60 Art Welding Projects to Try Today (With Videos)
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If you’ve been welding for a while, perhaps in the field for functional purposes, you might be a little hesitant to try your hand at something a little less functional. If you are feeling bold and dangerous (you will have to deviate from code), you can make some awesome creations from plain old scrap lying around your garage. If you don’t have a ton of scrap, have no fear! You will see that many of these utilize old stainless-steel silverware (not silver-plated).
If you’re unsure about where to get started or need some ideas as a point of departure, check out these 60 great art welding projects that can help fuel your artistic creativity!
The 60 Art Welding Projects
1. Welded Rose
Using cold-rolled 22-gauge mild steel, you can make a beautiful rose for a loved one. The welds are not too intense. The most tedious part of this project is tacking and quenching the piece, so it doesn’t warp.
2. Etching and Welding a Sugar Skull
Check out this skull which was etched using a Dremel tool. You could find a similar drawing to trace onto the metal. The best part about this tracing method is that it works for the skull and many other designs. After the etching, you can TIG weld the trace marks putting the design into bold relief.
3. Apex Legends Predator Badge
For those gamers out there, you might appreciate this badge from Apex Legends. This method is similar to the sugar skull above, except that it shows a little more detail about how to fit up the tracing paper.
4. King Tut Mask
Are you noticing a common theme yet? These etching projects are a great way to make beautiful art if you have the know-how with drawing combined with a steady hand for TIG welding. Clearly, several of these designs were made by the artists themselves. The TIG heat-affected zone coloration is a nice touch for this King Tut Mask.
5. Sunflower
By cutting out two sides of petals and then tacking them to two different-sized circles, you can create a sunflower. After welding the whole structure to a small piece of a round bar for a stem, you have a flashy piece of yard art.
6. Cutlery Bird
No, you don’t need to raid nana’s silverware drawer to construct this project. Any old spoons and forks will do when you make this bird figurine. But they have to be stainless, not silver plated. It might look tacky (pun intended), but it’s all about placing it in the right setting!
7. Dog
No paranormal activity is involved in bending these spoons, but you can use a vise grip and hammer. This one shows no face on the dog, but you can easily tack the eyes, nose, and mouth with a TIG welder.
8. Hummingbird
This masterpiece will take almost as much time to make the flower as it will the hummingbird itself. Bending rebar for a beginner ain’t easy, but if you can manage, the duller look of the rebar used for the stem offsets the overwhelming shininess of the cutlery.
9. Fox
Using paper templates, you can trace out all the required pieces to tack together this sheet metal sculpture that looks more like something you’d see in the beta stages of animation. It’s really cool, and you only need to know how to tack with a MIG welder.
10. Lizard
Be sure to let this project cool from time to time when welding it. It requires a lot of tacking. The good thing is that TIG has a relatively low heat input compared to other processes. This lizard would make a great decoration for your front porch, especially if you live in the Southwest.
11. Ram Skull
Be careful with heat distortion with all of the bent metal on this one for the horns. Let it cool in between passes. Ever been envious of people who mount a deer head on their wall as their hunting prize? Now’s your chance to show off your “kill” with this ram skull.
12. Owl Sculpture
The handle from that old wooden handsaw you’ve got lying around can make two ears for an owl sculpture. An old, slotted spoon (minus the handle) makes an excellent feathery chest.
13. Leaves
With a little extra scrap sheet metal, you can cut out any number of designs for leaves. When you cut out the overall shape, trace the veins and chisel the creases. Make a batch of these, and they can make great gifts.
14. Alien Sculpture
This one will cause you a headache if you lack patience. It requires piling weld on top of the initial weld, and the chance of burn-through is high if you’re not careful. Fans of the movie Alien will have fun welding this ominous-looking piece.
15. Steel Rose
This is a slight variation on the steel rose above. With this project, you cut out the petals together so they can be placed on the round bar in layers. It has a more rustic feel to it as well.
16. Supercar
For car lovers and metal workers alike, this supercar makes a great decoration piece for your shop, man cave, or office.
17. Octopus
If the eyes on the octopus are a bit too big, you can make them smaller. Nobody wants to feel like they’re being watched, especially by an inanimate object, but if it doesn’t bother you, you’ll enjoy this aquatic creature made from old cutlery.
