Still Building America: Vvolfy Metalworks and the circus, Part II

Mitch Kraemer in his VVolfy Metal Works East shop. Photo: Darla Welton

Part I of the Vvolfy Metal Works story introduced Tim Omspach, custom circus equipment fabricator extraordinaire. Part II explains how Omspach brought Mitch Kraemer aboard with zero metalworking experience and how they expanded the Vvolfy Metals Works shop to two U.S. locations.

Sharing the Torch

As orders accumulated, Tim Omspach knew he needed to bring on another fabricator.

“One night, my friend Mitch asked about metalwork, and I told him if I ever needed help that I would call him up. And as it turned out, I needed it.”

As for Mitch Kraemer, a restaurant worker with zero metal shop experience, he was ready for the opportunity.

Leaving Smallsville

For 18-year-old Kraemer, his college years would be more about the experience than the education. Hailing from a small town in Kansas, he knew that “people with their horizons broadened are more open-minded and I wanted to get out.” But candidly, Kraemer said, “I didn’t know anything about anything. I didn’t care about much more than smoking weed and hanging with friends. I didn’t have guidance from a high school counselor or anything like that. Tuition was extremely cheap and my grandma and my dad set me up. But I was so clueless. I thought engineering only meant working on engines. I was so stupid.”

Despite a lack of interest, Kraemer gained some knowledge, managed to pull decent grades, and graduated from the University of Kansas in 2011 with an environmental sciences degree. But continuing with school just wasn’t his jam.

Forging a New Path and Finding Mentors

“So I went to Denver to see what happened out there and began working in restaurants. I was working at a pizza place and that didn’t let me pay rent, but I met restaurant manager Aaron Foster at a popular Denver eatery, and he showed me what a restaurant career path could be. He took a chance on me because I didn’t have much experience, but he liked my name, Mitch Kraemer (of Dazed and Confused fame). Aaron hiring me allowed me to stay in Denver and I learned about cooking and wine and hospitality; and the restaurant owner, Bob Blair, was a walking encyclopedia of food. It was a great experience. I had a great mentor. Working in restaurants was good for a while, but I didn't see myself doing it forever. I began to realize that I would rather work with my hands but wasn’t sure what that would look like.

“Spending time with my older half-brother, Tate Gooden, greatly influenced the pursuit of working with my hands. Earlier on he was a bit mysterious to me, and he lived off the grid like some kind of hippie-outlaw-cowboy. He was cool. He took me to record stores and got me into music. Tate became a schoolteacher, but he built his own cabin in southeastern Kansas and for a while he lived in Alaska building some greenhouses. On both builds he invited me to help, and those hands-on experiences began to shape my future.”

Then along came Tim Omspach.

“I met Tim through softball. It was just a group of friends who got together to play on Sundays.

Mitch Kraemer explains how, despite no experience with working with metal, Tim Omspach partnered with him to start Vvolfy Metalworks, entered the circus industry, and expanded the business to two U.S. locations. Photo: Darla Welton

It wasn’t organized, but it was fun. I talked to Tim about what he did and let him know that I was interested in metal work. He told me that if I was serious to “just wait,” because something was happening, and he might need the help.”

What was happening? Omspach was getting the rights to build the Ludwig aerial quad rigs.

“And he actually kept me in mind!”

Omspach took a chance on Kraemer, who knew absolutely nothing about metal work or fabrication. But Kraemer was committed to learning, and Omspach enjoyed the opportunity to teach once again—this time in his own shop.

“I didn’t do much hot work right away” said Kraemer, “but I did do a lot of grunt work, deburring, and cutting and learning how to use tools and the importance of shop safety, like how to make sure grinders didn’t blow up in my face. I had a great introduction to metal fab and welding.”

Kraemer increasingly became an asset to the shop and began fabricating the Ludwig rigs—the Vvolfy Metal Works’ bread and butter.

Half the Circus Leaves Town

After ten years of living in Denver, Kraemer and his girlfriend Henna felt burnt out with the overcrowding, overdevelopment, and overpriced housing. Moving to Henna’s home state of Michigan was on the horizon for them in 2020.

