As a beginning welder, it’s easy to find yourself overwhelmed by what you’ve yet to master in the realm of welding knowledge. The best way to grow your skills is to head to your shop or garage and tackle some beginning projects.
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Perhaps you’re a hobby welder looking for weekend projects that will bring the satisfaction of a job well done or maybe you’re learning the trade for business but are looking for some ideas that will assist you in honing your skills at home. Whatever your goals may be, here are a few beginner projects for you to try out, these projects are also ideal for use in the High School welding classroom due to their skill level and accessibility.
Weld Your Words for a Project
Word art is wildly popular these days and as a beginning welder it’s easy to weld letters that will not only grow your skills but be appreciated as well. These projects can be used as home decor items for friends, family or even at local craft shows. Using a MIG or TIG welder, shape wrenches, thick nails, or any other pieces of scrap metal you come across into letters to form whatever word you’d like to weld.
Grab a Fork for Your Welding Project
Discarded flatware is easy to come by and can be found either in your own silverware drawer or at your local thrift store. Once collected, it can be crafted into a variety of useful items such as drawer pulls, garden flowers, hooks or small animal sculptures. Flatware is not only affordable, but easy to work with as well. Forks, spoons and knives can be joined using either a MIG or TIG welder. A few inexpensive weld rods, clamps and a hacksaw would also be useful to have on hand for this project.
Horseshoes Welding Projects
Horseshoes are a fantastic material to work with because they can be joined using an inexpensive arc welder, easy to come by for those just starting out. Best of all the applications for horseshoe projects are endless, giftable and potentially profitable.
Horseshoes can be joined together to make wine racks, word art or shoe trees and that’s just the beginning. A brief search online will yield dozens of welding ideas for this versatile medium that are well suited to the beginning welder.
Make Your Own Fire Pit for a Welding Project
Fire pit welding projects run the spectrum from simple to complicated with all types of styling and materials. For a simple project, try cutting the lip off of an old dryer drum and attaching legs at the base. Cover it with high heat spray paint to give it a more polished look. Or if you’d like to try something different, try welding chequer plate into a bowl, then create a bowl for it to set in using rebar.
Coat Rack Welding Project
With the winter months approaching, a coat rack is essential to keep your outerwear dry and it’s a fantastic beginner welding project as well. Cut the corners off a piece of 24 gauge flat bar, bevel them and then bevel the edges of some shorter pieces of round bar. Attach these shorter pieces to the flat bar after bending them into a hook shape.
A bending jig can be helpful for this project. This project will not only keep your coats dry, but grow your welding knowledge as well.
Supplies for Welding Projects
As you build your skills as a welder, you’ll also want to keep adding to your arsenal of welding tools. Be sure to head over to Baker’s Gas and Welding to stock up on all your supplies for your next project. Most orders over $50 are eligible for free ground shipping.