Got a metal problem? Like the title says, Kel’s Custom Welding can probably fix it.
If there’s one thing you need to know about Kel Rempel and the team, it’s that they can weld anything.
Cracked exhaust pipe on your bike? Rusted tractor bucket? A broken necklace?
They can – and will – fix it.
Kel’s Custom Welding owner, Kel Rempel, has nearly 35 years of welding experience. Rempel and his wife, Eva, started the business together 20 years ago, with three of their sons and a daughter joining the team over the years.
Today, Kel and his kids specialize in exotic metal welding.
“Exotic metals would be your titanium, magnesium,” he explained. “Titanium is a bit rarer, but you’ll see it on street bike exhausts, some snowmobiles. We do a lot of magnesium repair, though – transfer cases, snowmobile parts, chainsaw covers, stuff like that.”
While the use of these exotic metals may be rare, it’s even more unusual to find a welder who will gladly work on them.
“Not a lot of people will weld those things,” said Rempel.
Welding fragile metals like titanium and magnesium, as well as stainless steel, requires care and precision and can be challenging.
But Rempel and his team? “We like a challenge,” he said. “And our motto says it all: ‘If you don’t think it can be welded, think of Kel’s Custom.’ Chances are, we can probably weld it.”
Though they’re based in the Roland area, Kel’s Custom serves most of Southern Manitoba. They have a new 6,000 sq ft shop for builds and repairs, but they’ll also travel to repair equipment on-site. They offer TIG, MIG, and Arc welding services, but specialize in TIG welding.
“We’ll do almost everything,” said Rempel. “Fuel tanks. Cracked engine blocks on semi-trucks. Deck railings. Backhoe buckets. Cultivators – we'll fix them right in the field. Furniture, rings, glasses, jewellery. Anything.”
While Rempel never quite planned on starting his own welding business, his talent made the decision for him.
He first learned how to weld in his high school industrial class at Miller Collegiate.
“One of the teachers was watching me TIG weld, and stopped me to tell me that I should pursue it as a career,” he said. “That would have been 34 years ago. Ever since then, I’ve come to love it. But I think that’s where the spark started.”
His welding career began shortly after high school with his father-in-law's business in Carman, Carman Welding Repair.
“When I started dating Eva, her dad invited me down to the shop and showed me how to weld,” he said. “So, he actually taught me my first MIG weld.”
A few years later, he said, “Eva and I started the business in a little one-car garage. I had quit my regular job and started doing other things, but I really missed the welding. So, I bought my own TIG welder, and then it just snowballed from there.”
Rempel started with welding boat props and skegs, which turned into welding aluminum, then titanium, then, well, everything. It didn’t take long for people to notice his skill, and eventually, the jobs started coming to him.
Fast forward to today, Rempel’s talent for the trade has extended to his children, too.
“Darnell and Jaiden both started welding when they were about 7 years old. Darnell is 24 now, and can definitely out-weld his dad,” Rempel laughed. “Jaiden is our on-site guy. If there’s welding to be done in the field, Jaiden will be the man on the scene. Then we have Bryce, our maintenance guy – he knows where everything is in the shop. And our daughter Evangelina, who’s just a fantastic welder all around. And Eva, I can’t do computer stuff, the bookkeeping. But Eva knows what she’s doing, and she really enjoys it, too.”
Not only is Kel’s Custom an expert in welding, but a role model for family-run businesses, too.
The moral of the story is that if you’ve got broken metal, call Kel’s Custom.
Chances are, they can probably weld it.
Find them on Instagram and Facebook, or give them a call at (204) 362-2813.