The welder who fixed a skyscraper and my broken chair

There’s a particular kind of embarrassment that comes with calling a professional welder about a broken patio chair.

You picture someone who spends their days working on bridges and high-rises, and then you describe a cracked aluminum leg and a wobbly armrest. I almost didn’t make the call. I’m glad I did.

Pete Adams has welded structural components on Chicago skyscrapers.

He has fabricated custom railings for commercial buildings, repaired restaurant kitchen equipment at 2 AM, and built ornamental gates that still stand decades later.

He also fixed my chair. And he treated both jobs exactly the same way.

That consistency — that refusal to rank one job above another — is what makes a craftsman different from a contractor.

A trade built on showing up

Pete started welding in 1980, the summer after high school. His first jobs were small. Learning work.

The kind of projects where you’re figuring out how metal behaves under heat, how different alloys respond, where the weld wants to go, and where it doesn’t.

By 1989, he had enough experience and enough confidence to step out on his own.

He founded American Welding, and for the decades that followed, he took every job that came through — no minimum project size, no preferred client type, no work too unglamorous to take seriously.

From skyscrapers to suburban driveways

The range of projects Pete has handled is genuinely unusual. Most welders specialize in structural or ornamental, commercial or residential, fabrication or repair.

Pete does all of it and has been doing so long enough that the categories don’t mean much to him.

He has worked on complex ornamental railings for high-rise buildings in downtown Chicago. He has repaired trailers, machinery, and equipment that other welders turned away.

He has built custom dumpster enclosure gates for commercial property managers and delicate stainless steel components for restaurant kitchens across the city.

The repair that made me understand craftsmanship

Back to my chair. Pete arrived, looked at the break, and told me within thirty seconds what had failed and why.

The original weld had been too shallow — a common shortcut in mass-produced outdoor furniture. He didn’t patch it.

He ground it back, re-welded it properly, and finished it clean. The whole job took less than twenty minutes.

He charged me fairly. And then he mentioned, almost as an aside, that he’d once done something structurally similar — same alloy, same failure point — on a component for a building going up on Michigan Avenue.

I thought about that for a while afterward. The gap between a skyscraper and a patio chair is enormous. In craft, it’s the same problem.

Metal is failing at a joint. Heat applied correctly. Strength restored. Fixed a skyscraper or fixed a chair — Pete approaches both with the same attention.

What American Welding actually covers

American Welding operates throughout Chicago and the North, South, and West suburbs, serving DuPage, Cook, Kane, Will, Kendall, and McHenry counties.

The service area extends to Milwaukee and Northwest Indiana — a reach that reflects decades of clients who moved, expanded, or simply referred someone they knew.

The work covers mobile welding and on-site repair, restaurant stainless-steel fabrication, custom driveway gates and dumpster enclosures, patio and stair railings, aluminum and cast-iron welding, TIG and MIG work, and custom fabrication projects of any size.

Pete runs a 24-hour operation. Day, night, weekend, holiday — the phone gets answered.

FAQs

Who is Pete Adams, and how long has he been welding?

Pete Adams is the owner of American Welding and has been welding since 1980 — over 45 years of hands-on experience. He founded American Welding in 1989 and has since worked on projects ranging from residential chair repairs to structural components on Chicago high-rises.

Does American Welding take small residential jobs?

Yes, without exception. Pete takes every job seriously, regardless of size. Residential repairs, small fabrication work, and single-item fixes are all part of the regular workload at American Welding.

What materials can American Welding work with?

American Welding works with steel, stainless steel, aluminum, cast iron, and other alloys. Welding methods include ARC, MIG, and TIG — Pete selects the right technique based on the material and the demands of the specific job.

Is American Welding available for emergency repairs?

Yes. American Welding operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including weekends and public holidays. There are no after-hours upcharges — the quoted price is the final price.

What types of commercial projects does American Welding handle?

Commercial work includes stainless steel fabrication and repair for restaurants, custom dumpster enclosure gates, driveway and security gates, structural and ornamental railings for commercial properties, and mobile on-site repair for businesses across Chicagoland.

How far does American Welding travel for jobs?

American Welding serves Chicago and all surrounding suburbs, covering DuPage, Cook, Kane, Will, Kendall, and McHenry counties. The service area also extends north to Milwaukee and east into Northwest Indiana.

Does Pete Adams work on ornamental and decorative metalwork?

Yes. Ornamental and architectural metalwork has been part of American Welding’s portfolio for decades. This includes decorative railings, custom gates, and fabricated pieces for both residential and commercial clients across Chicago and the suburbs.

How do I get a quote from American Welding?

Call Pete directly at (630) 927–3030 — he answers personally any time, day or night. You can also reach American Welding by email at pete@americanwelding.us or through the contact form at americanwelding.us.