinton. He also made racks for Powell Meats.
Daniel said he honed his craft at the Buckeye Career Center, a vocational-technical school in Ohio. He grew up in Bolivar, Ohio, a small town south of Akron. A state wrestler in high school, he helps coach boys’ wrestling in the Clinton School District, which his nephew is involved in, and football.
Daniel said his family chose to move to Clinton to be near his aunt and her family, and also because they wanted to move west. He loves it here, he said, and likes living where there is more space and more opportunity for growth than in the industrialized areas of the east.
“In Blairstown, there’s farm land all around,” he said.
He hasn’t been asked to build a tornado shelter, he said, but knows how he’d do it: buy a shipping container, put it in the ground, build a rebar cage around it, and pour concrete around it to seal it. The shipping container would be expensive, he said, but he believes in doing quality work for a reasonable price.
“You need it, I can build it,” he said. “If you need a quick repair out in your field or in the house, call me.”
He said he will make or fix anything metal, large or small, from fences and trailers to lawn ornaments. He’s interested in ornamental iron work, he said. If anyone wants a model of the Eiffel Tower for their back yard or business, he will do it.
Has anyone taken him up on the offer?
“Not yet,” he said. “I’m still waiting on that phone call.”
Midwest Welding Fabrication and Repair is located on N Hwy. near Blairstown. For more information or a quote, call 660-492-4945. See photos of his work on the Midwest Welding Facebook.
