Halloween is upon us, and flickering jack o lanterns are popping up on every porch in America. This year, instead of carving a pumpkin that will rot sooner than later, why not put your welding skills to work to create a pumpkin you can enjoy year after year?
To get your started, our welding pros have put together 3 pumpkin welding projects to get your creative juices flowing. Keep reading to find out more!
Carved Aluminum Jack O’ Lantern Welding Project
If you have a MIG welder and a plasma cutter, you’re all set to weld your own aluminum yard pumpkin. To get started, use your plasma cutter to create the shape of your pumpkin and cut out the interior facial details.
Next, using scraps, tack weld additional features onto your pumpkin such as a stem and leaves. You can use 2 inch steel around your eyes, nose and mouth to create a framed outline and add dimension. Finish by grinding your edges smooth and applying a glossy coat of orange paint. Attach some thick pieces of metal if you want to stake your piece into the ground, or skip this step if you plan to hang it, or lean it against something.
Sheet Metal Pumpkin Welding Project
This project is a great way to hone your welding skills and practice tack welding multiple pieces together into one, cohesive shape. To start, you’ll want to cut 8-10 pieces of equal size sheet metal to create your pumpkin shape.
Then, carefully shape and clamp your pieces together and weld them into place from the inside of the pumpkin. Repeat this process with each section of the pumpkin until you get to the last piece which will need to be welded from the outside and ground smooth. Attach a stem by welding a small piece of sheet metal into a tube, and add a top to it, if desired. Finish your project by leaving the piece rustic or spray painting it an autumn orange.
Rebar Pumpkin Welding Project
This project may seem simple, but if you haven’t worked with rebar before, shaping it can be a bit tricky. Most rebar wasn’t created to bend and can be brittle, so make sure you select weldable rebar when gathering materials.
Start by creating a jig for your pumpkin out of wood- essentially you want a circular piece of wood mounted to a larger board with a bolt, around which you can shape your rebar uniformly. You’ll want to do this with 8-10 pieces of rebar to create your pumpkin.
To weld your pumpkin together, clamp and weld each piece to a central point at the top and bottom until your pumpkin base has taken shape. Finish your project by adding a creative stem and leaves, painting it if desired or leaving it bare for a more industrial look.
