#WhyWeWeld: PJ of @pfe_works
August 12, 2026PJ Kennedy @pfe_works is a scrap metal artist from Sacramento, California. His work starts with discarded parts, found metal, and pieces other people might overlook. But for PJ, welding is not only about making objects. It is a way to slow down, focus, and put part of himself into something real.
"Hi, my name is PJ Kennedy," he says. "I'm from Sacramento, California, and I'm a scrap metal artist."
PJ started making scrap metal art about five and a half years ago, but his first connection to welding goes back to childhood. He remembers watching his stepfather weld things on a trailer and fix whatever was broken.
"If something was broke, he would fix it," PJ says. "He was a guy that could do that."
Since his stepfather passed away, welding has remained connected to those memories. It also became tied to family and the desire to keep making things with his hands.
Welding as Therapy
About four and a half years ago, scrap metal art became something PJ needed. It gave him a place to put his focus and a way to see growth in himself.
"Scrap metal art became a therapy of something that I really needed," he says. "It was so therapeutic to see that growth in myself and have a drive."
For PJ, being under the hood can feel almost meditative. The noise of the day drops away. The work asks for attention, but it also creates space.
"Like meditation or yoga, you are in your own environment when you're under the hood," he says.
That feeling is one reason he keeps coming back to the craft. It gives him a safe place to work through things, build skill, and create something that did not exist before.
A Day Job, a Side Business, and a Hobby He Loves
PJ does not weld full time. He works a regular job in the commercial fencing industry and has spent most of his adult life around fence work. At Crusader Fence, his role includes breaking down blueprints, ordering materials, handling special orders for gates and hardware, change orders, and bidding.
"I do not do this for a living," PJ says. "I hold a normal 9 to 5 job. I work 10 to 12 hours a day."
After work, many people read, watch a movie, barbecue, or take time to decompress. PJ does those things too. He likes spending time with his girlfriend and family. But a few nights a week, he also finds time for welding.
"Two or three nights a week, I come home and I'll put in four to five hours, or two hours, or however much time I have allotted into my side business or my hobby," he says.
He still calls it a hobby because it does not feel like work. Even after a long day, he looks forward to getting home and making something.
"It's something that I'm passionate about, something I love doing, and something that I think about doing most of the day," PJ says.
Finding Art in Scrap Metal
Scrap metal art begins with material, and PJ is always looking for usable pieces. Some of his metal comes from estate sales. Some comes through his brother and friends who work as mechanics. Sometimes, the right piece is a small metal object someone no longer wants.
"You can't be a scrap metal artist without having a lot of scrap," he says.
Finding material is its own challenge, but it is also part of the fun. PJ enjoys the moment when someone recognizes a specific part inside a finished piece.
"Some of the things I really enjoy are the side of people's face when they notice that it's made from a specific part that that person can recognize," he says.
That recognition gives the work another layer. A piece of scrap can carry meaning when someone recognizes where it came from.
Welding, Dirt Bikes, and Finding the Zone
Outside of welding, PJ also rides dirt bikes. He used to race as a kid, and now his kids and girlfriend come out to the dirt bike track with him.
For PJ, dirt bike riding and welding have something in common. Both are difficult. Both require practice. Both can pull a person fully into the moment.
"When you're in your helmet and you're riding your bike, you can almost detach yourself from your body and go into a zone," he says. "When you're under the hood welding, it's a lot the same way."
PJ explains that his body learns what to do. His hands know how to hold the torch, what angle to use, and how to move. On a bike, his fingers and wrists learn the throttle, clutch, brake, and shift. The two activities are different, but both ask for feel, repetition, and focus.
"It's something that is tough, it's hot, it's hard, and it's not easy to do," PJ says. "And that's why we enjoy those activities as well."
Start by Welding Two Pieces Together
PJ's advice for people who are even a little interested in welding is simple: learn how to weld, and start making something.
"It's not that hard to just express yourself," he says. "Weld two pieces of metal together. Weld the third one on it, and someone call that art."
To PJ, art is not limited to galleries or perfect materials. It can come from bridges, fences, scrap piles, or anything someone puts themselves into.
"Everything can be art as long as someone put themselves and their soul into it," he says.
That belief is at the heart of his welding. The work can be hot, hard, and demanding, but it does not have to be intimidating. It can also be personal, expressive, and healing.
Why PJ Welds
PJ welds because the craft gives him a way to remember, decompress, and create. It connects him to his stepfather's example. It gives him a place to focus after long workdays. It lets him turn overlooked metal into something with character.
"To be honest, I don't look at it as work," he says. "It's something that I'm so passionate about and something I love doing so much that it doesn't feel like a job."
For PJ Kennedy, welding is not just the process of joining metal. It is the thing he thinks about during the day, the place he returns to at night, and one of the clearest ways he knows how to put his soul into the work.
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