Holiday ornaments are the perfect welding projects for Christmas vacation, especially if you’ve just received a new welding machine or a new helmet that you’d like to test out. If your children are home from school, a simple Christmas tree ornament or lawn decoration is a simple and inexpensive introduction to the welding process. Here are some ideas from welders who have the holiday spirit.
Welded Nail Christmas Tree Ornament
By using flat nails, you can easily tack together a wide variety of ornaments and other decorations for around the home. One popular item is a manger ornament for a Christmas tree. According to one Instructable,
“Square cut concrete nails are now available in the USA as a standard item at Lowe’s and Home Depot stores. These nails are heavy enough to weld without burning them away. I have made this ornament using 1/16″ #6013 rod on a 220 volt stick welder and also at a setting for 1/8″ stock on a flux core wire feed welder.”
Check out the directions at this project’s Instructable in order to learn the step by step procedure for making this ornament.
Lawn Ornaments
A high school project that started out as a fundraiser soon turned into a small, thriving business for a group of high school students in Kentucky. The teacher shared, “We have a four-and-half to five foot angel and it’s $30. It’s wrapped in all white lights and the halo is in gold. We have the four-and-half foot stars that come in white lights or multiple lights and they’re $25,” said Welding teacher Terry Buckler.”
The students created a variety of ornaments that range from a simple star to a more complex snow flake using simple tack welds that would be extremely easy for new or young welders. The Kentucky Post also shared a video of the students at work so you can learn more options for this project.
Part of the joy of welding is finding projects that you can enjoy with others and that you can continue to enjoy for years to come.
