Vince Murray, Welder
Cafes: Esopus, LaGrange, Kingston, New Paltz, Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck and Stanford
When you roll up at one of the repair cafes where Vince is volunteering, the first thing you see is his welding truck. That’s right—THERE. IS. A. WELDING. TRUCK. AT. SOME. OF. OUR. CAFES! This is all thanks to Vince Murray, a professional welder who gives generously of his time, skill and equipment at so many of our Dutchess and Ulster County cafes. He doesn’t even get to work inside and he still volunteers EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR! Unless it’s pouring rain, Vince shows up for us, and for you. That is the kind of commitment to the twin pillars of repair and community that make Repair Coaches such special people.
Many of us may not know exactly what can be fixed by welding, so I asked Vince to spell it out. He explained it thusly; “We repair metal things. This
could be lawn furniture, children’s toys, lawn equipment, metal lamps and cookware with handles that have come off. We can repair these things using welding, brazing, soldering or riveting.” In addition, he can also sharpen and balance mower blades on site, which was news to us.
Vince has been volunteering as a repair coach at RCHV cafes for about 8 years now; his first repair café was in Rhinebeck, then he added New Paltz and then just kept on going. He also still works as a welder during the week and has a complete welding shop where he has even mentored several interns.
In addition to welding, Vince likes to do the occasional kinetic sculpture, usually working in the medium of stainless steel. He’s also been a ham radio operator since the age of 14 and he talks to folks around the world using Morse code! He has a son Joseph and a granddaughter named Lacey. He’s also second vice president at the Casa Italiana in Wappingers where they play bocce and celebrate Italian heritage.
Vince also volunteers at the repair café in Riverhead, Long Island, one of just a few repair cafes out on the Island. He adds, “I own a small motorboat (or does the boat own me?) and I’m hoping to go clamming next year in Long Island. I’ve had many, many rewarding repairs over the years—people are usually delighted when we can fix their metal items.”
Vince is always a pleasure to chat with, and I encourage you to stop by and say hello even if you don’t have any metal items to be repaired. If not out at his truck hard at work, he can be found warming up inside with a cup of coffee while he waits for his next item to come through the doors.
Vince's website is www.vincemurraywelding.com and it has some beautiful photos and videos of his work. You can also reach him at his work phone 845-724-3154 or on Instagram at @vincemurray_the_welder.
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