Metal by Hali

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Metal by Hali

Since 2014

24/03/2026

Simple yet beautiful 🫶

I love the lighting in this pic. This photo was taken by the very talented Photos by Alysse! 💕

04/03/2026

This fish was one of the early projects—second or third, I think.

Entirely stick welded. Yes, even the washers. 🙃

At the time, I didn’t own a MIG.
What I did own was misplaced confidence. 😆

I remember laughing in frustration for a solid stretch of time…then it finally clicked.

Nothing builds skill like stubbornness. 😂

03/03/2026

Horses were one of the most rewarding and bizarre parts of my life.

Beautiful. Competitive. Emotional. Confusing yet illuminating.
Not always gentle, but unforgettable.

There are incredible people in that world.
And a few bad apples that can change everything.

The horse world gave me grit, drive, clarity, and thicker skin than I expected to grow. I’ll always be grateful for that.

When building metal horses, I go back to those experiences and work them into specific projects. It’s a way to honor and keep the memories alive.

This horse carries himself like he knows exactly who he is.
Storms and all.

There’s something about that quiet confidence. 🫶

02/03/2026

Built a tank.
The turret spins. The hatch opens.

And for reasons I can’t fully explain…the road wheels are capped with bud light bottle caps. 🤷‍♀️

Functional? Questionable.
Charming? Unfortunately, yes. 😆

26/02/2026

I didn’t mean to make him look this serious… but here we are. 😆

Intense owl energy.

10/10 would judge you silently from a tree.

📸Photos by Alysse
This one I still have 🫶

24/02/2026

Good morning 😀

Just a quick thank you to everyone who read, shared, and reached out after my last post.

Thank you for seeing me.... not just the work, but the story behind it. 🫶

Enjoy the day! 💕

23/02/2026

Every so often someone asks how I ended up welding. The short phony answer is usually, “I just did.”

Highly embarrassed of the real story for years. It was a rough chapter in life.

The real answer? It started in a doctor’s office that was later raided by the feds.

Years ago, I went into the medical field. Not because it was my calling, but because I was told it was the “right” path. I enrolled in medical assisting as a steppingstone toward nursing.

And honestly? I loved the clinical side. I loved learning. I loved the pace.

I interned at a fast-moving pain management practice with three locations. It was intense, exhausting, and I was proud to keep up. The doctor mentored me, treated me like I mattered, and they hired me after my internship. For the first time, I felt like I’d built something solid.

But there was a quiet feeling in my gut that wouldn’t go away.

So, I left.

Not long after, the practice was raided. Arrests. Prison. Overprescribing 💀. Massive insurance fraud. All over the news.

I remember sitting there stunned.

It scared me more than I like to admit. Still does.

After that, I stepped away from the medical field completely and went to farm with my dad. I needed something honest. Something that made sense again.

Farming gave me that. The world has drifted far from its agricultural roots, and I found myself wanting to step back in. There’s something deeply rewarding about farming. You put in the work, and the results speak for themselves. It's healing for the soul.

In between harvest duties, I started fiddling around with scrap metal and the stick welder. My dad gave me about a five-minute lesson and said, “Figure it out, I’ve got s**t to do.” 😆

So, I did.

I ended up making my dad a chair that he still sits in to this day.

That chapter taught me two things:
1. I love learning and mastering a skill.
2. I don’t do well inside broken systems.

Welding doesn’t fake it.
Metal doesn’t lie.
You either have the skills, or you don’t.
It holds or it fails.

No insurance games. No gray areas. No pretending.

Just heat, work, and integrity.

Welding gave me structure when I didn’t have much. And somewhere along the way, it became more than just a skill.

So that’s the real story.

A federal raid is not how most people discover their career path… but here we are.

Funny how life forges you when you don’t even realize you’re in the fire.

🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥

📸The chair that got it all started

Note: I know it says O'Donnell Metal in the watermark, I couldn't figure out how to update it. I'm old when it comes to any sort of tech 😆

23/02/2026

Throwback to the first set of trophies built. I forget where they ended up 🤔😆 what I do remember…it was a nice break from welding on farm machinery lol

Enjoy the day! 🫶

22/02/2026

Good morning 😃

In this clip I’m working on eye placement. Adding the major “landmarks” like eyes and fins will help as a guide once the decorative welding portion begins.

Enjoy the day! 👩‍🏭🤙

19/02/2026

Small fish made from washers, bearings, round stock, expanded metal, sheet metal, broken clamp, and copper wire.

This one is sold.

Enjoy the day! 👩‍🏭🤙

17/02/2026

A quick clip welding on the giant fish frame. It’s getting there slowly, I’m looking forward to the decorative part. 👩‍🏭🤙

12/02/2026

Good morning 😃

In this clip I’m welding the base of the frame. I have to make sure the frame is level and heavy duty beforehand. This step sets the rest of the project up for success.

Enjoy the day!

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