Hi, I’m Paul Rossotti. I grew up in the Salinas Valley, a place known as the "salad bowl of the world" for its sprawling fields of vibrant green crops. My dad was a farmer who also repaired Caterpillar tracks on Sundays and during the off-season. During my adolescence, I was often recruited to help with this hard work.
For hours, I watched him slam a 20-pound sledgehammer to coax tracks into hydraulic presses for disassembly. But it was his skill with the oxy-acetylene torch that captivated me - from cutting shapes freehand to decapitating stubborn bolts for me to hammer out. The shower of sparks and the orange glow of molten metal kindled my imagination.
That’s me on the right.
Later, I spent summer breaks working in the fields. Mornings involved moving sprinkler pipes, and afternoons included driving the water truck and repairing farm equipment. Eventually, I transitioned to welding, adding hard-facing to chisel points to extend their lifespan. My dad would inspect my work with a hammer to see if he could break the welds.
College and a subsequent office job allowed me to escape the long, monotonous days of watching the lettuce grow. Sadly, my father passed away a few years ago. I brought home some of his old shop tools and tractor parts and began fabricating. After several junior college welding classes and much practice, I grew passionate about embellishing rusty farm equipment with fresh steel. My dad's old welding helmet still watches over me in my workshop.