18. Rising Phoenix
The myth of the phoenix is something that has puzzled people for ages. However, you don’t have to be puzzled since this video helps to demystify the majestic sculpture!
19. Metal Horse Sculpture
The red, painted finish on this horse is probably the easiest part of the project. The hardest will be controlling heat distortion. The result makes it hard to conceptualize how it was all made from recycled metal.
20. Grumpy Robot
The word robot comes from a Czech word that means forced labor. When you see this robot is made from some old hand tools and scrap metal, no one’s going to force you to want to make this!
21. Predator
Here’s the counterpart to the alien sculpture above. Make them both, and they’d make a great gift for a fan of the movie!
22. Harley Davidson Chopper
Motorheads will love this as it looks neither tacky nor fake. It looks like it could be a miniature version of a real bike. Hard to think that it’s all made with MIG welding.
23. R2D2
This is the droid you’re looking for. For fans of the series (that’s most of us, isn’t it?), once you see this, you can’t unsee it.
24. Bow Hunter
Cutlery seems to be a common theme with scrap metal welding projects. This spoon-headed archer has forks for hands with a bow drawn.
25. Feather
For something as heavy-duty as metal, you would think that something like a feather would be incompatible with MIG welding. However, this strikes a nice balance between sturdy and delicate.
26. Sphere
This sphere is a big fat paradox. How do pieces of angle iron turn into a perfect geometric shape like a sphere? The contrast in itself is what makes this art.
27. Die Sculpture
This rolling die fits nicely into a little stand which displays the full splendor of all sides of the die. A lot of people will wire brush off the heat marks from the HAZ, but we think it looks great with the extra coloration.
28. Table Lamp
With some scrap like cutlery and hexagonal nuts, you can create not only a decorative lamp but one that’s actually functional. Run the cord of the lamp through the neck formed by the nuts. Great for your workshop.
29. Metal Cowboy
This has a real vaquero/ranchero vibe to it, especially with the mustache on the cowboy. Leave the rust on the shovel for a more weathered look on his face.
30. Heart
For those of you who are wondering what to get your special someone as a gift of appreciation, check out these intertwined hearts. Nothing says “I love you,” like building something with your hands.
31. Duck
The great part about this project is that if you buy the accompanying kit, you don’t have to worry about cutting out the shape of the duck. It requires a decent amount of die grinding, so be careful and wear your face shield!
32. Dragonfly
By tracing and cutting out wing-shaped pieces from thinner gauge sheet metal, you can create this dragonfly, which is a great yard art piece. You can hang it or mount it.
33. Jewelry Tree
We all know someone with way too many earrings and necklaces. Perhaps the top of their dresser is a bit disorganized. With this jewelry tree, they will not only have an additional beautiful adornment but also a way to organize their jewelry.
34. Abstract Sculpture for Garden
Sometimes it’s hard to find the beauty in abstract art. Much of it is downright hideous. However, this elegant piece helps to accentuate your garden, not overwhelm it.
35. Unicorn
The beauty of this one is that plans and templates are available. Most of the work is in cutting and bending. You also have the option of either putting the horn on or leaving it off, so you can make a unicorn or a horse.
36. Cow
It has some big nostrils, but part of the beauty of art is that it’s not exact. This sculpture, even though it is made from recycled metal, is sure to last a long time.
37. Steampunk Gun
This modified air rifle looks like it could be right off of a movie set. It’s amazing what a few simple modifications can do. The pressure gauge is a nice touch!
38. King Cobra Snake
With scales made of spoons and a body of rebar, you wouldn’t imagine this project could look as fearsome or formidable as it does. Apart from the rebar, only minimal bending is required.
39. Chopper Motorcycle
Using a length of chain, two different lengths of the same diameter pipe, and a few bolts and pins, you can make a simpler chopper than the one listed above.
40. Spider
Using forks for the legs and feet and two spoons welded together for the body, you can make this creepy (but not so crawly) spider. This would make a great porch decoration for Halloween.
41. Cutlery Bugs
Since these pieces are much smaller than others, it is harder to distribute the heat. As a result, burn through happens very easily. But if you can manage to keep it cool, you can create an array of beetles of varying designs, depending on what silverware you use for the back.
