Although the holidays are behind us, December isn’t the only month of the year that brings occasion to give gifts. Birthdays, anniversaries and weddings call for gift giving year-round and are a great opportunity for you to use your welding skills to give your friends and family something that will be not only useful, but beautiful, personalized and sure to bring them joy for years to come.
Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing and help you create custom gifts that are sure to become focal pieces in the homes of those who are lucky enough to receive them.
Custom Marquee Lights Welding Projects
Rustic, vintage pieces are extremely popular right now and few are more in demand than marquee lights. These throwback luminaries can be seen at weddings, on front porches and gracing the walls of family rooms and nurseries. They can be fabricated with 20g steel and lit up using globe lights. Finish them with paint in a classic vintage color then distress with gritty sand paper or steel wool, if desired. To save on time and materials, stick with a single monogram letter, an arrow or an easy shape such as a heart or star.
Garden Sculpture Welding Gifts
A great idea for a housewarming present is a custom garden sculpture. An easy, affordable way to do this is to weld garden flowers using water faucet handles and scrap metal. These can be stuck directly into the dirt or welded to a steel milk bucket and set on the front porch. Paint them in desired colors and they will get more attractive as they weather and age.
These can also be done using old silverware for the flowers and pipe or tubing for the stems. Silverware flowers can be painted or left bare to shine and rust over weather and time.
Weld Industrial Lamps and Light Fixtures
There are many options for up-cycling different scrap metal and found materials into trendy, attractive light fixtures and lamps. Create pendant lights or lamp shades by welding together metal strips in a globe shape or create hanging lamp shades with wire baskets or even old colanders. The only limit on creating custom lighting pieces is your imagination.
Weld Word Art from Found Objects
Word art is everywhere and makes a personalized gift that is ideal for any occasion. You could create a couple’s last name out of silverware or scrap metal and give it as a wedding gift. Alternatively, you can weld an appropriate word such as “hope” or “love”out of horseshoes, washers, or nails. These can be hung on the wall or mounted to a piece of wood for display on a shelf, dresser or hutch.
Picture Frame Welding Project
Sure, dime a dozen picture frames from big box stores are a pretty typical stand by in the gift-giving world. But, as a welder, you have the ability to take this ordinary gift and turn it into something unique and extraordinary. Using steel strips, railroad spikes, bicycle chains, and even unused silverware, you can give someone the gift of framing their memories with a handcrafted piece of metal art.
Wine Rack Welding Project
Instead of giving a bottle of wine, why not give a unique, welded rack to store wine in? This is a gift that will endure long after the last drop leaves the bottle. There are a number of creative ways to weld a wine rack. Form eight-inch sheets of galvanized metal into circles and then weld the circles together for a unique, industrial-looking wall wine rack.
You can also sculpt horseshoes together in a number of configurations to create a countertop wine rack with a more western feel. The possibilities are endless, so long as the materials appeal to you …and hold a wine bottle of course.
Few things are more satisfying than using your creative energy and talents to give a thoughtful gift to someone you care about. Handmade gifts are always appreciated. Especially custom-welded gifts are sure to win a special place in the home of those who receive them.