Kent Weeks
My fist step into becoming a full time craftsman was in the early 90’s building handicap vehicles and related components. I also had plenty of experience from the trial by fire school of mechanics and various skills fixing things of all kinds so I had a trunk full of random tools, just whatever I had to buy to get things done mostly. To build my tool set up enough to gain a solid position in the shop I quit smoking and gave myself a tool allowance and continued fixing, welding or fabricating things on my spare time whenever the opportunity came up to learn new skills and earn more tools (will work for tools hahaha!). I quickly took over the fabrication department doing various vehicle modifications and building components to accept handicap equipment and accommodate whatever disability the client had. I also assisted in body work at times, painted some of the products we made and worked on elevators, wheelchair lifts and assisted in mechanical equipment installs on vehicles when needed.
My second job as a craftsman started out primarily as a specialty weldor /prototype fabricator where I worked on everything from regular TIG welding to exotic materials, overlays, fabricating random job shop work, industrial prototype products and repairs. We also did custom metal work on autos, trucks and motorcycles from sheet metal to structural work, after some time my electrical and mechanical skills started bringing in more start to finish kind of projects and some repair/electrical work so it was time for me to start my own shop that specialized in custom work.
I was well known for my welding skills; hand formed sheet metal, custom fabrication, structural work and quality modifications, chassis alignments/custom wheel spacers, case/cylinder fin repairs and highly detailed metal work so with the help of some good friends, a full dance card of work, a waiting list and a shoe string budget Lucky Devil Metal Works was born. We registered with N.A.F.T.A. from the start and ended up becoming a small volume licensed manufacturer from 2005-2009, I let that go for a lot of reasons but the short version is that I never got above the required production numbers so the expense didn’t make sense. Over the years I have lived up to the name and was lucky enough to be published in several magazines and even wrote a few stories and reviews myself, participated in and produced custom bike shows and small events. Being a craftsman above all else has always been important for me so I prefer to be called a specialty weldor and prototype fabricator but my skill set covers everything done here and then some.
These days I operate the shop by appointment only to provide quality service and attention to detail regardless what I’m working on. My main focus is custom choppers and exotic customs from antique to modern, often times they require some kind of specialty services or components that most shops can not provide. I do enjoy taking on odd projects and small jobs of all kinds so if you are not sure if I’d be interested in something large, small or almost stock just ask (if nothing else I may be able to get you in touch with the right person or shop to help).