42. Fork Insect
This one actually doesn’t require any welding, but it still makes our list. You can heat up the fork a little bit if you’re having a hard time doing the bends, but you can make an insect from one fork. No welding and no cutting is required.
43. Car Model
This car model can be made with a simple stick welder. All the welds are tacks, so you’re not putting much heat into it. Taking measurements is a breeze as well. Tack up your piece, cut off at the joint, and measure the next piece.
44. Pyramids
Who really built the Giza Pyramid Complex? Who knows? But none of that matters if you build your own. The bricks of the pyramids are stacks of dimes with TIG welding.
45. Cow Skull
This probably takes the cake for the most truly “metal” thing on our list. The original artist modeled this after a real (or at least seemed to be so) cow skull. You can make something comparable with scrap lying around.
46. Horseshoe Fish
By cutting partway into the center of a horseshoe, you can bend it back over itself to create a fish shape. All that’s left after that is to tack weld it so it stays together. Don’t make just one; make a whole school of fish!
Related Read: 30 Horseshoe Welding Projects to DIY Today (With Videos)
47. Spark Plug Airplane
This plane would make a great gift for aviation enthusiasts. The main body of the plane is made of a spark plug. You can even make it a biplane or triplane if you want by adding a little more flat bar or sheet metal.
48. Keychain
Your life is on your keychain. Access to your house, car, and mailbox should be guarded and protected. Making a sturdy keychain out of chain will ensure your keys hang on.
49. Mushroom
For this project, you don’t need fancy metal. This mushroom is made from an old beaten piece of sheet metal welded to a pipe. At first glance, it almost looks like an overly beaten chisel that has ‘mushroomed.’
50. Flower
The petals on this flower are made of nuts and washers. You can make any configuration you like by laying it on the table. Using a TIG welder will ensure that the arc force will not upset your fit-up.
51. Metal Boy
Check out the detail on this figurine. It might look complicated (it is), but nothing on this project is difficult per se, provided that you have patience enough to bend your pieces of steel and grind down the small tacks.
52. Hand Sculpture
You might think that this hand sculpture is just there to look cool. But it turns out it’s pretty functional. It can hold a can for cigarette ashes or sunflower seeds. That can could also double as a cup holder!
53. Seated Classical Guitarist
There’s something that you can’t get away from when working on scrap metal art. That is that it often turns out tacky or goofy looking. Okay, so in this case, it still looks kind of goofy. But there’s something dignified about the way this guy holds his guitar.
54. Snowflake
The great thing about snowflakes is that every single one is different. So, if yours doesn’t turn out exactly as shown in the video, that’s okay! It will be your own unique creation.
53. Peacock
So maybe pink isn’t your color. That’s okay. You can dress this one up how you like. Imagine that instead of using a candlestand for the feathers, you made your own from stainless and welded it with TIG. If you left the discoloration from the heat-affected zone, it would be right at home on a peacock.
56. Fish
In its most basic form, all it takes to weld this little fish is three little welds. The tines of a fork are the tail, while segments of a spoon handle are the fins. The main body is the spoon itself.
57. Willow Tree
Scrap metal comes in various forms, and it’s not just the stock you have left over from your old project. This willow tree is made from an old brake rotor, exhaust heat shields, and piano strings.
58. Deer Skull
The hardest part about this one is forming the sheet metal skull. The antlers themselves could be made from pieces of bent and sharpened round bar. Add some tacks for texturing and hang it on your wall!
59. Butterfly
Who ever thought that something as dainty and elegant as a butterfly could be welded together using scrap metal? It even uses old Skilsaw blades for the wing tips.
60. Eagle
Be sure to use a template to cut out all of the feathers for this one. When you’re done, this majestic eagle will be mounted on a post. It can even be used to ward off other birds!
Final Thoughts
Even though some objects are just plain ugly, beauty is, for the most part, in the eye of the beholder. That means you get to experiment freely. The great thing about welding metal sculptures is that your welds don’t always have to be up to par. You can play around with tacking parts together, removing them, and replacing them in different positions without having to worry about the structural integrity of the piece. You also don’t need the fanciest or cleanest pieces of metal to get started!
Featured Image Credit: Jen Theodore, Unsplash