Now having solid fabrication skills to boast, Mitch would surely find a job in Michigan. However, while the guys tipped back a few beers on his last day at the Denver-based Vvolfy shop, Omspach said, “You should open up something in Detroit and make this stuff for our East Coast clients and offer cheaper shipping.”

Kraemer assumed it was beer was talking, but Omspach was serious. “He said if I could do the legwork, find a shop space, and get vendors squared away, then I could run with it,” said Kraemer.

Kraemer and Henna made their move in February 2020. It proved difficult to secure a shop with the pandemic creeping its way into Michigan, but after a few months he nailed down a shop space, and Vvolfy Metal Works Detroit was ready for launch.

VVolfy Metal Works East shop in Detroit. Photo: Mitch Kraemer

“2020 was busy for us because training gyms closed, and everyone wanted to keep up their strength and stay in shape. Our sales skyrocketed. We had to put a stop on sales for a while because we couldn’t even keep up and were working with a four-month lead time,” said Kraemer.

"I definitely didn’t know what a Ludwig rig was four years ago. I didn’t know people wanted rigs for aerial arts at all. I didn’t even know how to fabricate or weld four years ago. But I did know Tim Omspach. After three years of making rigs in Denver with Tim, I’m now partnered up and doing business as VVolfy Metal Works East in Detroit making Ludwig rigs for the ever-growing aerial community. None of this would be possible without Tim. He taught me everything I know, gave me a base of knowledge upon which to build, literally. The entire business of VVolfy is where it’s at today because of him. I feel fortunate to just be associated with it, let alone such a big part of it now.”

Vvolfy Circus Equipment: Built to Astonish and Amaze

Ask these guys about seeing their work in action and their eyes light up. It is awesome, whether it’s seeing their aerial equipment used on Youtube and Instagram videos, in backyard training sessions, or as part of live performance art at Burning Man and music shows.

With Kraemer taking point on the Ludwig rigs, Omspach has increasingly employed his artistic side in designing and fabricating more unique shapes for aerial artists.

“A few years ago I made a giant windmill contraption. It was a 9-ft.-tall A-frame with a 3-in. solid axle in the middle and three blades where three people with three trapeze bars would spin in a circle. It was an environmentalist show, and the group came out, built the windmill on the stage, and started swinging from it. It was amazing to see them put together a meaningful show with that piece,” said Omspach.

“More recently, I completed a piece for Jenny Tufts, an aerialist in Ireland. It’s a twisted infinity symbol on which we collaborated called the ‘Infineight.’ With every photo and video she posts, I think, ‘Damn, that’s cool! Oh yeah, I made that!’ I love that people want to buy my shapes for their performance art.”

“He’s an absolute wizard with invented apparatuses,” Tufts said of Omspach.

On top of creating circus equipment, Omspach aspires to make more public art. In this past year he collaborated on fabricating installations for artist Mike Lustig. The first piece is for Meow Wolf Denver and the other for the city of Atlanta—a 7-ft.-tall, 12-ft.-wide, double-layered, reflective acrylic sculpture of the word Y’ALL.

Omspach’s favorite welded art project was a Punk Robot sculpture named “Deb” created for a Denver graffiti art festival. “We went to a junkyard for parts. We headed to the festival, put up UV curtains, and live-welded the sculpture.

“I always liked building and creating stuff, loved building BMX ramps and painting. Other artists and musicians inspire me. Being artistic has made me thrive with the circus stuff. The creative outlet makes me a happier person. Melting metal is cool, and while the process can be frustrating at times, arriving at a problem and then figuring it out is very satisfying. It’s a high. I’m thankful for everyone who has been stoked on what I'm coming up with—that pushes me harder than anything.”

The Circus Equipment Future

As the circus performance arts evolve and grow, Vvolfy Metal Works will continue to create their unique equipment for artists. Omspach and Kraemer hope to see both locations expand and even provide creative space for other metal makers.

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