Ag Mechanic Colten Protz Aspires to be a Professional Welder

Colten Protz stood proud next to his fire pit grill on Wednesday morning at the Ag Mechanics Show, explaining to passersby the details of his all-metal structure. Protz is a senior at Higgins ISD and worked for approximately a month under the guidance of his Ag teacher to complete the project.

Protz said he initially started out working one hour a day, then “I started going in after school and on weekends so it probably went to two to three hours a day, then to four. It just kept going up as we got closer,” he said.

The fire pit grill was constructed to look like a 12-sided die, with two open faces where a grill rack hovers over the fire pit. Protz said he used a plasma cam to make all the cuts and embellishments in the metal sheets the grill is comprised of, including encircled star cutouts and other decorative markings.

Protz then welded all the pieces together and used a sandpaper grinder to smooth out all the welds. “This is the first time I’ve made something like this,” he said. “It’s already been sold. There was a guy that wanted it. Our coach down there, one of his friends wanted to buy something and he got this one,” he said. Protz isn’t sure how much the grill sold for, but he will receive the profits after metal costs are deducted.

Several students from Higgins ISD had items entered in the Ag Mechanics Show on Wednesday. The students and their teachers traveled five hours to San Angelo to present their projects, each having built their individual pieces almost entirely by themselves. “We helped out—as we got closer, because we needed to get them done—we helped out each other,” Protz said of the projects.

Colten Protz is 17-years-old and a junior in high school. When asked why he decided to join Ag class, he said, “I like welding, that’s really it, I like welding. In a town of 300 there isn’t really much else to do.” Protz intends to become a professional welder after graduation, likely in the oil field welding pipeline. “That wouldn’t bother me to weld pipeline. It’s a lot of hours, but I could probably do it,” he said.